Kashmir has always believed in sectarian harmony. And when Valley's prominent religious leaders say that they stand for harmony we trust them.  But it doesn't necessarily entail that we have no responsibility. At any cost we all must try to build up an atmosphere of peace and amity. That sense of responsibility has prompted Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to raise a red flag. Mirwaiz has directly accused the government of fueling the religious tension in Valley. Earlier, Hurriyat (G) chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani made the similar remarks. The leaders have expressed alarm over the efforts by some sections to formally organize themselves and defining themselves antagonistically against others. On the face of it there is nothing wrong with this and every likeminded group of people has a freedom of association in a democratic set up. But here the manner of association has become contentious.  This association is not perceived as spontaneous and natural but aided and abetted, meant to fulfill a pre-meditated political design.  Over time this is expected to drive a wedge in the society, with very dynamics of this disparate sectarian organization becoming a source of social tension. Is there really such an overt or covert effort in works to carve new sectarian
identities? We don't know for sure. And we would want to believe that
such an effort doesn't exist. This place has already seen enough
bloodshed for anybody to prime it up for another bout of violence -
this time on sectarian lines. This is not the first time that this issue has come to the fore in Kashmir. In 2007, there was a political and public outcry over the government meddling in the religious affairs when  reports surfaced of the  security agencies helping to renovate shrines and mosques.The outcry forced the practice to stop.This time again we need to get clear on the issue. The religious harmony of the state is paramount and it is incumbent on all of us,
government included, to discourage machinations that can be fresh
sources of tension. And, we hope everybody is listening and all sing
from the same hymnal on the issue.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST