By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam
04 March 2019
The recent terror attack on the security
forces in Kashmir is a grim reminder that that all is not well in the state.
The appearance of ‘normalcy’ was shred to pieces by the powerful IED explosion
which killed more than forty of our security forces. The suicide blast was
owned by Jaish e Muhammad, which operates from across the border in Pakistan.
It is a no-brainer to point out that there was a massive intelligence failure
which led to this premeditated murder. But what needs to be underlined is that
this is also a political failure. Over the years, the military has been able to
neutralise scores of militants from different ideologies but then the military
can only do that much. It cannot and should not acquire a political role for
itself. It was incumbent on the civilian governments to start a political
dialogue with different stakeholders in Kashmir. It makes perfect sense that
India does not want to bring Pakistan onto to the negotiating table. But then,
what stops it from negotiating with its own people? Granted that some of those
people would insist of having Pakistan on board. Then, what stops the
government form talking directly to the people of Kashmir? What stops it from
talking directly to youth of the valley? It appears that the Indian state has
no long term vision through which it can effect the harmonious integration of
this country with the rest of the country. There is no need to forge a ‘people
to people’ contact with Pakistan but what stops our government from starting a
students’ exchange program between Kashmir and the rest of India? Till the time
there is an ad-hoc policy on Kashmir with no long term view, a solution to the
state’s problem will never be found.
Alienation runs deep in this state,
particularly amongst its youth. Caught between a security apparatus and an
increasingly conservative and radical interpretation of Islam, they have little
manoeuvring space in the valley. There is very little space, for example, for
Kashmiri youth to indulge in any creative pursuit of their choice. The problem
is not that they do not want to: there is ample evidence to suggest the
contrary. However, the political situation in the valley is such that they
cannot afford to express their free and frank opinion on a range of issues. On
the one hand, there is growing perception that only one kind of Islam is the
correct way of orthopraxy. On the other hand, despite its pious proclamations,
various governments have done little to help create an environment where such
youthful articulations are possible without fear. As a result of this, young
people are forced to think in a straightjacket way and most of the time, their
discussions revolve around a master signifier called Islam.
Their grievances are real: fake encounters,
sexual violence, and almost total unaccountability of the police and armed
forces. Elected governments have been tossed over like cards; the popular will
has been crushed under the might of various governments. But then there are
various perspectives through which such things can be discussed. The problem is
that the public sphere in the valley allows only one kind of discourse to be
privileged over all else. All those who have another point of view are under
heavy pressure not to identify with any other narrative. It is perhaps this
absence of plurality of political articulations that makes a young Adil Ahmad
Dar susceptible to vicious propaganda, motivating him enough to commit such an
act of carnage. In order to understand such a motivation, it becomes important
to closely analyse his ‘farewell’ video and message encoded therein.
It is impossible to objectively define a
terrorist strike. Most of the time, a terrorist for one country is a martyr for
another. Amidst this seeming confusion of what defines an act of terror, it is
important to understand the self-identification and the motivation of the
terrorist himself. The video made by Adil Ahmad Dar and his handlers leave no
doubt as to where the motivation for this kind of grizzly attack lies. And that
motivation seems to be primarily religious. Dar makes no bones about the fact
that it is incumbent on Muslims to fight the Kafirs (unbelievers) who in this
case are the Hindus. In the video, we do not have any distinction between the
Indian state and a religion called Hinduism, both are understood as one and the
same and fused together in a narrative which argues that Muslims have been
exploited and repressed for years under a Hindu rule. The Hindus are called as
cow piss drinkers who must be eliminated.
What is more worrying is that the suicide
bomber believes in the concept of Ghazwa e Hind. According to this
doctrine (which is narrated in a Hadis), the end time will not come till the time
Islamic forces have not captured al-Hind, which is synonymous with the whole of
India. Those who think that this must be a fantasy of some deranged souls need
to think again. Repeatedly, Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish e Mohammad
and a host of other religious authorities have proclaimed their belief in the Ghazwa
e Hind. It is as if they consider it as the cardinal truth of Islam.
For a young mind like Adil Ahmad Dar, such
a reading of Islam becomes the legitimation for conducting war against the
Indian state which is identified as ruled by unbelievers. For those like him,
blowing oneself to smithereens is an act of supreme sacrifice for the Muslim
cause which assures a place in heaven. The very opening sentence of the video
reminds us of the certain passion of this young mind when he proclaims that he
will surely be reaping the pleasures of heaven very soon.
There is certainly some truth in the
arguments that militant groups active in Pakistan are majorly responsible for
turning this young person into a suicide bomber. However, there is a need to
underscore that certain theological precepts may also be responsible for what
ultimately became of him. And that’s why there is an urgent need to question
such theological discourses which makes someone prone to violence. Without
putting an end to such pernicious reading of Islamic theology, it will be
difficult to stop another Pulwama.
Arshad Alam is a columnist with
NewAgeIslam.com
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