M. Badruddin Ajmal (born 12 February 1950) is an Indian businessman, politician, philanthropist and Islamic theologian from the state of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. He is the state-president of
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind () is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari Fi ...
for Assam.
Biography
Ajmal was born on 12 February 1950 to a
Bengali Muslim
Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
family from
Hojai
Hojai is a town and a municipal board in Hojai district in the Indian state of Assam. It is located on the banks of the two tributaries of Brahmaputra namely Kapili and Jamuna
Etymology
The term Hojai means Priest in Dimasa language and is also ...
in central
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. His family traces their origins to the
Sylhet district
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division.
History
Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...
of
eastern Bengal Eastern Bengal may refer to:
* East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British ...
. He is the son of Haji Ajmal Ali, a rice farmer who moved to Mumbai in 1950 to try to succeed in the perfume industry using the ''
oud
, image=File:oud2.jpg
, image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921
, background=
, classification=
* String instruments
*Necked bowl lutes
, hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
, ...
'' plant. After the opening of the first store in the 1960s, the Ajmal perfume brand quickly grew to become a large brand in the Middle East.
He holds master's degrees in
Theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
from
Darul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary (darul uloom) in India at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The seminary was established by Muhammad Qasim ...
.
Career
The son of the founder of Ajmal Perfumes, he established the
All India United Democratic Front
The All India United Democratic Front (also known as AIUDF and ''Sarva Bharatiya Sanyukt Ganatantric Morcha'') is a political party active in the Indian state of Assam. It is the 3rd largest political party in Assam Legislative Assembly after B ...
(AIUDF) in 2005. He is also the president of the Assam State
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind () is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari F ...
.
He is a three-time MP from
Dhubri
Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Boa ...
constituency. He has been regularly listed among "
The 500 Most Influential Muslims
''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world.
The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...
" of the world.
He is the managing trustee of Haji Abdul Majid Memorial (HAMM) Public Trust, Hojai. This trust is best known for the
charitable hospital A charitable hospital, or charity hospital, is a non-profit hospital that provides treatment for poor and uninsured people who can't purchase treatment. An example would be St. Jude Children's Hospital that provides assistance to children and funds ...
Haji Abdul Majid Memorial Hospital and Research Center at
Hojai
Hojai is a town and a municipal board in Hojai district in the Indian state of Assam. It is located on the banks of the two tributaries of Brahmaputra namely Kapili and Jamuna
Etymology
The term Hojai means Priest in Dimasa language and is also ...
, Assam. He also established a hospital at Malua near
Badarpur of
Karimganj
Karimganj is a city in the Karimganj District of the Indian state of Assam. It is the administrative headquarters of the district.
Karimganj city is located at . The area of Karimganj city is 16.09 km2. It has an average elevation of 13& ...
, named as Badarpur Hospital. In 2005, he established
Ajmal Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Assam, India, and operating 25 educational institutions across the state.
Political activities
He was the president of Hojai session reception committee of
Assam Sahitya Sabha
The Asam Sahitya Sabha (; Literary Society of Assam) is a non Government, non profit, literary organisation of Assam. It was founded in December 1917 in Assam, India to promote the culture of Assam and Assamese literature. A branch of the organi ...
, 2004 and Darul Hadith, Jayanagar Madrassa.
Assam Ajmal's political debut came in 2005 after the Supreme Court struck down the
Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act.
Ajmal founded the Assam United Democratic Front, which was renamed the All-India United Democratic Front in 2013.
Before the 2006 Assam assembly elections, Ajmal was politically insignificant. During the 2006 elections however, his party managed to win 10 seats fighting the Congress. he was elected simultaneously from two constituencies – South Salmara and Jamunamukh – by a large margin of votes. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Ajmal won from
Dhubri
Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Boa ...
constituency.
In the
2011 Assembly polls, AIUDF won 18 seats and emerged as the largest opposition party in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Ajmal was re-elected from Dhubri and his party won 3 Lok Sabha seats. In the
2016 assembly elections, however, the BJP swept the polls and Ajmal himself lost the
Salmara South constituency. His party was reduced to 13 seats.
In the
2019 Lok Sabha elections, Ajmal was the only candidate from his party to keep his seat, winning again from Dhubri. With 7 children, he has most children for any Member of Parliament in India. In 2020, Ajmal announced he and Congress would be in alliance for the 2021 polls.
Controversy
Ajmal's statements have often courted controversy for polarizing Bengali Muslims. Following the
2012 Assam riots, Ajmal claimed the violence was between
Bodos
Boro (बर'/बड़ो ), also called Bodo, is the largest ethnolinguistic group in the Assam state of India. They are a part of the greater Bodo-Kachari family of ethnolinguistic groups and are spread across northeastern India. They are ...
and Muslims. The remarks were criticised by an Assamese Muslim group, the Sadou Asom Gariya – Moria Desi (SAGMJ), along with the
All Assam Students Union
All Assam Students' Union or AASU is a Assamese nationalist students' organisation in Assam, India. It is best known for leading the six-year Assam Movement against Bengalis of both Indian and Bangladeshi origin living in Assam. The leadership, ...
, for ignoring that Assamese Muslims were not involved at all.
On 22 January 2021, at a rally in Dhubri, Ajmal claimed the BJP had a list of 3500 mosques it would destroy if returned to power at the Centre and that “they will not let women go out wearing ‘burqa’, grow a beard, wear a skullcap or even offer ''azaan'' at mosques.” The BJP claimed he was making "communal statements" out of "nervousness" since BJP "will get majority share of Muslim votes" this election. Congress, with whom Ajmal is in alliance, as well as NDA party
Asom Gana Parishad
Asom Gana Parishad (translation: ''Assam People's Council'', AGP) is a state political party in Assam, India. The AGP was formed after the historic Assam Accord of 1985 and formally launched at the Golaghat Convention held from 13–14 Octobe ...
also condemned the remarks.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajmal, Badruddin
People from Dhubri district
India MPs 2009–2014
Living people
1950 births
21st-century Indian Muslims
Lok Sabha members from Assam
India MPs 2014–2019
All India United Democratic Front politicians
India MPs 2019–present
Indian businesspeople
Darul Uloom Deoband alumni
21st-century Bengalis
20th-century Bengalis