4414543.pdf Sufism Kashmir 611q

Civil Society Initiatives and Peace: Religion and Religious Activists Author(s): Yoginder Sikand Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Jan. 24-30, 2004), pp. 316-317 Published by: Economic and Political Weekly Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4414543 Accessed: 13-06-2015 11:49 UTC

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withstoriesof theallegedmiraculousfeats ('karamat')of the saints,makingit difficultto separatefactfromfiction.Formany Muslimswho youngergenerationKashmiri havehadthe benefitof moderneducation suchtextsappearto exerciselittleappeal. This explains,in part,the greaterpopularity among such youth of alternative formsof Islamicliterature,such as publishedby theJama'at-iIslami,thatpropaof Islamthatappears gateanunderstanding as strictlyrational.The decliningappeal of Sufi formsof Islamis also to be attriThetraditionof KashmiriSufismhas enormous,although butedto thegrowingawarenessof exploitative practicesassociatedwith the custounexplored,potential to combat chauvinistand intolerant dians of the Sufi shrines ('mujawirs, versions of Islam. Religious, specifically Islamic, groups and pirzadas,sajjadanashins').To addto this organisationshave a role in bringingabout a peaceful is the widespreadfeeling thatSufism,as resolutionof the Kashmirconflict. itis popularlypractised,is 'other-worldly', and not concernedwith the actualrealthepartitionof India,thereligiousdimen- worldconcernsof the people.For many SIKAND YOGINDER sionof theconflictcannotbe ignored.The youngergenerationKashmiristhecultsof Kashmir of the as basis the growingroleof radicalIslamistgroupsin the Sufis are furthersuspect becauseof Insofar conflictis political,a lastingsolution Kashmirin recentyearshasonlymadethe what are regardedas un-Islamicbeliefs to theconflictcanonly come aboutat conflict more intractable.Althoughthis andpracticesassociatedwith the cultsof the politicallevel. Despite this, civil so- shouldnotbe takenas suggestingthatthe the Sufi shrines. In this context,whatpossiblerolescan ciety groupsin Kashmir,and in Indiaas Kashmirdisputeis essentiallyreligious, well, do have a crucial role to play in ratherthanpolitical,or thata solutionto the Sufi traditionplay in helpingto bring promotinga peaceful resolutionof the the conflict lies simply in a liberal or abouta peacefulresolutionof theKashmir progressiveunderstandingof religion,I conflict,counteringradicalIslamismand ongoingconflict in the region. Myowninvolvementwithcivil society believe that understandingsof religion, promoting more accepting notions of initiatives in Kashmir has been very bothHinduismas well as Islam,thatare people of other faiths? I believe that limited, I must confess. I have visited moreacceptingand tolerantof peopleof althoughthepossibilitiesforthisarerather Kashmirseveraltimes(thelastbeingthree otherfaiths,if notof otherreligionsthem- limited,it is certainlyan importantform yearsago),andhavealsotravelledtoDoda, selves, can play a vital role in bringing of civil society action that needs to be Rajouri,Poonch,LadakhandJammu.My abouta peacefulresolutionto theconflict promoted.Clearly,one cannotexpectany miracles to follow from this because, interesthasbeeninKashmiri in Kashmir. ownparticular Whatarethe possibilitiesof promoting despite the progressive theological Muslimreligioustraditions,and the posof Islamin resourcescontainedin the KashmiriSufi sibilitiesthatthey mightcontainthatcan moretolerantunderstandings be used to promotemore accepting,en- Kashmir,and the problemsinvolved in traditionthat stress respectand love for gaging and embracingnotions of other such a project.I would argue that the people of otherfaiths,as a whole, it has religionsandtheiradherents.I startedby traditionof KashmiriSufism has enor- been unableto effectively resist radical travellingto variousSufi shrinesin the mous, althoughunexplored,potentialto Islamistgroupsthatspeakthelanguageof KashmirValley and in the Jammuprov- combatchauvinistandintolerantversions hatred.Many KashmiriMuslimsI have ince, collecting materialabout the Sufi of Islam.Historically,the spreadof Islam met who are associated with the Sufi saints who still commandthe love and in Kashmirowes almost entirelyto the traditionsaythattheyaresimplytooscared devotionof hugenumbersof people.This peacefulmissionaryeffortsof variousSufi to speakout,againstboththeIndianarmy was partof an Oxfam-sponsored project saints.Manyof these saints,particularly and Islamist militants,for fear of their on religious harmonyin India. I wrote of the indigenousRishi order,were also lives.Thematteris furthercomplicatedby severaltractsbased on my researchand widely reveredby the KashmiriHindus. thefactthatmanyKashmiriswhodescribe also publishedseveralarticlesin various Theirmodeof missionaryworkwas cul- themselvesas followers of the Sufis do Kashmiriand Indiannewspaperson the turallyrootedintheKashmirisocialethos, also the politicalaimsof militant subject.We also arrangedto havea video which also partlyexplainswhy Hindus, groups- freedom from India, indepenfilm madeanda seminarto be organised too, wouldregularlyvisit theirshrinesto dence or accessionto Pakistan- while not necessarily subscribing to their on the subjectin Srinagar.Althoughnot pay their respectsto them. Muchliterature exists,inUrdu,Kashmiri particular theology. This is clearly directlyrelatedto the Oxfamproject,we alsopreparedandpublisheda directoryof and Persian,on the life and teachingsof apparent,for instance,in thecaseof many theSufisof Kashmir.Inrecentyearssome Kashmiri Muslims who might deeply NGOs in Kashmir. Clearly,insofaras theKashmirdispute bookshavebeenwrittenon the subjectin reveretheSufisaints,butatthesametime is linked to the larger Hindu-Muslim English.Forthe mostpart,such textsare might the attacksagainstIndian questionand to the processesthatled to writtenin a hagiographicmode replete armedpersonnelby militantsassociated

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with the vehementlyanti-SufiLashkar-i influence on vast numbersof Kashmiri social activists. I believe leaders of three Tayyeba,whichis associatedwiththeAhl- Muslims.Almostall the Islamicliterature Islamic groups in India have a particularly i Hadithschool that regardsSufism as available in bookshops in Kashmir is crucial role to play in this regard: the 'anti-Islamic'. published by Islamic groups in India, Jama'at-i Islami Hind, the Markaz-i Ahl-i Yet,whilekeepingin mindthesefactors particularlyDelhi. In recentyearsa num- Hadith-i Hind and the Dar 'ul-'Ulum that clearly limit the possible role of berof madrasashaveopenedin Kashmir, madrasa at Deoband. This is because KashmiriSufi traditionto help promotea andalmostall of theseareassociatedwith Pakistan-based organisations sharing a peacefulresolutionof the conflict, I feel largermadrasasin Indiaitself,particularly common understandingof Islam with these that civil society groups could play a of theDeobandi,BarelwiandAhl-iHadith three groups respectively, (the Jama'at-i valuablerole in this regard.One way is schools of thought.Some of the teachers Islami Pakistan, the Lashkar-i Tayyeba by helping to promotea new genre of in these madrasasare from northIndia (associated with the Ahl-i Hadith Pakiwritingin Urduand Englishon Sufism, (mostlyBiharandeasternUttarPradesh). stan) and the Jaish-i Muhammad (associparticularlyon the KashmiriSufis, that Most of theirhigher-levelteachershave ated with one wing of the Pakistani focuses on the social roles and ethical graduatedfromleadingmadrasasin India, Deobandis)) are key players in the Kashteachingsof theSufi saints,ratherthanon and still maintainlinks with their alma mir conflict today. The Indian Jama'at, as well as several Indian Ahl-i Hadith and the the miracles popularlyassociated with maters. Giventhis,IndianMuslimorganisations Deobandi 'ulema, have adopted, on the stressshould them.Inthisregard,particular be given to the role of certainKashmiri and 'ulemacould be encouragedto play whole, a markedlydivergent position from Sufi saintsin promotinginter-communal a more active role in helpingto promote their Pakistani counterparts on religious, harmonybased on an expansive under- peace in Kashmir.With the respectthat including Islamist, extremism, stressing standingof Islam.Suchtexts shouldtake theycommandamonglargesectionsof the the need for inter-communal harmony and the formof bookletsratherthan,as is the KashmiriMuslimstheycouldproveto be a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir diseffective.A numberof Indian pute. I do not think it should be difficult rule, scholarly tomes, and should be particularly modestlypriced.Inadditionto new forms Muslimgroupsandindividualshavebeen to encourage them to take a more proof Sufi writing,seminarson Sufism and involvedinpromotinginter-faithdialogue active role in Kashmir, and since they its contemporaryrelevance could be andcommunalharmonyin India,through exercise an important influence on the organisedat KashmirandJammuUniver- practicalworkalongwithpeopleof other Kashmiri Muslims in different ways their sities, to which scholarsof Sufism from faithsas well as throughtheirscholarship intervention can prove to be invaluable. To conclude promoting alternatevisions Indiaandelsewherecouldalso be invited. and literature.I believe thatthey need to Likewise,seminarson KashmiriSufism be encouragedto extendtheiractivitiesto and understandingsof Islam that are more couldbe organisedat Indianuniversities, Kashmiras well. Thiswouldalso be a test accommodative of people of other faiths wherea totalignoranceprevailsaboutthe of theirsincerity.If they areconsistentin and that stress peaceful means of conflict rich cultural heritage of the Kashmiri theirinsistencethatIslamenvisionsa just resolution is an essential and necessary, Muslims. peace and harmoniousinter-communal although not sufficient, condition for a In helpingto promotea peacefulreso- relations,this shouldholdtruenotonly in peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conI believethat a contextof Muslimminority-ness,as in flict. This said, I must also insist that more lutiontotheKashmirdispute, IndianMuslimcivil society groupshave India,but also in a situationwhereMus- accepting and open understandings of Hinduism (and of Indian nationalism as a verycrucialrole to play. If such groups lims are a majority,as in Kashmir. Inthisregard,if IndianMuslimactivists well) are an absolute necessity as well in have not been active in Kashmirit is not inter- this regard. Islamist and Hindutva becauseof any insensitivityto the plight whohavebeeninvolvedinpromoting of theirco-religionistsin the region,but, faithdialogueandcommunalharmonyin militancy feed on each other,andthe former rather,becauseof thefearof beingaccused India could visit Kashmiron a regular cannot be combated without consistently as 'anti-national' simplybecauseof being basis and interactwith local Islamicand struggling against the latter as well. B3 associatedin any way with Kashmiris. This,I believe is tragic,not only because 1. Ecology Against Capitalism by Jolu Bellamy Foster pp. 176; Rs. 100 as citizensof Indiatheytoo havethe right 2 Naming the System Inequality and Work in the Global Economy andthe dutyof tryingto do whattheycan by Michael D. Yates pp. 288; Rs. 150 to helppromotepeacein Kashmir,butalso 3. Radical Perspectives on the Rise of Fascism in , 1919-1945 becausetheyareuniquelypositionedto do edited by Michael N. Dobkowski and Isidor Wallimann pp. 320; Rs. 150 so. As a marginalisedand increasingly 4 The Irreversible Crisis & Paul M. Harry Magdoff pp. 80; Rs. 80 Sweezy by threatenedminority,the IndianMuslims, 5. Essays on Keynesian Economics and the Crisis of Capitalism as a whole,see a peacefulresolutionof the pp.128; Rs. 80 by Paul M. Sweezy Kashmirdisputeas essentialfor theirown 6. China: An Unfinished Battle Essays on CulturalRevolutionand thefurther survivalandprogress,for the continuing pp.144 Rs. 80 developmentsin China by William Hinton conflict in the region only furtherhelps 7. Capitalism and the Information Age The PoliticalEconomyof theGlobal HindufascistsinIndiaintheiranti-Muslim CommunicationRevolution eds. McChesney, Wood & Foster pp.256; Rs.150 campaign. As such, then, the Indian 8. Marx's Ecology Materialismand Nature by John Bellamy Foster ppx+310, Rs.200 Muslimshave a vital stake in peace in Payments by MO/DD only, payable to: Kashmir. CORNERSTONE PUBLICATIONS, RAMESH DUTTA SARANI, Pete IndianMuslimorganisationsand leadedgee WB P.O.HIJLI KHARAGPUR-721306, CO-OPERATIVE, ing 'ulemacontinueto exercisea profound

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