Not only Hindus, but even Shia Muslims also are not safe in Kashmir

There’s a reason why it is believed that Islamists do not spare anyone. While many of you believe that the community only wants to harm ‘kaafirs’ or non-Muslims, the truth is that they do not even spare those belonging to their own community. The blood-thirsty community can go beyond the extent and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that even Muslims are not safe in the Muslim-dominated areas.

‘Shia Kafir’ slogans in Kashmir

The Islamic radicalization of the Kashmir valley has gripped heaven in disguise yet again. This time, it’s different. While earlier, only the non-Muslim kafirs were targeted, they have now begun eliminating the people belonging to their community. After targeting Hindus, the Islamic fundamentalists are now eyeing Shia Muslims.

If several reports are to be believed, ‘SHIA KAFIR’ slogans are springing up again on walls of Shia Muslim houses in Srinagar.

This clearly suggests that for Shia Muslims, Kashmir will soon become another Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is pertinent to note that as per Census 2011, “Muslims constitute 68.3% of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir’s total population of 1.25 crore. The state was split into two union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh after the revocation of Article 370. Out of this Shia Muslims constitute around 15 lakhs and Sunnis are around 70 lakhs.”

Shia vs Sunni

The Shia vs Sunni debate in Islam is almost as old as the religion itself. The Shia sect considers Ali (cousin and son in law of Prophet Muhammad) true successor and the Imam (leader) after him while the Sunni are of the view that the Prophet did not appoint a successor and therefore Abu Bakr, the person who was appointed by a group of Muslims as the Caliph is the rightful successor. In India too, Shia and Sunni sects have followed very different trajectories. In fact, the reason why these two sects came to India is also drastically different. Sunni Muslims mostly came to India as invaders while most Shias came to the country to seek asylum from Sunni persecution. While the Shia community was systematically persecuted by various Muslim dynasties of the Sunni community, they had had an amicable relationship with the Hindus of the subcontinent.

Prominent Shia scholars like Qazi Nurullah Shustari and Mirza Muhammad Kamil Dehlavi were persecuted during Mughal Empire. They still face discrimination in the Kashmir region where Wahabi interpretation of Sunni Islam is the dominant narrative. The Jammu & Kashmir government went to the extent of banning the Ashura Procession (a prominent community event of Shia Muslims) on the demand of Sunni hardliners.

In the last few years, the Shia community of India has found its voice. They were sidelined by the dominant Sunni community in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and therefore in 2005, a separate entity named All India Shia Personal Law board was constituted.

Shia Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Both the countries are popular for carrying out atrocities against the Shia community. It was a few days back when hundreds of people under the banner of Jamiat Ulema Isna Ashriya Kargil staged a massive protest rally against the cold-blooded killing of Shia Muslims during Friday prayers in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Moreover, Taliban officials in several provinces across Afghanistan have also forcibly evacuated residents partly. The step was taken to distribute land to their own supporters. Many of these evictions were basically done to target Hazara Shia communities.

Now, the Islamists are targeting their co-religionists in the valley. It is safe to say that even Shia Muslims are not safe in Kashmir.