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OPINION

Call from Deoband
ALLABAKSH

The overriding message from a religious conclave attended by about 5000 Muslim scholars and clerics at Deoband’s Darool-Uloom towards the end of February was that terrorism was against the tenets of Islam. Maulana Abdul Khaliq, delivering the speech on behalf of the ageing rector of Deoband, Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, spoke clearly: ‘Killing of innocents is not compatible with Islam’. It was perhaps the first instance when the collective voice of some of the most influential religious Muslim leaders had denounced terrorism in clear terms.

Whether the censure of terrorism at the conclave should be interpreted as a fatwa or a decree is not as important as the reaction of the community and the reach of the message. A vast assembly of clerics had signalled that it was ready for a process of dialogue and discourse on an issue that has affected the lives of everybody, irrespective of his or her faith.

There can be no doubt that the bulk of the Muslim community would have welcomed the denunciation of terrorism at the Deoband conclave. For no fault of theirs, the lives of many ordinary, law-abiding, god-fearing and faithful followers of Islam have never been the same after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the symbols of US pride. In India certain forces have discovered that identifying terrorism with Muslims helps them polarise the majority votes in their favour.

Some minority leaders have accorded a qualified welcome while others have all but rejected the Deoband call. From Kashmir, the original hotspot of terrorism came two contrasting reactions. The hard-line separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, said that the Deoband declaration would have no impact on ‘Kashmir and its struggle because there is a history to this struggle, which is political.’ The other separatist leaders were reportedly unhappy because the assembly at Deoband had not mentioned the Kashmir ‘problem’. However, the Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Bashir-ud-din, spoke in support of the Deoband declaration, which decried the killing of innocent people in the name of religion.

Even if it is assumed that Kashmiri hearts still beat for Geelani, the Mufti’s support to a message of peace cannot go without influencing some sections. Certainly because most Kashmiris are getting tired of militancy, which has brought them a lot of misery without improving the prospects of ‘Azadi’.

Nobody will expect militancy in Kashmir to disappear overnight or hope to see an early end to acts of terrorism in the country as a result of an appeal issued at Deoband, a seminary recognised as one of the most powerful theological schools in South Asia. It has been accused in the past of ‘inspiring’ the Taliban ideology. Deoband’s Darool-Uloom was said to be the ideological beacon of some sects that support fundamental interpretation of Islam.

The voice of Darool-Uloom does travel long distances in the subcontinent. It may be unwise to dismiss it as inconsequential even though the militant leadership, still largely based in the neighbouring country, may no longer be seeking inspiration from Deoband. It is impossible to imagine that in Pakistan two top leaders of terrorists, Maulana Masood Azhar and Sayed Hafeez Saeed will listen to a message that renounces their commitment to violence.

A closer look at all that was said at Deoband will also hint that the assembled scholars and clerics had attached certain caveats to their message of peace. The diktat against violence will not apply when Islam was being ‘harassed’—quite valid except that ‘harassment’ can be subjectively interpreted to justify acts of violence. The secular democratic credentials of the government were questioned because it was allegedly ‘targeting’ the biggest minority community in the country—a charge by the militants to perpetrate their acts of violence.

Resentment was expressed over ‘marginalization’ of Muslims—another line mouthed by converts to militancy. Some speakers denounced the government’s ‘tilt’ towards the West, particularly the US, unrealistically hoping to guide the country’s foreign policy. Some others dubbed India a ‘police state’ by placing an exaggerated emphasis on instances of harassment of Muslims during police investigations into terror related crimes.

At India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) there was some disappointment that the call from Deoband had failed to address the ‘root causes’ that fuelled militancy among the followers of Islam. Some thought should have been devoted to analysing why certain individuals turned into terrorists. Is it because of adverse ‘social circumstances, crime against families, deprivation or crime’ that the community faced?

IICC President Sirajuddin Qureshi said he is ready to condemn all organisations that supported terrorism but ‘realities of the situation’—most of them presumably outlined above--should also be made known to people. Some Urdu newspapers raised a pointed question: why are some leaders in the community shy of condemning the likes of Osama bin Laden and terror groups like the Lashkar and the Hizb? Why do some ‘glorify’ such persons and outfits?

These diverse reactions point to the likelihood of a prolonged debate in the community. The old ways of looking at terrorism by its advocates and an almost apologetic defence by some others need to be revised. An act of terrorism cannot be justified with ifs and buts.

A sense of injustice, deprivation, and discrimination is not peculiar to one community in India or, for that matter, anywhere else. Similar complaints are heard from other religious and ethnic groups who are in a minority in a country. While there is no denying that such grievances do need to be addressed, there are some people who exploit these sentiments and spur the followers to take to militancy and indiscriminate killings by offering their own interpretation of the tenets of their religion.

The voice from Deoband is against those who have hijacked religion and by their thoughtless acts brought it an undeservedly bad name. The fight against injustice and for better conditions for ordinary men and women must continue, but not with the help of guns and bombs.



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