[Reader-list] An Open Letter to Syed Ali Shah Geelani

[Pawan Durani]

* This letter had appeared in a newspaper few years back.

*An open letter to Syed Ali Shah Geelani.---Kamal Hak*



Respected Geelani Sahib, now that Yasin Mallik has openly accused you of
exploiting Islam, I feel vindicated. I along with lakhs of my fellow
Kashmiri Pandits have always held that view. All the displaced Kashmiri
Pandits hold the exploiters of Islam responsible for the loss of their
moorings. I believe no religion including Islam will permit the barbaric
persecution of a minority. I also believe in the inherent philosophy of love
and brother hood that was propagated by all messengers of God, whom Hindus
call Avtars and Muslims call Prophet. I am not a great student of religion
and, therefore, I cannot have an in-depth knowledge of the philosophies
behind the great faiths, but I am sure no religion teaches hatred for fellow
human beings. It is the hypocrites like you who have not only brought misery
to their fellow beings but have also tarnished the name of their religion.



I don't know you personally and except on one occasion, we have never
crossed paths with each other. Whatever impression I have about you has been
gathered through your writings, speeches and media interviews. And, of
course, my very brief silent confrontation with you nearly a quarter century
back has been responsible for my firming an opinion and image about you
being a fundamentalist involved in exploiting the delicate religious
feelings of the people for the furtherance of your political ideology.
Though, you will not be able to recall that incident but I still nurture the
vivid memories of that afternoon as it gave me the first hand impressions of
dichotomy between your preaching and practice. One day, it would have been
either 1980 0r 1981, when as a fresh man out of the college and on the
threshold of starting my career as a Medical Representative, I found my self
stranded in the village of Doabgah on the Baramulla- Sopore road. My
companion, that day, was another young man from Sopore who was also in the
process of establishing his pharmaceutical business. While in the village,
we found you addressing a small congregation in a nearby open space. It was
a fiery speech full of political rhetoric and religious fire. As a young
Pandit boy, I found your speech mortally scaring and intimidating. I
desperately wanted to leave the village, though my companion, a great fan of
yours, kept constantly reassuring me about your virtues of not
differentiating between the people of different faiths. Nevertheless, a lone
non-muslim amongst the sentimentally charged populace was proving to be
beyond my comfort levels. Unfortunately, due to some blockade enroute, no
buses were coming from the Baramulla side, which could have taken me away to
Sopore on way to the security of my home in Srinagar. Meanwhile, we kept
waiting for the busses that never came. Some time latter you finished your
address and we were given to understand that you would be going back to
Sopore in your vehicle. My friend, out of concern for my eagerness to reach
home, volunteered to request you for giving me a lift upto Sopore. I was
hesitant but on his assurance I allowed him to approach you with the
request. Soon I saw him returning with his head down, cheeks red and the
expression that told the whole story. As usual, the Almighty was both
merciful as well as beneficent that day. Some time latter a taxi screeched
to stop besides me. It was my neighbour driving home after dropping some
body in another village. Many years latter I learnt at the very beginning of
the Holy Quran, the first invocation reads, "In the name of GOD, the most
Merciful and Beneficent." And throughout the holy Quran, GOD's name is thus
invoked no less than 113 times. I also believe the Prophet is quoted as
saying "O Ali, the best of qualities in this life and there after are the
words of courtesy, generosity, and to forgive those who inflict injustice on
you."  I know for sure, that taxi driver is an illiterate person and would
not able to interpret the subtle niceties of religious scriptures, but that
day he proved to be a true follower and practitioner of his faith. I wish I
could speak the same about you the one who claims to lead his life according
to divine commands and prophetic sayings.



At times, I also feel you are a confused person who isn't clear about his
objectives. On one hand you claim Iqaamat-e-Deen as your objective as Maulvi
Abbas Ansari and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, according to you, are now drawing
inspiration from "un-islamic ideologies like secularism, socialism,
nationalism and even communism." Yet, on the other hand you want Kashmir to
become a part of Pakistan even though you also believe Pakistan rulers have
not been able to live up to the moral standards which Islam demands.



You have been highly critical of some leaders whom you believe have not been
acting in the true spirit of Islam and claim you invite people towards Islam
and present its philosophy as a complete way of life. I have no objections
towards any body living by the tenants of his faith. But, one can't only
practice what is politically convenient for him. How can you explain the
exodus of an entire populace of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir?   You are
against secularism and pluralism, which in itself points towards your
practice of exploiting the religion to suit your own agenda. I gather, when
Prophet Mohammad took over the administration of Yathrib (Madina), its
population consisted mostly of two large Arab (Aws) and three Jewish (
Khazraj) tribes. The Madinan Arabs wanted the Prophet to administer the
strife torn city as an outsider with no vested interests in the local
disputes. They also wanted this potential messiah to be part of their group
and not the rival Jewish tribe. Upon arrival in Madina, the Prophet set
about getting all parties together to sign a covenant, which would set
standards for pluralism, tolerance and cooperation between various religious
and ethnic communities. The covenant gave equality to all its citizens and
accepted the coexistence of different religions in the community. The
messiah's inspiration was the Holy Quran, which makes it incumbent upon
Muslims to accept and respect all the previous messengers without
distinction.

"The Apostle believeth in what had been revealed to him from his Lord, as do
men of faith. Each one of them believeth in God. His angels, His books and
his Apostles. We make no distinction between any of his Apostles." (Quran
2:285)

The Holy Quran states on more than one occasion that if people, Jews,
Christians and Sabeans lived by their tenets they would have their just
reward. "Verily they who believe and they whom are Jews, Christains, Sabeans
whoever believes in God and the Last Day, and does that which is right shall
have their reward with their Lord. Fear shall not come upon then neither
shall they grieve." (Quran 2:  62)



Your assertion of only Nizam-e-Mustafa being the ultimate goal for your
Tehreek-e- Hurriyat goes against not only the traditions laid down by Bul
Bul Shah, Shahmir, Badshah, Nund Reshi etc, whom your co-religionists in
Kashmir hold in very high esteem, but it is also against the teachings of
the Quran. Nizam-e-Mustafa in a hundred percent Muslim society is
understandable but in a society as diverse as Kashmir, it would amount to
coercion. My small study has been able to find at least three references in
the Holy Quran, which say, "There is no compulsion in matters of faith."
(Quran 2.256, 10.99 and 18.99)



Many Muslim scholars and writers have described the propagation of Nizam-e-
Mustafa as an exploitative tool employed by certain people to serve their
purpose. These writers even claim, slogans like Nizam-e-Mustafa have been
deliberately kept vague by its propagators to create confusion among the
masses. These writers further claim since the concepts of "Aqamat-e-Deen",
(Establishment of Deen), "Hakoomat-e-Illahia",(Government of Allah) or
"Islamic Nizam" failed to cut much ice with the society earlier, a new term
"Nizam-e-Mustafa" was invented. Further, concept attached to it varies form
sect to sect. Different Islamic sects have even disagreement on the
personality of Mustafa, let alone "Nizam-e- Mustafa". It is pertinent to
point out here that in 1951 twenty one Muslim religious scholars from
different sects passed a unanimous resolution demanding all Government Laws
in Pakistan be based on "The Book(Holy Quran) and Sunna". Twenty years
later, Maulana Madoodi, one of the main supporters of the resolution had to
declare, " It is impossible to make a set of public laws as per The Book and
the Sunna which all Muslim sects will unanimously accept as Islamic". In an
article published by Idara Tolu-e-Islam, Lahore in 1977, the writer has made
a significant observation, which says, " The flag bearers of Nizam-e-Mustafa
belonging to various Islamic sects have their own Fiqah (Jurisprudence). It
is evident as all these sects considered their own Fiqah as unchallengeable
Islamic law, no set of laws could be made which will be acceptable to all,
their differences are so deep that each one of them have declared the other
as Kafir , at one time or other.



You have also strange logic for justifying the militant activities of
fidayeen by terms their violence as sacrifice. Nothing can amount to more
blatant exploitation of religion then that. "….. and GOD calls to the home
of peace." (10:25). Kashmir press is now openly accusing you of playing your
politics as a Pakistani stooge and interpreting the religion to suit your
convenience.



You may have your reasons for playing the politics the way you do. The
justification of that politics is a subject matter of a different debate;
however, one needs to understand enough blood has been spilled over the
beautiful vale of Kashmir. The madness needs to stop now. Otherwise, the
history will not pardon the people who have prostituted Kashmir according to
their own peculiar religious and political beliefs.



( The author has drawn heavily from the following sources for writing this
piece,

1.       Teachings of Islam- Imam Shirazi.

2.     On Islam and Jihad- Dr. Farida Khanum

3.     Questions about Islam, Answers that every muslim should know- Dr.
Jamal Badawi.

4.     Islam and Pluralism- Javed Akhtar.

5.     "Sirf Eik Sawal"- English translation by Ubedur Rahman Arain.