Faith Healing

8220;From now on, let no one divide us. We are all part of this embattled society and have a responsibility towards maintaining its peace. We are already seeing so much political violence and can8217;t afford sectarian tension,8221; says Jamiat Ahle Hadees chief Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah, himself the target of an attack in the recent past.

Initiated by Jamaat-i-Islami 8211; the only religious outfit in Jammu and Kashmir with a political agenda 8211; the dialogue not only cuts across Islam8217;s ancient bipolar Shia-Sunni divide but also various Sunni sub-sects comprising Deobandi, Wahabi, Salafi and Barelvi schools of thought. So we have the unusual spectacle of Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Anjuman Tableegh-i-Islam, heads of Kashmir8217;s biggest Deobandi seminaries Darul Aloom Raheemia, Darul Aloom Bilalia and other major religious organisations sitting across from each other to keep the socio-religious fabric intact.

Barelvi Dawoodi, the target of the Tahab attack, was represented by the leader of his organisation Anjuman Tableeghi Islam Showkat Teng. The only section absent was the Valley8217;s traditional Sufi moorings, but that was more because Sufis in the Valley have no unified institutional structure. At most, they are a strong cultural presence, with shrines and urs festivals and their dervishes in certain regions.

However, the latter have been targeted too. The house of a prominent dervish, Ahad Bab of Sopore, who wears no clothes even through Kashmir8217;s winter, was attacked last year with grenades. Several people were injured; the dervish escaped unhurt.

Though the Barelvi thought accommodates distinct Sufi strands, it doesn8217;t completely subsume the typical Kashmiri Sufism. Originally called Rishut, the order propagated by the Rishis, Kashmiri Sufism goes back to ancient Hindu saints, with Kashab Rishi 8212; Kashmir8217;s eponymous patron saint 8212; being the first in the line.

Now, there is the dominance of orthodox Deobandi Islam, spearheaded by an extensive network of seminaries and madrasas, followed by Salafi Islam propagated by Jamiat-Ahle Hadith and Barelvi thought led by Tableegh-I-Islam. Besides, there is Tableeghi Jamaat which comprises a loosely organised substantial section of the population with its exclusive concern for preaching the religion.

With the Islamic world churning worldwide, Kashmir8217;s Islamic diversity is at the receiving end, with an odd sectarian attack often putting the equations on a cliff-hanger. Before the Tahab strike was an attack on the Jamiat Ahle Hadees chief Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah. Resentment grew between the sects as the perpetrators were seen as being driven by sectarian differences.

8220;It is to guard against these strains that we have decided to come together so that nobody gets a chance to exploit our differences. We will work not only for the fraternal inter-sectarian relations but also use this harmony for wider social reform,8221; said Jamaat chief Shiekh Ghulam Hassan.

The fact that the initiative has come from the Jamaat also makes it significant as the party has often been accused of propagating hardline literalist Islam, antithetical to Kashmir8217;s syncretic Sufi traditions.

Chairman of the Jamiat, Ahle Hadees Moulana Showkat, couldn8217;t agree more: 8220;We don8217;t want the Sipahi Sahaba and Lashker Jangvi Pakistani Shia and Sunni outfits to rear their heads in Kashmir8221;. He pauses to add, 8220;Kashmir has no space for them.8221;