J&K separatists criticise Deoband decree

SRINAGAR: Kashmir militants have ���regretted��� the ���failure��� of Deoband���s religious scholars in making a distinction between Jihad and terrorism. They said the decree was correct but one-sided.

���Moulana (Margoob-ur-Rehman) is correct in saying that Islam rejects terrorism, but there is no interpretation especially because various powers are dubbing genuine struggles as terrorism,��� Sadaqat Hussain, a spokesman of the Muzafarrabad-based militant alliance United Jihad Council said.

Apparently in a bid to condemn terrorism in wake of allegations that seminaries were terrorist hubs, Deoband Darul-Uloom in western UP had recently got over 10,000 scholars from across India to deliberate on the issue. The conclave ended with an outright condemnation of terrorism.

���We respect the scholars at Deoband and we hope that they would discuss the struggles in Palestine, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, and Iraq and interpret it in the light of what Koran says,��� Hussain added.

The decree did not evoke the expected response from Kashmir. Sheikh Aziz, one of the executive members of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, agreed that Islam does not allow killing of non-combatants. ���But the scholars have touched one aspect of the problem and remained silent on the real problem of Kashmir,��� he said.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads a parallel Hurriyat faction, talked of his respect of the Deoband but insisted ���the decree would have no impact on the Kashmir struggle which is political���.
He sees state terrorism as the root cause and people���s reaction its effect. ���Unless we cure the cause, we cannot stem its effect,��� he said.