The Demand of Wisdom

The Demand of Wisdom The Quran states: “People of the Book! Do not go to extremes in your religion.” (4:171) According to a tradition the Prophet of Islam observed: “Avoid the path of extremism: this will lead to more severe conditions.” (Abu Daud, Sunan Abu Daud, Vol. 1, page 197) In present times, this has been the case in all those Muslim countries where groups have taken to the path of militancy to attain their objectives. And it has turned out in Kashmir that the culture of violence over the last two decades has had no positive result. On the contrary, it has caused so much destruction that it is simply indescribable. The ongoing conflict in Kashmir has played havoc with its economy and educational system. It has led to the deaths of over a hundred thousand people, with many more being injured and crippled for life. It has taken a terrible toll of the moral fabric of Kashmiri society. Another big loss is that it has forced a huge number of well-qualified and highly educated Kashmiris to migrate to other parts of India and other countries. The culture of the Kashmiris (Kashmiriat) to preserve which the movement was launched, has been totally ruined. Kashmir once had a flourishing tourism industry, as a result of which commercial activities continued the whole year round. But this militancy has dealt a death blow to the tourist industry. Once a Kashmiri remarked that formerly they could even sell pebbles, but today even their apples have no buyers. Thus the movement which was launched in the name of the Kashmiri people has not benefited the common man in any way, but it