- Tanveer Ahmad Shergojri
In June this year, the Hijab-wearing female students of Vishu Bharti School in Rainawari Srinagar were disallowed from entering the school premises for “ruining the atmosphere” there. The students later protested, saying they cannot abandon the Islamic dress code. The students added that they are being discriminated against in sports and other co- curricular activities in the school. However, it was not the first time that Kashmiri Muslims witnessed such an assault on their Muslim identity. India has long been trying to erase the Islamic identity of the region and its populace in an effort to Brahmanize it. India is not letting any religious institution function independently. From banning religious organizations to keeping people away from historic Masajid’s, the Indian government has been directly interfering in the religious matters of Kashmiris. In the month of June this year, we saw how the military administration in the valley organized Yoga sessions inside the premises of our revered shrines at Chraar-e-Shareef and Wahab Sahab in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. This brazen attempt of desecration was openly done without any regard for the sentiments of the inhabitants of Kashmir. In the same month, another egregious incident unfolded. The Indian Army stormed Rajab Sahab Masjid in Pulwama’s Zadoora village during the predawn hours, forcing worshipers there to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ a Hindu religious slogan that in India has been weaponized against the Muslim community. The echoes of their sacred chants now reverberate not as a testament to faith but as a haunting reminder of religious suppression. This Hindu slogan is being chanted by cow vigilantes while lynching Muslims and desecrating or demolishing their places of worship. In October this year, the military authorities in Pulwama demolished a religious seminary in Pulwama, another poignant symbol of Kashmiri spiritual life.
These incidents must not be considered in isolation; they are part of a broader scheme orchestrated by the occupying state within our territory. This scheme deliberately targets Islam and its sacred symbols, recognizing their immense significance in our sacred struggle for freedom against Indian rule. The agenda extends to eroding the cherished indigenous culture and identity of Kashmiri Muslims, with the ultimate goal being the Brahmanization of Kashmir. This aggressive campaign seeks to impose foreign standards of living, including appearance and dress codes, thereby weakening the spiritual and social fabric of our community.
Their brutal crackdown on our glorious religion is a testament to their intentions — to wage an all-out war against the very faith of Kashmiris. The banning of Jamaat-e-lslami, the imprisonment of religious scholars, the assault on FAT Schools, the takeover of the Waqaf Board, and other forms of direct interference in religious matters are all integral components of a larger strategy to transform a predominantly Muslim region into a Hindu- dominated territory.
At this time, they interpret the silence of the Kashmiri people as a sign of their triumph and, emboldened, they have intensified their efforts to drastically alter the region’s demographics, including its Muslim character.
Let us firmly bear in mind that our Muslim identity is a treasure beyond measure, and no battle is more sacred than the one to preserve it, no matter the sacrifices required.
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