ISLAMABAD: A recent report by Kashmir Media Service highlights a disturbing trend in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliated organizations, notably the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), are purportedly working to systematically disempower Muslims and erode their religious and cultural identity.
According to the report, the BJP’s agenda in IIOJK involves a systematic assault on the region’s Islamic heritage. The BJP’s policies are described as aimed at transforming Kashmir from its traditional Sufi roots into a stronghold of Hindutva ideology. This shift, the report claims, is marked by efforts to alter the region’s demographics and undermine its rich Islamic cultural and religious traditions.
The report points to several specific actions by the BJP administration. Muslim shopkeepers in Jammu have reportedly been instructed to stop selling meat, affecting their traditional economic practices and cultural expressions.
Additionally, the BJP administration is accused of facilitating Hindu pilgrimages (Yatra) in IIOJK while imposing restrictions on the observance of Muslim festivals like Eid. The opening of wine shops in predominantly Muslim areas is also seen as an attempt to undermine the moral fabric of the Muslim community.
The BJP’s takeover of the IIOJK Waqf Board and control over religious sites such as Eidgahs, mosques, and shrines are viewed as strategies to diminish the political and cultural role of these sites in the Muslim community.
Furthermore, non-Kashmiri officers are reportedly being appointed to erode IIOJK’s religious and cultural heritage. There are allegations that Muslim students are being forced to sing Hindu hymns, and there is a push to integrate Hindu symbols and traditions into everyday life.
The report also highlights the BJP’s decision to end Urdu’s exclusive status in favor of other languages, which is seen as an attack on Kashmir’s linguistic heritage. The saffronization of textbooks and the promotion of Hinduism by affiliated NGOs and the Indian army in remote areas are cited as efforts to reshape Kashmir according to Hindutva ideology.
These actions reflect a broader agenda of cultural domination and an attempt to convert Kashmir into a bastion of Hindutva, with each new policy and cultural imposition intensifying this campaign. The report concludes by emphasizing the ongoing and aggressive efforts by the BJP to alter the cultural and religious landscape of IIOJK.
