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| Contours of Fatwa fall out | | Congress to cash on in J&K, BJP elsewhere | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Oct 7
Fatwa issued by Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Mufti Bashir-ud-Din against J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, after forceful demand made to this effect by the hardcore secessionist leader, Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani, bracketing Ghulam Nabi Azad with Salman Rashade and Danish cartoonist for alleged act of blasphemy in preaching Gandhian ideology to the Muslims in Kashmir, bring to fore once again the strong secessionists and Islamic fundamentalists hold over the Islamic clergy in Kashmir, which has been openly indulging in politics and anti India activities. Earlier, on the initiation of Sayeed Geelani and some other secessionist leaders, the Grand Mufti of Kashmir had issued Fatwa against operation Sadhbhawana, launched by the Indian army in Kashmir, to render social and humanitarian services to the suffering masses in the valley as well as taking into hand welfare projects in the border areas , to serve the poor and the needy. Just as that Fatwa fell flat, with operation Sadhbhawana by the army still continuing unabated, although taking into consideration religious sensitivities of Muslims in Kashmir, the army suspended repairs of damaged mosques in the forward areas in Kashmir, including those mosques which were damaged in cross fire between the militants and the army, the Fatwa issued against Azad, is hardly going to have any impact.
Rather the Fatwa issued against Azad on account of his showering high praise on Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace, non violence, truth and human love, which is claimed to be preached by Islam as well, will only make living martyr of Azad. This Fatwa may stand Azad as well as the Congress in good stead in Jammu, where the party has strong base and where the same will have a backlash, particularly among the Hindus as well as the liberal Muslims both in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress can play this in their favour to project Ghulam nabi Azad as a tall secular leader, who can take head on the secessionists and Islamic fundamentalists in the state. The fact that in the past even after publicly singing songs in praise of Ram by the former Chief Minister and National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah, who would invariably sing song on the stage, "Kab loge khabar meri Ram" has not invited such Fatwa against him, will be used by the Congress in their favour in the coming elections. The BJP, which only recently had sharply criticized Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Congress for their alliance with the alleged terrorist and secessionist friendly PDP as well as for corruption charges against some Congress minister in the state, could not help come to the support of Azad against this Fatwa. The senior BJP leader and former MoS Chaman Lal Gupta's denouncement of Fatwa and criticism of Azad for eulogizing Gandhi ji is a pointer towards this direction. The BJP which is quite weak and in total disarray in the state can hardly cash on this Fatwa and its backlash.
However in the rest of the country, BJP would be all set to cash on growing Islamic fundamentalism in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the rest of the country, to rouse Hindu sentiments, by comparing uprising among Muslims against any alleged, real or imaginary any act of sacrilege of their religion, with alleged insult to Ram and Hindu faith not receiving the same response from the so-called secularist and the UPA government in the centre. In this regard the protest lodged in various parts of the country over a dome type structure raised by a provision store in USA, resembling Macca, terming the same as an act of blasphemy, hurting Muslim religious sentiments, where any replica or identical structure to the religious place is prohibited, will be used by the BJP to rouse Hindu sentiments over alleged act of blasphemy in questioning the existence of Ram and Ram Setu.
The running down of Gandhi ji by the secessionist in Kashmir with the state as well as Union government remaining silence spectator to the same and more so issuing of Fatwa by the Grand Mufti of Kashmir against Azad for his highlighting the relevance of Gandhi ji in the Jammu and Kashmir state suffering under turmoil, will also be exploited by the BJP who has found new love for Gandhi ji. However with elections to the parliament as well as J&K state assembly still little far off, it is to be seen whether these emotive issues, having purely religious contours, will remain alive till the times of election or by that time the more burning issues concerning the common man like rising prices, unemployment, suicide by farmers, 'Bijli, Sadak and Panni" (BSP) will take the upper hand. |
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