The Islamic Word Kalma Saves a Hindu Man's Life during Pahalgam Terror Attack: Its Significance Explained
Living under Duress: The Pahalgam Incident and the Abuse of Kalma
In the wake of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the nation is shaken. India has reacted by revoking the Indus Waters Treaty, and chilling accounts from the tragedy are starting to emerge. It appears that the terrorists involved coerced people into reciting the Kalma, a component of Islamic faith, a failure to comply resulting in execution. The incident left 26 victims in its wake. One fortunate survivor, Professor Debashish Bhattacharya, miraculously escaped death by reciting the Kalma.
Recounting his harrowing experience, Professor Bhattacharya shared, "Surrounded by those repeating the Kalma, I too joined in. One man thrust a gun towards my head, listened to my recitation, and then moved on. I continued to chant 'La ilaha'."
As a cornerstone of Islam, introduced over a thousand years ago by Prophet Muhammad, the Kalma stands as the first pillar of the faith. The Kalma proclaims the singularity of God (Allah) and affirms that Muhammad is His messenger. It is believed that simply saying the Kalma once is enough for a person to convert to Islam.
In Shia Islam, the phrase "Aliyun Waliullah" is added, meaning "Ali is the representative of Allah." Both Sunni and Shia Muslims worldwide recite the Kalma, giving it universal sacred significance. In contrast, forcing someone to recite it is considered an abhorrent act in Islam.
The events in Pahalgam are far from the first instance when Kalma has held public attention. Harsh instances of coerced recitation have occurred in the past, notably in certain Islamic countries, such as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, where the Kalma graces their national flags.
The Pahalgam attack has forced its brutal reality on us once more. It sheds light on the horrifying ordeal faced by civilians and starkly shows how religious declarations can be twisted into instruments of fear and coercion.
A Closer Look at Kalma's Misuse
In the context of the Pahalgam tragedy, the terrorists employed the Kalma as a tool for religious profiling. By forcing its recitation, they intended to quickly sift out Muslims from non-Muslims. Additionally, the Kalma's sacrosanct status in Islam turned its misuse into a psychological weapon, instilling fear and humiliation in victims. Furthermore, certain extremist groups distort religious teachings to justify sectarian violence and portrayed the Kalma's forced recitation as an act of religious purity, despite it contradicting mainstream Islamic teachings.
Six Kalmas and Their Meaning
While the first Kalma is of paramount importance, all six serve as reaffirmations of faith in Islam. The malicious focus on the Kalma during the attack emphasizes the terrorists' intent to connect religious identity with survival, transforming a spiritual act into a tool of violence.
The Pahalgam attack demonstrated the transformation of the Kalma, a fundamental declaration of faith in Islam, into a tool of religious profiling and psychological weapon, as extremist groups exploited its sacred status to instill fear and humiliation in victims. This misuse of the Kalma reflects a distorted interpretation of religious teachings, where the forced recitation is used to justify sectarian violence and connect religious identity with survival, rather than a spiritual act. Moreover, such actions contravene mainstream Islamic teachings.
