[Reader-list] In Valley, gunmen take to moral policing: ‘enforce hijab in college’

Inder Salim indersalim at gmail.com
Mon Aug 31 19:17:38 IST 2009 

by the way,
have the  unknown gunmen suceeded in their mission to imposed Hijab in
the Sopore college,Kashmir?

they may, for a while, but Kashmiri womenflok are basically an
essential part of an Agricultural society who can not simply afford to
wear  Burka while working. That is a realtiy. so no fuss,

the Hijab, veil, Burka, etc on the other other hand has its own
historicity, which is deeply subjective discussion.

we are not too sure whether a burka/veil is good for a woman or not,
sometimes it serves a purpose, sometimes, it defeats. There is no
standard definition for what is good for woman. A not so beautiful
woman would like to be in a burka,at times, and a pretty woman would
like to meet her lover in a burka at a Nishat like place.... and so
on....

i have surfed some burka woman on google.

and i found a interesting image about BURKA SURFING

http://www.websophist.com/Burka_SurfingM.jpg

and now this woman in burka is all about something, please click to
see, she is perhaps a performance artist
http://sheikyermami.com/wp-content/uploads/eunice-lieveld-burka1.jpg

but for this poor woman, the burka is really a blessing

http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/rr.12.01/Images/cp22.1201.p14.burqa.jpg

and then for a freedom fighter/militant
the burka can function differently

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/18/article-1086997-026ECF1C000005DC-702_634x359.jpg


and some humour
http://www.jtrue.com/cartoons/art/low/burqa.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U54NM9QE5VY/Rw3XQqZJN0I/AAAAAAAAA6k/cjCPWkBafoM/s320/burka_party.jpg

with love and regards
inder salim










On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 1:51 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta<shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I did not find the names of Sikandar Butshikan and Syed Hamadani in
> the sentence from my posting quoted so kindly by Rashneek Kher in
> support of his argument.
>
> "It is necessary to remember that Kashmir is a part of South Asia
> where the rise of Islam
>> did not accompany a military invasion, but occurred largely due to the
>> example set by missionaries and religious divines."
>
> If anyone does find them I would be grateful if they could help me
> locate them.
>
> Nor do i find it necessary to digress too far in pointing out that
> the meaning of the word 'divines' as used here (indicating religious
> adepts) is quite different from the sense of anything being 'divinely
> ordained' (or commanded by god). Whosoever should wish to educate
> themselves on the semantic distinction between these two instances of
> usage could consult a standard dictionary of the English language.
> But let us leave that aside for now.
>
> I find Rashneek's second assertion that 'even a kid in Kashmir' would
> know that the process of bringing Islam to Kashmir was spearheaded by
> Sikandar 'Butshikan' and Syed Hamadani entertaining. And this is
> where the meat of his contention lies.
>
> Because, 'every kid' in Kashmir, and a few adults elsewhere, would
> also know that these two names were not the only ones on whose backs
> Islam came to Kashmir. Islam came to Kashmir from diverse sources,
> and if we do not want to dissimulate, we must remember that some of
> these sources were different from, and contrary to those represented
> by Sikandar 'Butshikan' and even, Syed Hamadani. Some of these
> strains were distinctly heterodox, for instance, Sheikh Yaqub of the
> Kubrawi order, also credited with the spread of Islam in Kashmir, was
> often disparaged as a 'but-parast' (and idol lover) and he in fact
> challenged the ulema of his time to find fault with this finding
> truth in the altars of icons. The history of Islam in Kashmir, as
> 'every child' knows, is a testament to its doctrinal diversity.
>
> How else do we account for figures like Bulbul Shah (who is said to
> have carried out the first conversions) Sheikh Nooruddin Wali (or
> Nund Rishi - of the entirely Kashmiri indigenous sufi order of the
> 'Rishis').  Apart from the inflence of the entirely local 'Rishi'
> order, the rise of early Islam in Kashmir was marked by the
> influences of the Nakshbandi, Suhrawardy, and heterodox Qadiri and
> Kubrawi orders, besides several different strains of Shia Islam, and
> of course the presence of canonical, orthodox Sunni Islam. To say
> that this variety of beliefs and practices amounted to one thing is
> to be totally oblivious to the enormous variety in the cultural and
> religious landscape of early Islam in Kashmir
>
> Here, for instance is one of Nooruddin Wali/Nund Rishi's 'vaks'/
> utterances. Incidentally, Nooruddin is affectionately referred to as
> the 'Alamdar-e-Kashmir' or the 'standard bearer'. This is what he has
> to say.
> "We belong to the same parents.
> Then why this difference?
> Let Hindus and Muslims(together)
> Worship God alone.
> We came to this world like partners.
> We should have shared our joys
> and sorrows together."
> This was written in the explicit context of the persecution of non
> muslims and dissenting muslims that Sheikh Nooruddin was witness to
> in the reign of Sultan Sikandar and some of his immediate successors.
> This clearly demonstrates that there were competing strains of
> tolerance and intolerance within Islam in Kashmir. This is normal, it
> happens in the history of every religious tradition in the world. To
> claim that intolerance alone marks the history of any religious
> tradition, anywhere, is to pander to prejudice.
>
> The trouble is, I think that someone like Rashneek knows exactly what
> I am talking about. He is not, in my opinion, unlike many others, a
> hysterical bigot. He knows that the history of Islam in Kashmir is
> not marked by hatred of other ways of life or intolerance alone, but,
> and this is what is most disturbing, he still chooses to present a
> one-sided picture to score a cheap polemical point. The knowing
> dissimulator, in my opinion. is far more disturbing than the ignorant
> bigot.
>
> best
>
> Shuddha
>
> On 31-Aug-09, at 9:40 AM, rashneek kher wrote:
>
>> dear all,
>>
>> i just hope Shudda's gives the right links,however i dont think
>> even this forum can teach him that,otherwise he would have learnt
>> it by now
>>
>> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011033.html
>>
>> I will not let the readers have the trouble of clicking the
>> link.Here is what our friend Shuddha writes.
>>
>> "It is necessary to remember that Kashmir is a part of South Asia
>> where the rise of Islam
>> did not accompany a military invasion, but occurred largely due to the
>> example set by missionaries and religious divines."
>>
>> and who were these people who spearheaded the conversion of Kashmir
>> or  let us say "rise of islam"(even a kid in Kashmir will us these
>> two names-Butshikan and Syed hamdani),and what were the examples of
>> these "missionaries and religous divines"...
>>
>> Iconoclasm and imposition of "true" Sharia through all
>> means...which are enumerated here
>>
>> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-December/014758.html
>>
>>
>> So here we are.....Shudda's shoots himself in the foot again....
>>
>> Best Regards
>>
>> Rashneek
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 11:07 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>> <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>> Dear All,
>>
>> Rashneek says  -  "there is a history on this network here is a
>> history on this
>>> network where people have called barbarians like Sikander
>>> Butshikan and Syed
>>> mohd.Hamdani divinely ordained dervishes and incidentally these
>>> are people
>>> who claim to have Marxist if not Moaist ideologies."
>>
>> This is a very interesting statement. I am not a Maoist (I consider
>> Maoism to be yet another variety of degenerate third worldist
>> nationalism - ) but I am persuaded by critical strains within
>> Marxism, (among other things) and have never concealed that fact.
>> I also happen to have mentioned Sikandar 'Butshikan' and Hamadani
>> in one of my set of postings -
>>
>> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011030.html
>> Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - I (posted on
>> November 9, 2007) written, incidentally in response to Rashneek
>> Kher's postings on the subject of iconoclasm.
>>
>> I have trawled through the Reader List archives, and the only
>> reference to Hamadani that I could find made by anyone who could
>> even remotely be described as a 'Marxist' (even by a stretch of
>> imagination) occurs in this posting. So, I take it, that the
>> gesture is made in my general direction. Hence this clarification.
>>
>> Nowhere in this posting do I deny that either Sikandar 'Butshikan'
>> or Hamadani were not in fact iconoclasts. I merely make the point
>> that the history of iconoclasm in Kashmir does not have a solely
>> 'Islamic' provenance. And that just as there were many non-muslim
>> iconcolastic rulers in pre-Islamicate Kashmir, there were also
>> several muslim rulers in Kashmir who protected non-muslim places of
>> worship.
>>
>> More importantly, never, in any posting, have I characterized
>> either Sikandar 'Butshikan' or Hamadani as 'divinely ordained
>> dervishes'. Shah Sikandar is a king, and that is how I have
>> described him, and Hamadani is a religious leader, which is exactly
>> what I have called him. Neither of these two descriptions amounts
>> to what it means when one says 'divinely ordained'. For that to
>> obtain, I would have first of all to believe in the notion of a
>> 'divnity' which I don't. And secondly, believe that such a
>> 'divinity' ordains the destruction of architecture and images,
>> which, logically, following from the first, i don't either. I have
>> viewed all acts of iconoclasm in the history of Kashmir, regardless
>> of who caused them to occur, as acts of violence. And have never
>> said any thing that can be read to the contrary.
>>
>> I think, yet again, Rashneek, in his haste to score a weak point,
>> has been a little too generous in his interpretation of the textual
>> substance of the archive of this list. As always, I would urge him,
>> and everyone else to buttress their easily brandished opinions with
>> a modicum of evidence. The point I made about Nadeem Paracha's
>> loosely articulated polemic against Roy, which inititated this
>> exchange, seems, to me to be strengthened by this. I do however,
>> remain hopeful, that this list will eventually teach Rashneek to be
>> more careful with his words.
>>
>> best
>>
>> Shuddha
>>
>> I
>> On 28-Aug-09, at 12:40 PM, rashneek kher wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Anupam,
>>>
>>> Well I am not confusing anything with anything.There is a history
>>> on this
>>> network where people have called barbarians like Sikander
>>> Butshikan and Syed
>>> mohd.Hamdani divinely ordained dervishes and incidentally these
>>> are people
>>> who claim to have Marxist if not Moaist ideologies.
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> Rashneek
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 12:07 PM, anupam chakravartty
>>> <c.anupam at gmail.com>wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear Rashneek,
>>>> "They would cleanse the society by imposing purity on the
>>>> inhabitants and
>>>> the sly shadows of Mao would cheer them and call them dervishes oops
>>>> divinely ordained dervishes."
>>>>
>>>> I think you are confusing Talibanisation with Marxism and Maoism.
>>>> If the
>>>> so-called "armed" gunmen threatened the college principal, as the
>>>> reports
>>>> stated, to which he opposed and said:  "he would not be cowed by
>>>> the threat
>>>> and would continue to do his work at the college" and also the
>>>> fact he is a
>>>> specialist in greatest Islamic revivalist of our times, Sayyid
>>>> Qutb (who
>>>> the
>>>> neo-liberal sorts think that because of his criticism of the
>>>> American way
>>>> of
>>>> life has helped in shaping of al-qaeda) then there is an inherent
>>>> contradiction in your claims about dervishes. here we have
>>>> someone who is
>>>> specialist, who is opposed to imposition of hijab. i think i would
>>>> appreciate the principal's stand.
>>>> - thanks
>>>> anupam
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 9:26 AM, rashneek kher
>>>> <rashneek at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear All,
>>>>>
>>>>> A story done by Indian Express on the Islamist Icons(Robin Hoods
>>>>> of our
>>>>> friends) imposing Hijab and threating Prinicipals of Colleges by
>>>>> burning
>>>>> their cars.
>>>>> How I wonder would Taliban control the land that once infidelds
>>>>> lived
>>>>> in.They would cleanse the society by imposing purity on the
>>>>> inhabitants
>>>> and
>>>>> the sly shadows of Mao would cheer them and call them dervishes
>>>>> oops
>>>>> divinely ordained dervishes.Their divine powers derived from
>>>>> mediveal
>>>>> obscrutanist religiou practices-soon flogging,killing in
>>>>> football grounds
>>>>> and burning of girls schools would be the order of day.And our
>>>>> Marxist
>>>>> demi-icons would sing paeans to the piety of the new age dervishes.
>>>>> It may also be worthwhile to mention that the leaders of the
>>>>> "azadi"
>>>> today
>>>>> have done exactly this when they "were a part of the armed
>>>>> struggle".For
>>>>> the
>>>>> proponents of jihad and their supporters...from Riyaz Wani
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>  In Valley, gunmen take to moral policing: ‘enforce hijab in
>>>>> college’
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>  In the first such incident in the Valley since the decline of
>>>>> militancy
>>>>> started two years ago, masked gunmen waylaid the principal of a
>>>>> North
>>>>> Kashmir college, destroyed his car, and gave him a three-day
>>>>> ultimatum to
>>>>> ensure the 3,000 girl students in his institution began wearing the
>>>> hijab.
>>>>>
>>>>>  The principal, Muhammad Ashraf, a respected Islamic scholar,
>>>>> told The
>>>>> Indian Express today that he would not be cowed by the threat
>>>>> and would
>>>>> continue to do his work at the college.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Ashraf said seven men stopped his car — in which he was riding
>>>>> with his
>>>>> son
>>>>> and a local acquaintance — near his village at Dangiwacha, and
>>>> commandeered
>>>>> the vehicle over a dirt track into a thicket of bushes. “They
>>>>> wore masks
>>>>> and
>>>>> dark glasses and were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs, pistols and
>>>>> grenades,” Ashraf said.
>>>>>
>>>>>  According to the principal, the men appeared to know a lot
>>>>> about him:
>>>> that
>>>>> he was a specialist on Sayyid Qutb — the Egyptian Islamist
>>>>> political
>>>>> theorist and leading intellectual of the Muslim Brotherhood in
>>>>> the 50s
>>>> and
>>>>> 60s who is thought to be one of the philosophical progenitors of
>>>>> Al Qaeda
>>>> —
>>>>> and that he had been trying to enforce discipline in his college.
>>>>>
>>>>> “You have taken some really good steps in the college like banning
>>>> smoking
>>>>> and cellphones. Now, you must do something that we want you to do.
>>>> Enforce
>>>>> an Islamic dress code for girl students,” Ashraf said the men
>>>>> told him.
>>>>> They
>>>>> gave him three days to carry out their diktat, failing which
>>>>> they would
>>>>> “act”, they said.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ashraf’s college, Degree College, Sopore, has around 7,000
>>>>> students on
>>>> its
>>>>> rolls, 3,000 of whom are girls. It is among the largest colleges
>>>>> in the
>>>>> state.
>>>>>
>>>>> “They told me that they had picked me to send a message to all
>>>>> other
>>>>> schools
>>>>> and colleges in the Valley in which girls study,” Ashraf said.
>>>>>
>>>>> Perhaps to rattle the principal and send the message that they
>>>>> meant
>>>>> business, the gunmen set his vehicle on fire. Ashraf and his
>>>>> companions
>>>>> were
>>>>> released after about two hours in captivity.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Dangiwacha police have filed a case, and are looking at all
>>>>> angles,
>>>>> including one unrelated to militancy. “We are exploring the
>>>>> possible
>>>>> dimension of college rivalry,” said a senior officer who did not
>>>>> want to
>>>> be
>>>>> named.
>>>>>
>>>>> No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the incident. The
>>>>> separatists too have been silent, and are perhaps trying to
>>>>> ascertain if
>>>>> militant groups were involved.
>>>>>
>>>>> Senior Superintendent of Police Viplav Kumar said a hunt was on
>>>>> for the
>>>>> gunmen. “We are trying our best. Hopefully, we will crack the
>>>>> case soon,”
>>>>> he
>>>>> said.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-valley-gunmen-take-to-moral-
>>>> policing-enforce-hijab-in-college/507208/0
>>>>>
>>>>> best
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Rashneek Kher
>>>>> http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
>>>>> http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com
>>>>> _________________________________________
>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations
>>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>>>>> subscribe in the subject header.
>>>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>>>>> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>>>> _________________________________________
>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>>>> Critiques & Collaborations
>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>>>> subscribe in the subject header.
>>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>>>> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Rashneek Kher
>>> http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
>>> http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com
>>> _________________________________________
>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>>> Critiques & Collaborations
>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>>> subscribe in the subject header.
>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>>> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>>
>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
>> Raqs Media Collective
>> shuddha at sarai.net
>> www.sarai.net
>> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Rashneek Kher
>> http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
>> http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com
>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> Raqs Media Collective
> shuddha at sarai.net
> www.sarai.net
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>



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