Shrine believers organize massive congregation in Valley

Over one Lakh attend first-of-its-kind international Islamic conference

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Apr 24: In an obvious shock to radicals and protagonists of militant Islam, who have enjoyed a no-holds-barred in the last 22 years of armed insurgency, faithful believers of saints and shrines today organized their first massive congregation in Kashmir. Over 100,000 devout Muslims participated in the grand international Islamic conference here at Sher-e-Kashmir Park that was addressed by scholars not only from all over India but also from a number of Islamic countries.

State facilitation, both from Government of India as well as the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, was evident to the one-day ‘Dawat-us-sunnah Conference’ from security and traffic arrangements to issuance of official press release by the state Information Department. A young preacher of Bareillvi school of thought, namely Maulana Ghulam Rasool Haami, whose influence has phenomenally grown in the Valley in the last one decade despite a grenade attack on his colleagues, had organized the congregation under the auspices of ‘Karwan-e-Islam’ (The Caravan of Islam).

The galaxy of the guest speakers included renowned Islamic scholars from a number of Arab and Central Asian countries. Ambassador of Tajikistan in India, Syed Ahmad Beigh Sayeedi, was a prominent speaker.

Ismalic scholars who delivered completely religious and non-political speeches on the occasion, included  Maulana Javaid Rabbani, Maulana Wali Mohammad Rizvi, Maulana Fazal Haq Qadri, Al-Shiekh Shah Al Hamid Shafaee (Egypt), Maulana Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi, Syed Nadeem Kirmani, Syed Basharat Hussain Rizvi, Qazi Abdul Qayoom, Maulana Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Kibriya Chasti, Maulana Ghulam Rasool Haami, Maulana Taj Mohammad Azhari, Maulana Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Naqeeb, Maulana Riyaz-ul-Haq, Ambassador Syed Ahmad Biegh Sayeedi and Maulana Abdul Gafoor Ibrahimi (Saudi Arabia)

Amid chanting of hymns and purely religious slogans, few of the speakers paid tributes to “all the innocent people of Kashmir who have lost their lives in last 20 years” but none of them did either refer to the two-decade long separatist movement or to the strife’s religious character. This made it clear that the sympathies and prayers were only for the victims of militancy.

Emboldened by huge success of the conference, Karwan-e-Islami founder Maulana Haami claimed that 80 percent of the Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir were “firm believers” of Sufi Islam. He asserted that today’s congregation, in which people from all parts of the state participated, was an incontrovertible evidence that the Kashmiris predominantly support and practice the benign form of the religion. Haami’s right hand man, Maulana Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi, who survived a fatal grenade attack at Tahab in Pulwama district on November 10^th, 2006, was conspicuous by his presence. Five of Haami’s followers had died and 60 more had sustained injuries in the attack on Dawoodi.

While as the radicals have been invariably eulogizing great Islamic war heroes of the last 1400 years at such conclaves, speakers at today’s conference spoke high of the non-political preachers and icons of mysticism like Ameer-e-Kabeer Mir Syed Ali Hamadani and Sheikh-ul-Aalam Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani. In his speech, Haami expressed hope that the Bill on establishment of Sheikh-ul-Aalam University would soon be cleared by the joint select committee in Legislative Assembly and thereafter passed in Legislative Council.

Kashmir’s 14^th century legendary saint, Sheikh-ul-Aalam, is reverentially popular in the Hindu community as Nund Rishi. It was this saint who launched the local form of Sufiism, known as Reshiyut or Rishiism. His 600-year-old mausoleum and monastery at Chrar-e-Sharief, had gutted in a fierce gunfight between militants and Army on May 11^th, 1995. It has been reconstructed by Auqaf-e-Islami with huge governmental support in the last 16 years. Haami said that people of Wakoora in Ganderbal area had already donated 200 Kanals of their land for establishment of Sheikh-ul-Aalam University.

The ambassador of Tajkistan in India Mr. Syed Ahmad Beigh Sayeedi on the occasion said that such conferences prove helpful in spreading the message of Aulia Kiraam in real sense. He said Tajkistan is in near future organizing a conference on Mir Syed Ali Hamdani (RA) and said that the shrines of Mir Syed Ali Hamdani and other Aulia Kiraam had been renovated and maintained in a befitting manner. He invited the people of Kashmir to visit these shrines in Khatlan.

These religious scholars in their speeches said that the Islamic teachings were very much relevant in this modern and scientific age. They also highlighted the teachings of Prophet Mohammad and appealed the people to follow his teachings in letter and spirit, which, they said, was the only solution to the human sufferings. They said that “Aulia Kiraams” have always shown the path of truth, brotherhood and tolerance, that is why they traveled thousands of miles to reach the people and apprise them about the teachings of Islam and Prophet Mohammad (SAW).

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