Opinion | Jamia Siraj Ul Uloom: Beyond Sentiments and the Lessons of History

“Roodh Pena Che Rabb Wathan” no mud without rain. History teaches us to look beyond emotion and view such matters with rationality. It reminds us how religion and religious spaces have, at times, been misused to spread extremism. After decades, peace has finally returned to our land, and we must support every effort to make this calm and stability permanent. This benefits only Kashmir and Kashmiris.

I think the years of violence, terrorism, and bloodshed in our land, Kashmir, need no introduction. We have all borne the brunt of the same directly and indirectly, and we all wanted it to end. When that end finally arrived, what we began to see was peace, tranquillity, and normal life. But the bruises of terrorism still remain intact in our lives and in the lives of the victims of terror. For decades, Kashmir has paid the highest price for violence. We have buried our youth, watched families break apart, witnessed our tourism plummet, seen education suffer, and watched our economy collapse repeatedly due to terrorism. Every Kashmiri who truly wants peace must ask a simple question: if any institution is found helping radicalization, violence, or separatist networks, should it be allowed to continue in the name of sentiment? The answer is no, an absolute no.

As Kashmiris, we have to ask ourselves some questions first. Do we want terrorism? Do we want violence? Do we want bloodshed? Do we want schools, businesses, and tourism to shut down? Do we want our kids’ blood spilled? Do we want our women widowed? Do we want children orphaned? The answer to all of this is a big no. This means anything or anyone that helps or hosts radicalization and terrorism needs to be dismantled. Terrorism is a big disease, a cancer that needs to be treated at its earliest stage so that this tumour cannot spread.

In Kashmir, religious seminaries have acted as a double-edged sword. Some have preached peace, while others were found involved in activities not in the interest of Kashmiris at all. If we talk about the present time, the recent administrative action taken against Jamia Siraj ul Uloom in Shopian has sparked widespread debate among netizens, with some calling it an attack on sentiment and Islam. Being a Kashmiri Muslim, if I see a madrassa or Darul Uloom being put under a security scanner or banned, it naturally hurts my sentiments. But when I hear that a madrassa was involved in radicalizing people, encouraging terrorism, and misusing its position in society, how hurtful and shameful would that be for me and every Muslim? Such action needs to be seen beyond the lens of Muslim emotions and through the lens of rationality and history.

Not dwelling too much on history, in the recent Delhi terror blast, an imam of a local Kashmiri Mosque was reportedly a major force in radicalizing those who carried out the attack. This implies that an imam, who is supposed to teach Islam as a religion of peace, pushed several families into darkness through his radical ideas by misusing his sacred position. A mosque, which is meant to bring people together, became linked to tragedy. That terror attack killed over 13 innocent people. Who is responsible for that? That imam, obviously. Going a bit further into the past, we all know how madrassas, Islamic seminaries, and local mosques were used to propagate terrorism and radicalization. The microphones were kept open 24/7 to preach radicalization and ways to destabilize harmony and peace efforts in Kashmir, and this is a well-established fact. Even those who chose the path of violence and terrorism, were they not linked with religious seminaries? Were such institutions not behind their brainwashing? The banned Jamaat-e-Islami was also widely known for spreading and preaching radicalization in the Valley. Being Kashmiris, we ought to ask ourselves a simple question: have religion and religious seminaries in Kashmir not been misused to spread extremism and inject radicalization into innocent Kashmiris? We all know the answer is yes. What did it give us in return? A broken and fractured Kashmir. Thousands of innocents died. Tourism collapsed. Businesses shut down. Children lost years of education. A generation grew up around funerals, gunfire, and fear.

If we turn our attention towards our western neighbour, Pakistan, a state formed on an Islamic basis, we can see what it did to Islam’s image globally. The ongoing rise in Islamophobia is often linked to the actions of extremist groups that emerged from its soil. We all know that some madrassas and Islamic seminaries there became breeding grounds for terror, where students were injected with extremism and radicalization, enabling attacks like the 2025 Pahalgam attack and the killing of civilians.

The ban on an Islamic institution is deeply painful, but what about those parents who lost their sons only because they were brainwashed in some madrassa or by an imam, as seen in the Delhi terror case? Some say banning such institutions creates resentment. But what creates greater resentment than seeing young Kashmiris pushed toward graves, prisons, or ruined futures? Parents want their children to become doctors, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and religious scholars who contribute positively to society. No parent wants their child manipulated by those who glorify violence. The government’s responsibility is not only to react after an attack happens. It must act before young minds are poisoned. If an institution is suspected of financial irregularities, unlawful activities, or links to radical networks, an investigation and legal action become necessary. The rights of institutions matter. Due process matters. If the seminary believes it has been wrongly accused, it can challenge the action legally. That is how democracy works. But portraying every security action as being targeted helps no one except those who benefit from instability.

If the government’s intention was to target madrassas as a whole, it would have moved against every religious seminary. It has not done that. Thousands of madrassas continue to function across Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India without interference because they focus on education and faith, not unlawful activities.

I still remember a conversation from when I was around 18. I once asked a man in his mid-40s why security forces often stopped or frisked people wearing a Pheran, something deeply tied to Kashmiri culture. He replied that during the years of terrorism in Kashmir, terrorists had repeatedly used the Pheran to hide weapons and carry out attacks. Because of those past incidents, security forces became more cautious. His point was simple: not everyone wearing a Pheran was suspicious, but when something has been misused for violence in the past, authorities tend to act carefully. The same principle applies today. Not every madrassa or religious institution is problematic, but if one specific institution is suspected of being misused for unlawful activities after proper investigation, action against it should be seen as a security measure, not an attack on religion.

Kashmir is finally witnessing a period where tourism is rising, schools are functioning, and businesses are growing. Young people are exploring careers, sports, and entrepreneurship. This peace must be protected. For too long, Pakistan used Kashmir as a battlefield for its vile and evil interests while ordinary Kashmiris suffered. We cannot allow educational or religious spaces to become tools for radical agendas again. A mosque should inspire peace. A seminary should build character. A classroom should shape futures, not funerals. If this action prevents even one Kashmiri youth from being dragged into violence, then it is not an attack on Kashmir. It is an act in defence of Kashmir’s future. The greatest service we can do for our homeland is to ensure that our children inherit books instead of bullets, hope instead of hatred, and peace instead of endless graves.

In a nutshell, the ban on Jamia Siraj Uloom may feel painful, but it must be viewed beyond emotion. History teaches hard lessons. We have seen how Pakistan turned many pious madrassas into breeding grounds of terrorism, and we cannot allow anything similar to take root on our soil. After many years, Kashmir is witnessing normalcy and peace. Schools are functioning, businesses are growing, tourism is returning, and people are rebuilding their lives. We cannot allow this progress to be sabotaged. Every attempt that disturbs peace pushes Kashmir back toward danger and extremism. Such threats must be stopped firmly. May our madrassas and mosques always remain beacons of peace, learning, and hope for society.

furkaankashmiri@gmail.com