Playing with fire in the valley of snow

There had been regular news from the Kashmir valley that government agencies are making big efforts to get the Muslims there indulged in sectarian shadow boxing. Now detailed reports in The Times of India (Apr 25) and Mail Today (Apr 28) confirmed the news and also that these efforts are open and not secret. The strategy is the same old one viz. to create a rift between the Barelvis and Deobandis. However, Sufism, “Liberal Islam” and the concept of Wahdat-e-Adyaan have been added to the Barelvis while the terms Wahabism, Salfism and Ahle Hadith have been included in the Deobandism. Government agencies are telling the world that Wahabism has taken strong roots in the valley, and the Barelvis too have come to the fore to counter them. According to the media, they are holding big fairs at graves. Old graves are being decorated. Roads are being constructed to link the graves that are inaccessible for common people. But the Kashmiri people and media persons are witnessing that all these projects of Barelvis are being funded by government agencies. High government officials are openly participating in the programmes organised by Barelvis.

Chain of events

This fresh mischief of government agencies is nothing new. However, they refreshed the chain of events in the mind: how after Independence rift was created among Muslims by creating sectarian conflicts, how fatwa of kufr was aired. Shia-Sunni riots were a very successful weapon in their hands; but this weapon was used only where Shia population was considerable. In the rest of the country Sunnis were instigated to fight. And for that matter, to weaken the Muslim Ummah by getting them fight on the bases of sects and schools of thought was a very old method of anti-Islam forces. In the past this strategy was learnt from British secret agencies when these agencies, with a view to occupy Muslim countries, first created sectarian conflicts over there and then caused different moral evils among the new generations by making them inactive and characterless. – Now the reason of development of this art today is that this work is being done in the guidance of Israeli agencies. All the methodologies, terminologies and strategies are coming therefrom. After having made attempts to get “good Taliban” fight with “bad Taliban” in Afghanistan, now efforts are being made to get “good Barelvis” fight with “dangerous Wahabis” in Kashmir.

The leadership of Kashmir is awake

But in due accordance with expectation, the Muslim leadership of Kashmir has taken timely notice of this mischief. Therefore, the Ulema and leaders of all sects and schools of thought have condemned it. Although, the media is as usual promoting the government cause yet in certain reports the government is being warned against this playing with fire. In the above mentioned reports, though the line is that of the government yet the government has been warned to keep from this dangerous move. The government has seen the result of patronising the Bhindranwales to divide the Akalis and create a rift among the Sikhs in the Punjab. Now it should not do the same in Kashmir. It will neither solve the Kashmir issue nor win the confidence of people there. – And for that matter there is a message in it for general Muslim leaders. Whatever government agencies are doing in Kashmir is part of the same governmental course of action which has been prepared with the support of foreign agencies to weaken and harass the entire Muslim Ummah. Ruining Muslim families by targeting Muslim youth in the name of terrorism and getting the Muslims in Kashmir fight on sectarian grounds are two parts of the same strategy.

07/05/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf