Other Articles

Religion, Inter-Community Relations and the Kashmir Conflict

  Author: Yoginder Sikand
Publisher: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, India
Year of Publication: 2011
Price: Rs 595
Pages: 196
Reviewed by Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander
Is Kashmir Issue a religious or political one? These two connotations have polarized Kashmiris since decades. Many hold that it is a religious issue, and they legitimize their claims by stating that the precursor for 1931 protest movement were religious, as Quran was desecrated, an Imam was stopped by a Dogra soldier from delivering an Eid sermon when he was describing the story of Pharaoh and Prophet Moses as related in Quran and the structural bias against majority Muslims by the Hindu Dogra ruler. The religious connotations were used by the political leaders to unite the masses for a political purpose. They further claim that the armed insurgency is Jihad against the repressive Indian State, which Islam ordains on its followers. To substantiate their stance they relate that if the independence (Aazadi) and secession is not for an 'Islamic State' or Nizaam e Mustafa, then there is no need to fight against India, which is constitutionally secular where millions of Muslims reside. So Muslims of Kashmir can be a part of that India too??
Contrast to it are the views of 'secular' political ones who state that religion has nothing to do with the Kashmir Issue, its nature is a political one. It so happens that Muslims are a majority in Kashmir, but Islam has nothing to do with the same, only to be rebutted by the other camp stating that Kashmir Issue wouldn't have been born if Kashmir was not a Muslim majority state. Despite these claims and counter claims no serious academic study has been undertaken to understand or delve on the religious aspect of Kashmir Issue. Yoginder Sikand a versatile scholar, serious researcher, futuristic thinker and prolific writer has penned down scores of articles on the religious aspects of Kashmir Issue. His previous book titled as Religion , Peace and Dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir dealt with this issue too, which this author had the privilege to review too. The present book under review is a collection of his articles written over many years by Sikand which also describe his relation with Kashmir Conflict. The book is divided in five parts.
In the Preface of the book, Sikand describes his relationship with Kashmir especially with Doda region of Jammu that he visited during early 1990s when polarization among Hindus and Muslims of the region was complete due to initiation of armed insurgency in Kashmir. But before that it was different and other way round. Now the Hindus and Muslims had become communal in their overtures. It is for this reason that he considers religious factor indispensable while addressing the Kashmir Issue. He writes, "My initial hunch was solidly confirmed; that negative, exclusivist understanding of the religious 'other' was at the very core of the Kashmir conflict. I was now unshakably convinced that the roots of the seemingly intractable Kashmir imbroglio lay less in the economic or political sphere and more in the religio-cultural realm, specifically in imagining Hindu and Muslim religious and community identities as being premised on unrelenting hostility towards each other". His association with Kashmir issue wasn't looked as selfless by all and many times as happens in a conflict situation, he was described as an agent or spy while he was factually reporting Kashmir.
The First part of the book deals with the Religious Understanding of the Kashmir Conflict. In this part he relates in contrast to many Indian analysts and writers on Kashmir, that Kashmiris didn't opt for gun out of poverty or lack of economic development. He further describes how Hindu and Muslim exclusivists and extremists feed on each others version of hate and violent exclusivist ideology which doesn't tolerate co existence with each other. These prejudices, biases and stereotypes against the religious other are now threatening the plural, syncretic and composite culture of Rishism. He time and again emphasis on the fact that it is wrong to deny that Kashmir Issue doesn't have religious connotations.
The second part of the book deals with Religious Polarization of Doda. This is the longest part of the book, and deals with that region of Kashmir which has been neglected by most of the writers. Sikand describes the transition of Doda since the onset of armed insurgency. He is critical of the Pujaris from other parts of India who are ignorant about the local tradition and some of whom are members of Hindutva organizations like RSS. They insist on Hindus to shun cordial relations with Muslims thus reinforcing the communal polarization, but still people in private uphold the syncretic and centuries old plural culture. He then moves to Kishtwar where the shrine of Baba Fariduddin Bagdadi is located & Hindus visit it too, but the shops in the market have been polarized as depicted by communal signs being displayed over them and the military remains on high alert. Sikand then describes Gandoh Tehsil of Doda district which has been wrecked by conflict. He further relates the Kulhand massacre where twenty two hindus were gunned down by unknown men, similar to the chattisingpora massacre where thirty five Sikhs were massacred by unidentified men. This has devastated some Hindu families who had started migrating from there, though some are rebuilding their lives after the brutal inhuman massacre, but settling down once again to normal lives is proving difficult as most of the bread earners have been killed in the massacre and those who survived are injured or maimed and are surviving on medical prescriptions which siphons away most of their monthly income as well as the compensation money.
Sikand also describes the Tablighi Jamaat in Doda whose avowed neutrality towards politics is cent percent but as happens in a conflict they too have been politically polarized. Sikand is vehemently critical of the BJP's Save Doda campaign as well as the State's act of forming Village Defense Committees (VDC) in Doda through which they are arming the Hindu youth to fight insurgency. These VDC's are creating numerous problems and are having diverse ramifications on the harmonious culture and plural environment of Doda. But Sikand is optimistic that despite the vigorous campaign of BJP to turn Hindus against Muslims, no love is lost between them that signifies a sign of hope and optimism.
Sikand also decries about the dearth of orphanages in Doda. There are none for hindu orphans who are now housed in Muslim orphanages and there are a number of problems for girl orphans who can't stay in orphanages after their matriculation. The government is numb to these problems.
The Trajectory of Violence is the third part of the Book. This part deals with Delhi Bombings and Earthquake in Kashmir. He describes the communal and apathetic attitude of common Indians and Civil society towards Kashmir as, "For many people in my largely middle class and 'upper' caste Hindu locality in Bangalore, the Kashmir quake was viewed not as a human tragedy, but rather, simply as a Muslim affair. One of my neighbors was so brutally frank as to tell me that the quake victims deserved their fate for allegedly supporting terrorism and advocating secession from India" (P-106). Sikand further says that Delhi blasts further alienated and communalized Indians. It radicalized them, not to respond as Humans a goal which many vested interests wanted to achieve.
The fourth part is titled as Voices which relates bitter experiences of a militant who gave up armed struggle after witnessing and being exposed to the exclusivist and violent ideology of certain Jihadi organizations who wish to destroy the Sufi culture of Kashmir. It also describes the Rahimiyyah madrasa as well as deals with the multiple voices within Jamaat e Islami, who like other exclusivists want to establish a Utopian state but shirk from describing its details. This part also throws light on the dalits of Jammu their problems and prospects and how they have been neglected time and again.
Last part deals with Peace Building in Kashmir. It relates the decline of Sufism in Kashmir and emphasis on the need of Indian Muslim organizations to play a role in Kashmir. It also relates many schemes and principles for conflict resolution which include Indian Madrasas playing a vital role in the resolution of Kashmir issue. The shrine and hospice culture in the valley and Jammu can surely be used to promote dialogue and understanding among different faiths.
Overall the book is a welcome addition to the rare literature available on the religious aspect of Kashmir issue and the Doda and Dalit part contains the essence of the whole book. Sikand has dealt with those subjects which are rarely discussed in the discourse on Kashmir, hence deserves our appreciation. This book is inevitable for anyone who wants to have a glimpse of the intricate vexed problem of Kashmir Issue through a religious lens.