group, including several subgroups under differ-
ent leadership. Since the establishment of these
Muslim states, the JUI has been active as a politi-
cal party and has pressed for the implementation
of the sharia. In Pakistan, the JUI was active in
the anti-ahmadiyya riots in 1953 and 1974 and
anti-Shia agitations. Part of the JUI’s agenda has
also been to establish a “pure” Islam in Pakistan.
In particular, the JUI has sought to eliminate the
worship of saints and other practices they regard
as un-Islamic.
As a political party, the JUI held political con-
trol of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP)
in the 1970’s under the leadership of Maulana
Mufti Mahmud (1919–80), who was chief min-
ister from 1971 to 1973. In addition to pursuing
populist policies regarding land reform, public
education, and health care, during this period
several “Islamic” laws were instituted and remain,
including the prohibition of alcohol, a reform of
inheritance laws, and the mandatory observance
of Ramadan. The JUI opposed the regimes of Zul-
fiqar Ali Bhutto (r. 1973–77) and Benazir Bhutto
(r. 1988–90, 1993–96), gave lukewarm support
to Nawaz Sharif (r. 1990–93, 1997–99), and has
been an active critic of the regime of Pervez Mush-
arraf (r. 1999–2008). Currently, under the leader-
ship of Mahmud’s son Fazlur Rahman, the JUI is
again influential as part of the Muttahida Majlis-i
Amal (MMA) coalition of religious parties that
came to power in the NWFP in 2002. The JUI is
also popular in Baluchistan.
See also islamism; politics and islam; shiism.
Anna Bigelow
Further reading: Jamal Malik, Colonialization of Islam:
Dissolution of Traditional Institutions in Pakistan, 2d ed.
(New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1998); Muhammad
Qasim Zaman, The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Cus-
todians of Change (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University
Press, 2002).
Jammu and Kashmir See kashmir.
Jannisary (Turkish yeniçeri: new troops)
The elite standing army corps of the Otto-
man Empire, the Janissaries originated in the
14th century as a corps of soldiers made up
of Christian prisoners of war. They developed
into a regular standing infantry through the
institution known as devs ̧ irme—the levying of
boys from the Christian peoples conquered by
the Ottomans. The recruits were converted to
Islam, taught the Turkish language, and trained
for specific functions in the Ottoman palace and
military. Though they received regular salaries,
the Janissaries were considered slaves, and other
Muslims were thus excluded from their ranks.
The Janissaries were subject to strict discipline
and were forbidden to marry. Their organization
was steeped in tradition, and each regiment was
independent, with its own symbol and flag. Their
loyalty to the regiment and to the sUlta n gave
them strength in battle, making them an effec-
tive force in Ottoman conquests. In peacetime,
they served important functions in Ottoman
cities, including fire-fighting, maintaining law
and order, and ensuring fair trade. They became
a force in internal politics known for revolting
against and overthrowing viziers and even sul-
tans, symbolically announcing their mutinies
by overturning their large soup cauldrons. The
Janissaries had an affiliation with the bektashi
sUFi order, whose babas (spiritual leaders)
served as chaplains to the troops.
Because of their regular salary and the privi-
leges and distinctions they received, Muslims
began to seek admission to the Janissary corps
through patronage and bribery. This led to a
decline of discipline, which worsened when
Janissaries were allowed to have outside careers
while still garnering their wages. By the 18th
century, the Janissaries were widely seen as a
nuisance, and they resisted attempts at reform.
Finally, when Sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808–39)
created a new regular corps in 1826, the ensuing
mutiny was put down, and the Janissaries were
destroyed.K 390 Jammu and Kashmir