Rajouri Muslims say Sikhs causing them anguish

Rajouri, once known as Rajpuri (Land of Kings) had long been known as the birthplace of Draupadi of Mahabharta fame. Located in the ancient Panchal range of Mountains in today's Jammu & Kashmir, it has become the scene of a dispute between its Muslims and Sikh citizens. At this point only the claims of the Muslims have been published--we have yet to hear the Sikh version of this story.

Around India for hundreds of years the sentiments of Hindus were openly bruised as the onetime Mughal overlords established abbatoires and openly herded cattle through the streets of untold numbers of cities and used even the dead animals carcases and blood to defile Hindu and Sikh temples, but while the newspapers of India and Jammu tell stories of the arrests daily of militants captured with large cashes of grenades, ammunitions and explosives which were meant to kill crowds of voters in Kashmir's recent elections one of Kashmir's newspapers is reporting using a word rarely heard, spoken or seen in any Muslim newspaper.

Govt-backed pig farm angers Rajouri Muslims , a news story as reported in the Newspaper Rising Kashmir. Sunday December 28th, 2008

Residents stage protests, accuse army of supplying animals to Sikh community: reporter Shaheen Khan

Rajouri, Dec 28: Hurting the sentiments of Muslim community, the State administration has given permission to establish a pig farm unit in Bathuni-Muradpur, a Muslim majority village of Rajouri district. The rearing of pigs is objectionable for Muslims and has become a reason of communal discord between Muslims and Sikh community in the village. Muslims in the area today staged a protest against this farm when these pigs entered their houses and places of worship.

According to sources, District administration Rajouri has authorized some people belonging to Sikh community to establish pig farm units in the Muslim majority village Bathuni-Muradpur. About 150 Muslim families who inhabit this village said they were having a tough time as the pigs in the farm wander in front of their houses, mosques and vegetable plots. Pigs are reviled by Muslims as most Muslim sources cite pig’s habit of wallowing in its own filth as the reason for abhorring it.

Furthermore, no law allows establishing a pig farm in the State, Jammu and Kashmir being a Muslim majority state. However the district administration has given permission to some Sikhs to establish such a farm in the Muslim majority village. After at least a dozen pigs entered into the houses of Muslim community in the area, hundreds of Muslims took to streets and staged protest demonstrations against the Sikh community and administration.

The protests were led by Haji Akbar Hussain and Safia Begum – the elderly residents.

Talking to Rising Kashmir, Safia Begum said that in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, Sikh community members intentionally pushed these pigs into the houses of Muslims to hurt their sentiments. She said that a dozen pigs were seen coming out of the house of Master Abdul Gani "These pigs were wandering in their kitchen and near water tanks," she said. “They had earlier objected to this farm but their pleas fell to deaf ears.”

Master Abdul Gani, a resident of the village said: “We are ready to die but will not live among pigs. The matter was already taken up by the Muslim community with police, Tehsildar and District Development Commissioner Rajouri but nothing was sorted out. The protestors alleged that on Saturday when the Muslim community approached the local Sikhs to lodge their protest and request them to close this farm, they were shown rifles and pushed back.

“We were shown rifles and warned that if we move toward their houses they will open fire," Safia Begum alleged. "Krishan Singh, Sadakar Singh, Babu Singh and Shamsher Singh showed us rifles and threaten to kill us." The protestors alleged that the Animal Husbandry department of Rajouri had given the members of the Sikh community permission to open this farm. They also accused army of supplying the pigs. "It should be investigated how army is supplying these pigs to the farm," the residents said. Tehsildar Rajouri Dev Raj admitted that five Sikhs of Bathuni had opened a pig farm in the village. He said that the administration had already directed them to close this farm but they had not closed it.

“I personally visited this village after receiving complaints from Muslim community a month back and directed the Sikh community to close this unit," Dev Raj said.

However he expressed helplessness to forcefully close the unit. “I cannot use force to close this unit,” he said.

Raj also admitted that the members of Muslim community had complained of having received threats by members of Sikh community. "I have requested these people to lodge FIR in this regard," he said. On why the administration had not taken action against them, the Tehsildar said that he would discuss the matter with higher authorities and than respond accordingly. Representatives of Sikh community and District Development Commissioner Rajouri were not available for their version in this regard.

Nazim Jamia Marful Aloom, Amir Muhammad Shamsie said forget rearing this animal, in Islam not even taking (hearing, seeing or speaking) its name is allowed. He said that if the government does not close the farm unit, Muslims throughout Rajouri would stage protest demonstrations outside the Masjids.