". . .fierce debate over whether stone-throwing has the sanction of Islam or not. "

[ensho]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KD08Df02.html


Pebble-pelting Muslims a rocky issue


Stone-pelting, a popular form of protest across South Asia and in the Middle East, is at the center of heated debate in the Kashmir Valley.

A statement by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police and a fatwa against stone-throwing issued by Maulana Shaukat Ahmed Shah, the head of an influential religious organization in the valley, have triggered fierce debate over whether stone-throwing has the sanction of Islam or not.

The controversy comes at a time when militancy is on the decline in the valley. Over the past 10 months or so, mass demonstrations marked by stone throwing against the Indian security forces has become the norm, especially in J&K’s summer capital, Srinagar.

These protests usually erupt after Friday prayers, when youths - mainly teenagers - chant anti-India and pro-azadi (independence) slogans and march through the streets hurling stones at the security personnel deployed en route. The main battleground between youths and police is the volatile Nowhatta Chowk, where Srinagar’s main mosque, the Jamia Masjid, is located. This area alone is reported to have witnessed over 65 instances of stone-pelting by mobs in 2008 alone.

It might have been the Palestinians who made stone-pelting famous during their intifada, but it is Kashmiris who claim to have "perfected the skill", having used this form of protest for many decades. It is said that in the 1930s, when Kashmiris were fighting the autocratic rule of Maharaja Hari Singh, they expressed their anger by hurling stones.

-long snip of stone-pelting history-

As Rahman points out, the "only way of stopping the protests is to ensure that justice is done to all".
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ain't that the truth - Justice For All