Daily News Analysis

Kashmir crisis exposes the cowardice of Muslim ‘leaders’ in India

Crescent International

'Maulana' Arshad Madani (left), President of Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind, bows to Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the Hindu fascist outfit RSS

When it comes to India’s colonial occupation of Kashmir, Muslim leaders want to protect their own hides rather than worry about the besieged and brutalized Kashmiris.

It matters not whether these leaders are Sunnis or Shias; Deobandis or Barailvis. They are all equal opportunity cowards.

The only exception to the chorus of the cowardly brigade is the Jamaat-e Islami Hind whose Amir (leader) Syed Sadatullah Hussaini called India's abrogation of article 370 illegal.

The others, far from raising their voices in support of the suffering Kashmiris, have proclaimed India’s illegal occupation, driven by Hindu fascism, as legitimate.

There is a Prophetic hadith that states that if you see evil, stop it with your hands; if you are unable to do so, then speak out against it. If even that is not possible, consider it evil in your heart but that is the lowest form of Imaan (faith).

Where should we place these maulanas that openly side with evil and injustice? They are engrossed in discussing such issues as which hand to carry the lota in when going to the toilet. Perhaps carrying the lota in the correct hand will get them into Paradise ahead of others!

Let us get some basic facts straight. There are eight million Kashmiris under total lockdown since August 5. They have been denied food, water and medicines. Kashmir is a vast prison.

Tens of thousands of Kashmiri youth—estimates vary from 13,000 to 25,000—have been picked up by Indian occupation troops in the dreaded night raids. Their whereabouts are unknown.

There are at least 180 million Muslims in India. There are 27 ‘Muslim’ MPs in India’s parliament.

Let us set aside the politicians for a moment. They have bought into the Hindu narrative. What about the religious groups and organizations?

The Deoband-based Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind (JUH) claims to be the largest ‘Sunni’ seminary in India.

It’s largely a family-run business with its secretary general Maulana Mahmood Madani and his uncle maulana Arshad Madani serving as president.

The Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind is quick to dish out fatwas of takfir against other Muslims they disagree with but their response to India’s colonization of Kashmir reveals their true nature.

The JUH has not only applauded India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir, its leaders have openly proclaimed that this has been their stance since 1953.

At its annual general meeting on September 12 amidst the Kashmir lockdown, the JUH passed a resolution supporting the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A declaring Kashmir as an ‘integral’ part of India.

Even before this, Maulana Arshad Madani had visited and met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Delhi, at the beginning of September.

What did Arshad Madani offer to the hate-spewing anti-Muslim Bhagwat? The maulana supported the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam whereby Modi’s fascist regime has stripped nearly two million Muslims of Indian citizenship.

What else did he offer the Hindu fascist? That the JUH would pledge allegiance to the RSS provided their seminary was spared the Hindus’ wrath?

Are the Deobandis unaware of the public lynching of Muslim boys and girls in India? Did they not hear the BJP stalwart, Sunita Singh Gaud’s call for Hindu boys to set up gangs of 10 and rape Muslim girls and women before hanging them in public?

Despite this, the JUH head went to meet the Hindu fascist!

While the JUH president bows to a hate-spewing Hindu, thousands of graduates from Deoband seminary have spread across the world including places like South Africa, UK, Australia and other parts of the world.

These obscurantists spew venom against other Muslims but it seems the suffering of the Kashmiris is of little concern to them.

At the other end of the religious spectrum—the Barailvis—are just as cowardly. Various leaders of Dargahs have openly sided with the Hindu fascists.

Head of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Zainul Abedin Khan on August 5 congratulated Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for scrapping Article 370. He called upon the Kashmiris not to be ‘misled’ by separatists or politicians.

The head of Ajmer Sharif would rather have Muslims indulge in giving niyaz and continue reciting na‘ats (religious poetry) than worry about such ‘worldly’ things as independence or basic rights for Kashmiris.

And yes, they urge their devotees to continue to seek help from some ‘pir’ buried in their Dargah!

In this they are little different than the idol-worshipping Hindus.

The Hindus make idols with their own hands: humans, cows, monkeys, snakes, elephants or stones, and then beseech then for help.

The story is little different with other ‘Sunni’ leaders like Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid Ahmad Bukhari, or Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, the self-proclaimed champion of peace and harmony.

The latter has been dubbed neem Hindu, neem Muslim (half Hindu, half Muslim) for his frequent visits to Hindu temples for puja paat (Hindu worship)!

And what about the Shias that are supposedly more revolutionary than Sunnis?

The best-known Shia Muslim leader in India is Kalb-e Jawwad, Imam-e Juma Lucknow.

He not only proclaimed support for the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A but repeated, parrot-fashion the nonsensical propaganda of Narendra Modi.

“The scrapping of Article 370 will do no harm to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. The people living in other states where there is no Article 370 are enjoying fundamental rights and they are leading peaceful life,” said the Shia maulana.

Are Muslims leading a “peaceful life” in India? Has the maulana not heard of the public lynching of Muslims?

Muslims have been hacked to death with axes; others like Tabriz Ansari were beaten to death by Hindu mobs.

Pity the Muslims of India that they have such cowards as their ‘religious’ leaders.