Syed Munawar Hasan (; 5 January 194026 June 2020) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 4th Emir of

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

from 2009 to 2014. He was elected as a member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

from

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

Early life and education

Munawar Hasan was born in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

on 5 August 1941. During the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, he migrated with his family and settled in

. He obtained a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in sociology in 1963 and in

Islamic Studies Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...

in 1966 from the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

. Hasan became the Karachi president of the

National Students Federation The National Students Federation Pakistan (NSF) is a left-wing students federation in Pakistan. In the late 1960s, NSF adopted the political line of Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. Its predecessor, the DSF (Democratic Students Federat ...

in 1959.

Political career

He joined

Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba () IJT is the largest student organization in Pakistan. It was founded by 25 students on 23 December 1947 at Lahore, Pakistan. Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba is working in Pakistan to eliminate the non-Islamic elements and secul ...

in 1960 and became president of its

unit in 1962, Karachi chapter in 1963, and a member of its Central Executive Council. He became its national president in 1964 and served in that capacity for three consecutive terms. During his tenure, the Jamiat organised several campaigns mobilising public opinion regarding education issues. Hasan became a member of

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP), is a Pakistani Islamism, Islamist political party. It is the Pakistani successor to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was founded in colonial India in 1941. JIP is a "vanguard party", whose members are intended to be leade ...

in 1967. He served the Karachi unit as Assistant Secretary, Secretary, Deputy Ameer and Ameer of the city. He was then elected to the Central Shura and the Executive Council of the Jamaat. He represented the group at several platforms, including United Democratic Front and the Pakistan National Alliance formed by many Pakistani political parties. He ran for the NA-191 Karachi-IX seat of the

in 1977 and secured the highest vote tally in Pakistan. He was Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in 1992–93 and became Secretary General in 1993. He was elected

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

or head of the party in 2009. After Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan's loss in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

, Hasan accepted responsibility and offered to resign from his position, but the party's Executive Council refused this. In March 2014, Hasan became the first head in the history of JI to be voted out of office when Siraj-ul-Haq Khan was elected head by the members with voting rights. At least one analyst, Nasir Jamal, attributed the change in leadership to JI Arakeen's desire for a younger and more pragmatic leader.

Academic career

He joined the Islamic Research Academy and later Islamic Jerusalem Studies, at Karachi as a research assistant in 1963. He became its secretary general in 1969. Under his supervision, the academy published 70 scholarly books. He also served as managing editor of ''The Criterion'' and ''The Universal Message'',

Personal life

He was known for his simple living style and was cited as an example, "For decades he lived in a two-room portion in the house of Jamaat leader Naimatullah Khan in Karachi, content with the stipend from his party." Munawar Hasan had always been more of an ideologue rather than a pragmatic leader trying to form political alliances with other parties in Pakistan.

Death

On 11 June 2020, JI Karachi-chapter leader confirmed that Hasan had contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, and was in ICU. He died on 26 June in

Controversies

In November 2013, Hasan called Hakimullah Mehsud, slain leader of Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, a martyr. This statement proved to be controversial in Pakistan. The

Inter-Services Public Relations The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) () is the media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country's Media of Pakistan, civilian media and the Pakistani ...

, the media wing of

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...

, said this insulted the civilians and soldiers killed in Pakistan's war against terror and demanded that he apologise.

References

External links

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasan, Munawwar 1941 births Delhi politicians Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan politicians University of Karachi alumni Politicians from Karachi Pakistani MNAs 1977 2020 deaths Muhajir people Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Sindh Emirs of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan