Religious organisations in Kashmir have objected to a government instruction asking schools across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.
The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an alliance of clerics and religious organisations, said the directive is an attempt to “impose RSS ideology on Muslims under the guise of cultural celebrations”. They have requested Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to cancel the order.
A joint statement by religious leaders said that it had caused a lot of anguish among Muslims of the region, who were reaching out to the religious leadership to raise this serious concern.
Recently, the Chief Secretary of the J&K government held a meeting. It was decided that the events would begin on the seventh of this month. The Department of Culture issued the order, stating that in this connection, the participation of schools across Jammu and Kashmir was crucial for ensuring wider outreach and meaningful involvement of young students in the program.
A communication states that the Directors of Education in Jammu and Kashmir have been appointed as nodal officers for coordinating the anniversary events. The government also plans to organise cultural and musical performances as part of the celebration.
But Muslim religious groups in the region argue that these programmes are intended to spread Hindutva ideas.
A statement by the MMU said that the directive appeared to be a deliberate attempt to impose an RSS-driven Hindutva ideology on a Muslim-majority region under the guise of cultural celebration, rather than promoting genuine unity and respect for diversity.
The MMU, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, says the government order amounts to “coercion and infringes upon religious freedoms” because students and staff are being made to join the events.
According to the alliance, reciting Vande Mataram was inconsistent with Islamic teachings because it contained expressions of reverence that contradicted the concept of Tawheed, or the oneness of God. The statement added that forcing Muslim students or institutions to participate in activities that conflicted with their faith was both unjust and unacceptable.
The MMU says Islam supports patriotism through compassion, social contribution, and service. They argue that involving Muslim students in these directives is “unjust and unacceptable”.
The statement said that the MMU urged the administration, which was led by the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister, to immediately withdraw the coercive directive that had caused anguish to all Muslims, and to ensure that no students or institution would be compelled to act against their religious beliefs.