Persecution of Kashmiri Shias
[1] Incidents of sectarian violence occurred in Kashmir under the rule of Mirza Haider Dughlat, followed by the Mughals (1586–1752), the Afghans (1752–1819), the Sikhs (1819–1845) and the Dogras (1846–1947).
[1] In 1381 CE, after Timur invaded Iran, Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, an Iranian Sufi arrived in Kashmir with a large number of disciples and preached Islam.
The finest papier-mache workers and shawl makers in Srinagar are Shias, and some of the wealthiest men in the city belong to that sectIn 1532 CE, Sultan Said Khan dispatched an army under the command of Mirza Haider Dughlat that attacked Baltistan and Ladakh from Kashgar.
Mirza Dughlat writes:[5] Many of the people of Kashmir who were strongly attached to this apostasy, I brought back, whether they would or no, to the true faith, and many I slew.
[6] In 1554, a Shia soldier Yusuf Mandav had a fight with a Sunni cleric Qazi Habibullah Khawarizmi after religious arguments.
Mirza Muqim, Akbar's envoy, killed Qazi Musa and Mulla Yusuf, resulting in tensions between the two communities.
[5] In 1585 CE, the ruler Yaqub Shah Chak demanded that Sunnis raise Shia slogans, which created divide.
[5] By the end of sixteenth century, famous Sunni saint Ahmad Sirhindi (1564 - 1624) had penned down a treatise under the title "Radd-e-Rawafiz" to justify the slaughter of Shias by Abdullah Khan Uzbek in Mashhad.
In this he argues:[9] Since the Shia permit cursing Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and one of the chaste wives (of the Prophet), which in itself constitutes infidelity, it is incumbent upon the Muslim ruler, nay upon all people, in compliance with the command of the Omniscient King (Allah), to kill them and to oppress them in order to elevate the true religion.
It is permissible to destroy their buildings and to seize their property and belongings.Itqad Khan, who held the post of governor for eleven years, was a ruthless tyrant.
[11][12] In 1684 CE, the fourth Taraaj started with a financial matter between a Shia businessman Abdul Shakoor and a Sunni named Sadiq.
This affair led to riots, the fanatics among the Sunnis started to attack properties of Hindus and Shias, and police used force to protect them.
The lawlessness prevailed for two years until a large Mughal force entered Kashmir from Lahore in 1722 under Abdul Samad Khan and the rebel leader Sharaf-ud-Din was killed.
Property to the value of lacs was plundered and the war raged for two or three daysThis taraaj coincided with a power struggle among Delhi elites.
Following Nadir Shah's invasion of Delhi, the deputy Abu Barkat Khan rebelled against his master and declared himself independent king, murdering Inayat Ullah in 1741.
This was the time when Syed Ahmad Barelvi, who later became famous for his war against Sikh Empire, was visiting towns of North Indian planes with hundreds of missionaries to preach against Shia beliefs and practices.
[23] The British gazetteer notes:[24] In the time of the governor Bama Singh, the Shias attempted to celebrate the Moharem, but the enraged Sunnis fell upon them, killed fifteen of them, and plundered their property; and the Persian merchants, of whom there were two or three hundred, retreated from Kashmir and have never since resided there Following the disturbances in the city, it is again in the genre of Kashmiri Marsiya that the Shiʿi feeling of helplessness gets registered:O Master!
The Shias fled in every direction, some seeking safety on the adjacent mountains, while others remained in the city in secret lurking places.
Many of the women and children of the Shias found an asylum from the hands of their infuriated co-religionists in the houses of the Hindu portion of the community.
When order was at length restored, the ringleaders of the riot were seized and imprisoned, besides hundreds or thousands, it is said, of the poorer inhabitantsThe 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran was the turning point of the Shiaism in Kashmir.
Additionally, a growing number of authors, scholars, historians, and poets have emerged from this group, reflecting their active participation in intellectual and cultural spheres.
[3] Smaller processions are permitted in some areas of the state, including in the districts of Bandipora, Srinagar, Budgam, Parts of Ganderbal, Baramulla, Leh and Kargil.
