Peace, harmony calls from Kashmir's mosques, shrines

Story by  Ehsan Fazili | Posted by  Aasha Khosa • 2 Years ago
Dastgeer Sahib Shrine in Khanyar, Srinagar
Dastgeer Sahib Shrine in Khanyar, Srinagar

 

Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

 

 

On Friday, the preacher at Dastgeer Saheb, the shrine of one of the most revered Sufi saints of Kashmir, located not too far from the school at Sangam Eidgah in downtown Srinagar, where teachers Supinder Kour and Deepak Chand, were assassinated in cold blood by a terrorist ten days ago, had a piece of advice for people who are upset with the recent killings by terriorists.

 

He asked them to pray for peace and strive for communal harmony between Muslims and Hindus. “For ages, we (Hindus and Muslims) have lived together with love and peace….Let us continue to follow these age-old traditions,” said the Sufi man, who takes care of the shrine.

 

His comments follow similar prayers and advice from many mosques and shrines across Kashmir where people are stunned to see terrorists’ deliberately targeting the members of the minority Hindu and Sikh who had continued to stay put in Kashmir even after the mass exodus of the frightened minorities and many Muslims in the wake of terrorism and religious extremism 30 years ago.

 

Dastgeer Sahib is a 200-year-old shrine located in the Khanyar locality of the old Srinagar city. It houses the relics of a revered Iranian Sufi Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jelani, who never stayed here. Local call the relic of Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani – a stand of his hair – housed here as Moulla Pak.

 

Kashmiris of all faith have been traditionally praying at this dargah.

 

The calls for peace and religious harmony that came from many mosques and shrines have had a calming impact on the situation. Sources say seven families that had left Kashmir in the wake of recent targeted killings have since returned home.

 

Sanjay Tickoo, President, Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), an organization of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir, appealed on social media platforms. He said, “All Masjid committees across Kashmir valley should restore confidence among minorities in the valley through public address systems.”

 

When it happened, though in a more impactful way – during the Friday congregation messages from the Imams - Tikoo, in particular, thanked the Imams and mosque committee of Sathu-Barbarshah and Naqashpora for their thoughtful sermon that has helped in the restoration of the faith of the minorities in Kashmir.

 

He said, “From the last few days the role done by these Masjid Committees is commendable and the reassurance messages from Masjids have sparked a new ray of hope of understanding and community bonding.”

 

“As such, I once again humbly request all Masjid Committees in Kashmir Valley that after Friday Prayers they should give some time to stress upon the value and importance of the Kashmiri society concerning social and moral security of the minorities living in Kashmir Valley,” he said and his request didn’t go unheeded.

 

Jagmohan Singh Raina, a Sikh community leader, said the (latest) targeted killings of minority community members, was a “dangerous signal.” He said the circumstances in which the recent killings had taken place, raised many questions.

 

Raina added that the Pharmacist, M L Bindroo became the target in a well-guarded security zone, where the office of the SSP, Srinagar, is located nearby.

 

On the killing of the HSS Principal (Supinder Kour) and her teacher colleague, Deepak Chand, a Hindu from Jammu, Raina said that the assailants were car-borne, who killed the two after ascertaining their identities.

 

The incident had taken place at the school, wherefrom a security picket is visible, and held that how the two incidents took place raised many questions. “Majority community is the security to minorities”, Raina commented and lamented that many youths of the majority community had also been killed over the years.

 

It may be recalled that on October 5 evening, when unidentified gunmen shot dead a prominent Pharmacist, Makhan Lal Bindroo at his shop in the center of the city and soon after a street vendor, Verinder Paswan from Bhagalpur, Bihar was shot dead in Lal Bazar area.

 

Almost the same time, a taxi driver Mohammad Shafi Lone, President of the Sumo Stand union, was also killed in the Naidkhai area of Hajin in Bandipore, North Kashmir.

 

Two days later, unidentified gunmen shot dead Supinder Kour (Sikh woman from Beerwah, presently residing in Srinagar) and Deepak Chand from Jammu, after ascertaining their identities at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Sangam Eidgah in old Srinagar.

 

The Police here said that four members of minority communities killed within two days were among 28 civilians killed by unidentified gunmen so far this year.

 

Though there is a minuscule number of Kashmiri Pandits who stayed put in the valley. There are only 808 Kashmiri Pandit families comprising 3545 members living at around 300 places across 10 districts in Kashmir valley, said Sanjay Tickoo.

 

Besides, about 50,000 Sikhs are living at 127 places in Kashmir, mostly in Pulwama, Srinagar, and Baramulla districts, while 30,000 others from the community have migrated from the valley during the past more than 10 years for want of a better economy, said Jagmohan Singh Raina, Chairman, All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC).

 

J&K’s Grand Mufti, Nasir-ul-Islam, on October 7, condemned the incidents of killings saying “no religion allows the killing of innocent civilians and that this will lead to nowhere. Islam prohibits attacking unarmed person”, he said. He added that “no one will be allowed to harm the communal fabric of Kashmir which is intact since the past so many decades.”