Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives - Islamic Books ...

Key Te r m s 3 4 7the constitution. At various times since then, some Islamist groups in the country have struggled for the reimplementation of the Jakarta Charter as a centralplank in their platforms for the further Islamization of society.Jama’at-i Islami (1, 4, 9)An Islamic revivalist political party founded in 1941 by Sayyid Abu al-A’la Mawdudi.Since the partition of the Indian Subcontinent in 1947, it has played aparticularly important role in Pakistan’s domestic politics. The party’s fundamentalistideology aims to transform Pakistan into a Muslim theocratic state. AlthoughJama’at-i Islami has historically never done well at the ballot box, sincethe end of the twentieth century its profile has increased dramatically. In October2001, Jama’at-i Islami and a coalition of five other conservative religious politicalparties made unprecedented gains in the general elections. This alliancenow forms the third-largest political group in Pakistan’s National Assembly.Jama’atkhana (10)The term used by the Nizari I s m a ’ i l i community to refer to the buildingswhere they gather for communal worship.Jihad (4, 7, 8)A term today often popularly glossed as “holy war.” J i h a d has become one ofthe most hotly debated words in Muslim societies as well as in the West duringthe modern period. Some Muslims, basing themselves on S u f i s m and other religioustraditions within Islam, have reemphasized dimensions of the inwardfocus of the “greater j i h a d” as a struggle for self-mastery. However, in populardiscourses throughout the world, j i h a d is more often used with reference toarmed struggle pursued in the defense of Islam against various perceivedthreats. The term j i h a d comes from the Arabic root for “exertion.”Kalam (1)An Arabic term, literally meaning “word,” that has come to refer to the field ofIslamic theology.Khalifa (1, 3, 4)A term literally meaning “successor” that is used in different ways in variousMuslim societies. It can refer to the early leaders of the community followingM u h a m m a d ’s death (see c a l i p h) or to the successors of the s h a y k hs of Sufi orders(t a r i q as) .Khanaqa (4, 5)Sufi lodges or hospices in many parts of the Muslim world, including Centraland South Asia. The k h a n a q as of the South Asian Chishti t a r i q as , for example,