Page 206 - Seekers Guide Book
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Peace: The Summum Bonum
and not ‘Islamophobia’ as such. Second, they must correct
themselves. It is the duty of right-thinking Muslims to
educate other Muslims in this regard.
23 What is the right solution to the
Jammu and Kashmir problem?
have done extensive research on the Kashmir issue
I and my firm opinion is that it was a relatively simple
matter, which became complex because of the immature
leadership of Kashmir. If the real context of an issue is
changed, it becomes complex. The issue of Kashmir was
secular in nature, but it was made religious and this is
what made it complex. The Kashmiri leadership made it
an issue of establishing Nizam-e-Mustafa (establishment
of Islamic Shariah). For example, Muslims in India
participate in all aspects of life and avail all benefits, but
if Indian Muslims were to start a campaign to establish
Nizam-e-Mustafa in India, they would lose everything.
Muslims cannot think of progressing separately from the
rest of the country, that, if they isolate themselves from
the rest of India, they certainly cannot develop.
The Kashmir issue was a secular issue and it had to
be solved within the secular parameters. The Indian
Government had taken the right stand in this matter
by offering to grant a special status to Kashmir under
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. The then Prime
Minister, Mr. P.V. Narsimha Rao, had defined it as a
case of autonomy and had given Kashmir the right to
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