Ok I found an Editorial from a Srinagar based paper because I had heard from friends that shias do take out Muharram processions so was a bit surprised by these reports. This should clarify to concerned Pakistani friends about the reality of the situation. I wonder if Pakistani-based media will publish any article taking this viewpoint though.
Time to think - Daily Kashmir Images
Once again on Saturday uptown Srinagar presented itself as a battlefield when Shia mourners clashed with the police as latter tried to thwart a Muharram procession. Scores of people including some policemen were injured in these clashes while many more were taken into preventive custody. Why this clash? To answer this question, one may perhaps need to try and disconnect
Muharram mourning with the kind of politics that has come to sully everything in Kashmir. In fact the reason for the authorities, in the first place, to disallow Muharram procession in Civil Lines areas of Srinagar also lies in the peculiar politics that has dominated every sphere of activity in Kashmir, including what is and should have been a strictly religious ritual.
Prior to 1989, Muharram processions would be taken out without any problem and the authorities would not only allow it but also facilitate it. Even today, Muharram processions are taken out everywhere barring a few areas in uptown Srinagar. The authorities have their own reasons for putting restrictions on processions in certain areas. Without attesting the administration’s view or the reasons thereof for the kind of fears it has, pragmatism demands that it should not be seen as “undue interference in religious matters” as certain political forces want the commoners to believe. Instead, one should give some benefit of trust to the administration and ensure that there are no undue problems for the overall law and order situation in the City. Confrontation for the sake of confrontation helps none. And certainly when it comes to the religious matters, we all need to understand that Islam is a religion of peace, and anything and everything that endangers peace cannot be seen under the banner of Islam.
Prominent Shia leader Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari was quite unequivocal in stating so while reacting to the Saturday’s (8th Muharram) clashes. Talking to a news agency, Ansari questioned the very logic of taking out procession when everybody knew that administration had disallowed the same and that restrictions under section 144 CrPC are in force. Ansari even regretted the kind of politics that is being played by provoking people into defiance by politicizing their religious sentiments. Muharram is the time to remember the grand sacrifices of Prophet’s (PBUH) grandchildren in Karbala (Iraq) 1360 years ago; it’s not the time for politicking, Ansari said.
Ansari’s assertions should come as an eye-opener for all those who claim to be the followers of the religion of peace – Shias and Sunnis both. Cutting across the sectarian and other divides, common people need to understand that historically some forces have selectively interpreted some religious texts to suit their own political sub-texts. There is ample evidence suggesting that common people have all along been used and abused for fighting larger political battles for which religion too has time and again been used as a political vehicle.
Battle of Karbala is about the eternal fight between the Good and the Evil. Nobody can claim to serve the cause of good by adhering to the evil machinations. Unnecessarily creating law and order problems which put the safety and security of the general public in jeopardy is evil. It can be anything but certainly not what the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and His grandson Imam Hussain (AS) exemplified. Muharram processions and other congregations are held to remember the supreme sacrifices made by Imam Hussain (AS) for upholding the banner of good and justice. As we commemorate the occasion, it should reinvigorate our souls and prepare us for similar challenges in our own lives. Indulging in needless confrontations is certainly not the way to venerate Karbala martyrs.
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I won't be surprised if some APHC based offshoot was part of this rally instead of keeping a purely religious event.