India heavily targets Jamaat-i-Islami, a Kashmiri socio-political and religious organization
July 4, 2022
Srinagar, indian-occupied Kashmir
What is the Jamaat I Islami in Kashmir?
The Jamaat I Islami is a socio-political Muslim reform organization that was started in the late colonial period and geared towards the political and educational uplift of the Muslims of South Asia in a moment of great transition. The Kashmir wing of the Jamaat is distinct from its branches in India and Pakistan. It emerged in the mid 1940’s and was a panacea for the young educated Muslims of Kashmir, living under autocratic Dogra princely rule. It served as a platform to develop political and religious consciousness and also intervened in the educational sphere by establishing a chain of schools. Over time, the group’s educational and social programs increased its popularity and mass appeal.
The Jamaat broadly calls for a resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the will of the people — in line with multiple UN resolutions on Kashmir — and supports Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan. For some time (1965–1987), it also participated in the electoral process in Kashmir, believing that some change could come through constitutional means. However, elections were later boycotted by the Jamaat because they were mostly rigged and seen as illegitimate.
How has the Indian government and Kashmir’s client regimes responded to the Jamaat I Islam in Kashmir?
Because the Jamaat was seen as a popular force against the Indian state as well as local client regimes, its leaders were often detained and killed in custody. In 1975, as protests erupted in the aftermath of the deeply unpopular Indira-Sheikh Accord (during which most Kashmiris believe that Sheikh Abdullah, who had previously advocated a politics of ‘plebiscite’ sold out and compromised deeply with the Indian state), a blanket ban was imposed on Jamaat and its activities. Sheikh Abdullah extended the provisions of Emergency Rule to Kashmir and banned Jamaat; the ban ended with the end of Emergency rule in 1977. Ghulam Mohamed Bulla, a Peoples League Activist who had worked in close proximity with Jamaat in spearheading the protests against the Indira-Sheikh Accord was killed in Central Jail in 1975.
On April 4, 1979, when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged in Pakistan, frenzied mobs led by pro-India political stooges attacked Jamaat offices, properties, mosques, orchards and households. Two members of Jamaat — Abdur Rehman of Arwani , Bijbehara and Mohd. Akbar lone of Tujjar Shareif , Baramullah were lynched to death. 26 mosques, 651 libraries, 45 schools, 1245 houses, 338 shops, 70 orchards and 24 offices belonging to those affiliated with the Jamaat were looted, burnt or completely destroyed.
The repression continued with the arbitrary arrests of students affiliated or sympathising with the student wing of Jamaat, the Tehreek-e –Tulba (Islami Jamiat e Tulba), as they tried to organize an international conference on the “Right to Self-determination.” By 1982, almost all members of the student wing of Jamaat were in jail. Some were taken to secret detention centres and confined to dark cells for months.
In 1987, the MUF (Muslim United Front) emerged as an electoral alliance against pro-India political forces in Kashmir. Jamaat was a key constituent of this alliance. However, amid mass rigging and subsequent persecution, Jamaat members were arrested and tortured. This was also one of the triggers of the armed and people’s uprising against the Indian state.
India’s counter-insurgency operations saw Jamaat as a soft target. In 1990, the then-governor of Kashmir, Jagmohan, banned Jamaat and its educational institutions. The formation of Ikhwan (a counter-insurgent militia) began to target Jamaat and its sympathisers. From 1994–1998, 315 members and 2000 sympathizers of Jamaat were killed. This included teachers who taught in Jamaat-run schools, doctors and health workers who sympathized with Jamaat and even one ex –MLA from Kulgam, Abdur Razak Buchroo (one of the four MUF contestants who emerged victorious in the 1987 elections). Many of these killings were deliberately done in public places and busy markets to create fear amongst the local populace. This also resulted in internal migration of Jamaat members, sympathizers and their families from rural Kashmir to Srinagar. In many instances, the abandoned schools and houses of Jamaat members in rural Kashmir were either occupied by Indian forces and government militias or razed to the ground. Due to active repression, many Jamaat members also left Kashmir, and settled abroad.
What role has the Jamaat played in education?
With active repression on the political front, through its educational unit –the Falah–i-Aam trust — the Jamaat began to consolidate its involvement with schooling, and moved away from active political resistance. By 1988, more than 100 schools run by Falah-i-Aam trust affiliated to Jamaat were functional in Kashmir; by 1990 the number had increased to 178, with 15,302 boys and 9525 girls enrolled, employing around 997 male teachers and 67 female teachers. Despite restrictions, the number of schools had reached 321 in 2016 with more than 80,000 students enrolled and employing around 4000 teachers. Many of these schools cater to poor and lower classes, including many children who have been orphaned.
Why has the Indian state targeted Jamaat in recent years?
The Jamaat has a strong presence in Kashmir. In the wake of India’s settler-colonial project in Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370, the Indian government has seen Jamaat and anything associated with the Jamaat as a threat. Thus, it has used every means possible to criminalize, detain, silence, and ban the Jamaat and any entity that is seen as linked to it. This is yet another attempt to completely crush Kashmir’s civil society and ensure that absolutely no space exists for any dissent.
1) In March 2019, a few months before the abrogation, the Jamaat was banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and many of its members were arrested. The UAPA is used to criminalize civil society groups in Kashmir. After the abrogation, more members were arrested and lodged in jails outside Kashmir, some of whom continue to be in prison. 126 Jamaat members were in prison by September 2019.
2) In December 2019, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, who was arrested before the revocation and sent to jail in India, died in custody. He was 65 years old. Due to financial constraints, his family was not able to visit him before his death. The cause of his death remains unknown.
3) Other members, sympathizers, or perceived sympathizers of Jamaat have been harassed, intimidated, and fired from their places of employment. India’s national intelligence agencies continue to conduct raids on Jamaat locations, and its media continues to paint Jamaat as linked to “terrorism.”
4) On June 14, 2022, the Indian government ordered the cessation of academic activities in schools run by the FAT (Falah-e-Aam Trust). This is the third ban on Falah e Aam Trust since its inception. The Trust declared that barring seven, all these schools have ceased to be affiliated with it since the Jamaat was first banned, in 1990, and then again recently, in 2019 (The Wire). Most of these schools also utilize the government curriculum and syllabi.
If placed in full effect, the ban could impact over 8000 teachers who stand to risk their employment. Students who attend these schools have been directed to enroll in nearby government-run schools for the current academic session. While the courts have ‘stayed’ the process for now, this ban could potentially impact nearly 100,000 students in 350 schools.
