“We are with the minorities, we will give all our support to minorities. Minorities can come and live with us in our houses, use our land,” says an Imam at the Friday congregational prayers. Such calls for peace and support for Kashmiri pandits and Hindus have been given out at several mosques across Kashmir during Friday prayers, including this one at Jamia Masjid in Anantnag.

“Minorities can come & live with us in our houses, use our land.”

The call for supporting minorities was raised from several mosques across Kashmir during Friday congregational prayers, including Jamia Masjid in Anantnag.

Report Suhail Dar pic.twitter.com/PsdYBUrpBS

— The Kashmiriyat (@TheKashmiriyat) June 3, 2022

This Imam goes on to say, “Take our land if you need… Give our minorities their rights. We will not tolerate any attacks and harassment/ torture of minorities…” He explains that any attack on minorities should be condemned and that minorities should be taken care of and supported. He included the Hindu community that is a minority in Kashmir, and the Muslim community that is a minority in other places across India.

The message is seen being received well by the congregation of boys, young men and old, many of whom raise their hands in prayer as the Imam delivers his message of peace and support.

Kashmiri Pandits themselves have said on record that they have got a lot of support from their Muslim bretheren. Many Muslims have also opensly sat in protest together with Kashmiri Pandit and Hindu groups against the recent space of terror attacks.

Protest against minority killings, in Srinagar pic.twitter.com/SoS3o2hkOF

— Basit Zargar (باسط) (@basiitzargar) June 2, 2022

However there are some who continue to question the Muslims of Kashmir, such as Times Now anchor Rahul Shivshankar. Ill-informed, he asked why Kashmiri Muslims are not speaking up to secure that right for Hindus in Kashmir? He, as a journalist, should instead be asking the government tough questions on why so many targeted killings have happened in the last few months and who is to blame for the exodus 2022 of Kashmiri Pandit gov’t employees?

Kashmiri Muslims live, work, study and trade unhindered in different parts of India. They are our loved compatriots. They prosper and surely appreciate the opportunity. So why aren’t they speaking up to secure that right for Hindus in Kashmir?

— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) June 3, 2022

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The post Kashmir: Friday sermons in mosques express solidarity with Kashmiri Hindu brethren appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Kashmir’s local news outlet Kashmir News Observer reported the death of South Kashmir’s Kakran Kulgam resident Satesh Singh on April 13, 2022. The Rajput was shot by unknown gunmen in the evening and died while being shifted to the hospital. Shocked by the incident, local Kashmiri Pandit groups like the KPSS asked Kashmiri people to decide once and for all, whether they are ‘welcome the minority community in the valley’.

According to the news agency, the police suspected it as a militant attack and cordoned off the area to nab the attackers. The Kashmir police tweeted, “Terrorists involved in this #gruesome terror crime will be neutralised soon. Search to track the involved #terrorists in progress.”

According to NDTV, Singh was shot in the head from a point-blank range. The news has upset the local minority community.

KPSS’ statement

Local organisation Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) strongly condemned the killing of Kashmiri Hindus on April 15. It said that the killings lists that were circulated in mosques in 1990 are still circulated on the internet and social media in 2022.

“Just modus operandi has failed but the mentality is the same as what we minorities faced in the early 1990s,” said KPSS President Sanjay Tickoo.

He said that certain vicious and ill-minded people are using a particular religion as a cover to annihilate religious minorities in the Kashmir valley. According to Tickoo these attacks are possible only through the help of the local population. As such, he said the role of the Kashmiri society cannot be denied in the crimes against Kashmiri Pandits.

“Every gunman known or unknown is a local person and their OGWs are also from our own Kashmiri society who create fake trust with religious minorities to collect details and help these gunmen to kill Kashmiri Pandits/ Kashmiri Hindus living in the Kashmir Valley,” he said.

Tickoo voiced concern about the Kashmir Exodus repeating itself in 2022, considering the collective silence maintained by the people that creates “trust deficits”.

The KPSS condemned the government for not bothering with the attacks stating that the administration is either not inerested in saving minorities or they are incompetent to handle the situation. Expressing disappointment at the 1990 coalition government for failing to protect the minorities, it said, “In the last three years the same government failed again in securing minorities living in the Kashmir Valley, it indicates the Kashmiri Minorities will again have to leave Kashmir due to failure of Kashmiri Society as well as the administration.”

Misinformation at an unfortune time

Adding to the ailings of the community, The Kashmir Files Director Vivek Agnihotri chose this time to share a tweet where an alleged terrorist group ‘Lashkar-e-Islam’ threatened to kill “kafirs” in Kashmir. News outlets like Amar Ujala, Lokmat News, News18, picked up this news based on Agnihotri’s tweet. However, by Friday afternoon Alt News unearthed many dubious aspects of the letter. The letter was unsigned had a spelling mistake in its English letterhead, showed the logo of another terrorist group – Jamaat-e-Dawa – entirely, had factual errors and resembled a similar letter allegedly issued by the Lashkar-e-Islam in 2016.

While it is true that such a letter was received by Baramulla resident Vijay Raina, the man claimed it was “sent by post”. For these reasons, the authenticity of this letter is questionable. Nonetheless, with the report of Singh’s death, Agnihotri’s tweet comes at an extremely untimely moment.

Related:

Kashmir: Suspected militants claim another life
This is what we feared: Sanjay Tickoo on the rising attacks in Kashmir since March
The Kashmir Files: Calls for Muslim genocide ring out in cinema halls, hate brews outside
The Kashmir Files making resident Kashmiri Pandits feel unsafe

The post Kashmir Hindu dies allegedly at the hands of terrorist gunmen appeared first on SabrangIndia.