Islam,Terrorism and Jihad
Kashmir: Who are the Jihadis?
Prem Shankar Jha
August 17, 2008
The yatra has epitomised the syncretic traditions of Kashmiri Islam and, indeed of all the religions in the Valley, for 140 years. Till the 1980s the shrine was protected, and the yatra managed, by the Gurjjar community who, incidentally, are Muslims. In all that time it was a spontaneous, unorganised and private undertaking. It therefore had no political significance. But the nature of the yatra began to change when the Kashmiri insurgency-cum-proxy war began in 1990. The need to provide security to the pilgrims brought the state into its management. Instead of letting the pilgrims come whenever they wished to, the state Government asked them to come only during a specified 15-day period of time. During this period it kept Kashmiris out of the areas surrounding the two pilgrimage routes. Even the Gurjjars were kept out. The Kashmiris resented this, but understood the need for taking these precautions.
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1:44 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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