Shia-Sunni issue: Kashmir's Muttahida Majlis Ulema - MMU's Call for Unity and its Aftermath

By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam 13 August 2024 The Personality of Mu'awiya Is Divisive and Contested. For Majority of Sunnis, He Is a Sahabi (Companion of Prophet) And Kaatib e Wahi (One Who Wrote Quran On the Parchment), But for Shias, He Is the One Who Internally Destroyed the Real Teachings of Islam While Hijacking Its Political System, That Ultimately Led to The Massacre of Family of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) In Karbala ------ Kashmir always prided itself to be harmonious abode where communalism was never an issue. Communal harmony prevailed even during the partition era that resulted in the creation of Pakistan. This prevalence of Peace and Harmony in Kashmir valley prompted Mahatma Gandhi, to declare that, “He saw a ray of hope in Kashmir.” This harmony prevailed for few decades after the partition, but then due to variegated reasons and advent of armed insurgency, the communal harmony was shattered as the Hindu minority known as Pandits had to leave the Valley. Earlier in history too there were some incidents related to communal strife as well as Shia-Sunni clashes, but they were contained without large scale violence and deaths. Muharram 2024 in Kashmir Valley witnessed huge controversies among Shias and Sunnis, while raking up the age-old issue of reasons for retrograde of Caliphate into monarchy. The responsibility of this retrograde has to be fixed on a certain personality. It is with the naming of the personality that the whole contention starts. The personality of Mawiya is divisive and contested. For majority of Sunnis, he is a Sahabi (companion of Prophet) and Kaatib e Wahi (one who wrote Quran on the parchment), but for Shias, he is the one who internally destroyed the real teachings of Islam while hijacking its political system, that ultimately led to the massacre of family of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Karbala. They openly declare him as a rebel, who led the anarchy which resulted in the internecine war among Muslims which resulted in the killing of thousands of Muslims. Shias are correct to uphold, so do many Sunnis that he was a rebel against the legitimate Caliphate of Imam Ali (A.S). So, when the rebels against the first three Caliphs were declared as apostates, how can he and his ilk be upheld as Sahabis? Whatever be the case, Mu'awiya and Banu Ummayah have been divisive forces in Islamic history. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Muharram and Tussle Over Colours ------------------------------------------------------------------- MMU passed a resolution that aimed at bringing down the sectarian strife among Shias and Sunnis. Once the resolution was passed there was a backlash from other quislings against the stalwarts of their sects, who were part of the resolution. However, it is an irony that the Sunni sectarian mullahs be it Abdul Rashid Dawoodi of Barelwis, Muzaffar Qasmi of Deobandis, Mushtaq Veeri and Majeed Dar of Jamiat e Ahli Hadees, none among them participated in the MMU meeting. Instead, Ghulam Rasool Hami represented Barelwis, Rahmatullah Qasmi Deobandis, and Abdul Latief Al Kindi, Jamiat e Ahli Hadith. They declared their consensus to the unity resolution, but they could not silence the quislings who were other than those who ranted against Shias. Maybe those who ranted were reprimanded so they became silent, but then without any tussle and conflict how can sectarian mullahs exist? Hence, they had to use the proxies and other quislings to raise questions against this superficial unity. I have been decrying time and again, that mere tokenism through statements is not going to end sectarianism. We need to take practical steps to forge meaningful unity. Quislings like Bashir Salafi of Ahle Hadith group and Noaman Nowsheri of Deoband, both spoke against the leading Ulema of their sects who participated in the MMU meeting and gave consent to the resolution. Both of them alleged that it is the Shias who provoke them with Bashir Salafi stating that Shias ridicule Hazrat Aisha (RA) and Noaman observing that they criticize Mu'awiya. Hence, there can be no unity with Shias. They demanded that the Ulema need to explain themselves about the resolution and unity with Shias, because these are contentious and divisive issues that need to be tackled first, only then the unity can be forged. However, the fact of the matter is that the books of Hadith among both Sunnis and Shias are different. They narrate each event differently that certainly gives rise to variegated versions of history. These versions then are utilized and exploited to fuel sectarianism. It happens both with Shias and Sunnis because they have their own understanding and interpretation of events as well as personalities. This has given rise to multitude of issues that are not getting resolved over these centuries. These divisive interpretations of personalities and events has led to violence, because each sect impresses its own interpretation as sacred. This aura of sacred has further led to entanglement of interpretation, thereby rendering any reconciliation as impossible. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Shia-Sunni Discord During Muharram in Kashmir Valley ------------------------------------------------------------------- In the Kashmir case scenario, attempts were made to breach the divide and end any potential violence, but then again, the divisive and ‘sacred’ interpretations gave power to the quislings to sabotage the efforts of reconciliation. Witnessing such tussle among the mullahs, many youths have become disillusioned with Islam. What indeed is the way out of this morass? It is to grant the sacred place to Quran only, as the contemporary progressive scholar Rashid Shaz calls for, while criticizing both Shia and Sunni interpretation of Islam as concocted and distorted, from the pristine reality of Quran and Islam. Unless, a pluralistic interpretation of Islam is not propagated among the masses, that is grounded in Quran, no triumph over sectarianism can be declared. Sectarian harmony was prevalent in Kashmir, but few mullahs for the hunger of fame and stomach are fanning the sectarian flames, that certainly have the potential to engulf whole Kashmir in its flames. These issues cannot be brushed aside, but progressive scholars should have the cudgels to debate these issues with all its pros and cons instead of escaping from them. The quislings and their rants will die down if an alternative interpretation about the divisive issues is made. These issues need to be debated and discussed for generating more light than heat. When good number of intellectuals and progressive scholars will discuss them only then the masses can become enlightened about them. There is also a need to inculcate rationality and literacy among Muslim masses, about these divisive issues and personalities because only then serious discussions can be held without turning emotional about them. Emotions and how they are regulated are not being taught to Muslims, instead mullahs do fan them to rake up violence. The masses are mad enough to be overtaken by frenzy of emotions and violence, because they have not been educated about Islam meaning Peace. ------ M.H.A. Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/shia-sunni-kashmir-muttahida-majlis-ulema-unity/d/132921 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism