Making Language as an Idol
By
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
11 July
2023
Many
votaries of Kashmiri language pleaded that Kashmiri language should be
introduced in schools. The language activists fought for the inclusion of Kashmiri
language in schools and now it is being taught in schools till high school
level as a mandatory subject. This inclusion also helped to absorb those
unemployed youth who had completed their post-graduation or Masters in Kashmiri
language and were now finding it difficult to get jobs. This step helped them
get absorbed in government jobs, thus securing their future, The language
activists, writers and scholars of Kashmiri language were very happy at this
inclusion of Kashmiri language in the school curriculum. I had never studied
Kashmiri as a language but due to my personal efforts I learnt to read it with
ease. But there is nothing celebratory about its inclusion because like Urdu,
students will study it to pass exams, later forget it after high school is
over.
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The
enrolment of students taking Kashmiri as a subject in higher classes, at
college and university level will continue to remain same. It will not witness
a great surge in enrolment. Similar is the case with Urdu and other vernacular
languages. It is because the scope of these languages is very little
economically, so there will be few takers for it. Those who are passionate
about any language do not need any specific reasons for studying it. When the
campaign for inclusion of Kashmiri in curriculum was going on it was trumpeted
that it will help Kashmiris forge unity and develop nationalism among them,
that is missing. It was hoped that the strengthening of Kashmiri nationalism
will result in the freedom sentiment growing deeper.
It was a
similar fantasy like what was earlier propounded by historian Fida Mohammad
Hasnain, clandestinely that if we will trumpet more about the grave of Jesus
Christ (pbuh) being present in Kashmir, then more world attention will be
diverted to Kashmir and the conflict will be highlighted more vigorously at
global level. Hasnain even write a book claiming Jesus’s being buried in
Kashmir. It was the Qadiyani propaganda that he carried forward, but this
theory found very few takers for it. He did not openly claim about strengthening
the Kashmiri freedom sentiment through his theory of Jesus’s grave openly,
because like other local historians he too was on payroll of government,
enjoying privileges and plump posts under different regimes. He did not have
any historical or political stance, but liked to voice some out of box views
creating controversy that never percolated to the masses like the theory of
Kashmiri language strengthening nationalism.
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Kashmiri
language can never bind the people of J&K together. Those who thought so
believed in fool’s paradise. Only Urdu language had the potential as it joined
all the divisions of the J&K linguistically. The Kashmiri language is so
poor even if we talk from a literary perspective. Except for the mystical
poetry of Rishi saints, there is dearth of literature in other genres. In fact,
the stalwart poets of Rishi movement that was religious and reformatory, the
poetry of its two biggest proponents Lal Ded and Sheikh ul Alam was till
recently passed down over generations through the word of mouth. Even now their
compilations are amalgamated with poetry of each other, because their message,
topics and themes were the same.
There is no
mention of politics in their poetry, although they unleashed a tirade against
the caste system, clergy and exploitation of masses by the religious pundits.
Then we have contemporary poets who were government servants in various
capacities. Most of them like Rahman Rahi, Amin Kaamil, Mehjoor and others used
to run propaganda programs for the ruling regime. To expect anything
revolutionary from them is out of question. In the fag end of their lives, when
they had no utility for government or writing posed no threat to their
livelihood, they penned down few poems, that certainly does not make them count
as Resistance or Nationalist poets. Hence to think that strengthening of
Kashmir language will automatically translate into some Kashmiri nationalism is
far fetched idea, that is ill conceived and ill theorized.
Some
Kashmiriyat term was invented and used to describe Kashmir’s syncretic and
plural culture, but as it was invented and imposed post 1975 Accord by the same
Sarkari historians and language activists, it died a natural death with the
Pandit migration in 1990s. There was Rishi syncretism and pluralism but nothing
like Kashmiriyat whose loss is now being mourned. Similar to few Kashmiris,
some Arabic language triumphalist also intend to impose Arabic language. Being
a language in which Holy Quran was revealed and in which we find the primary
texts of Islam available, it maybe considered a genuine demand. But never in
the history of Muslims, Arabic as a dominant language was spoken by majority of
Muslims.
It cannot
even happen in future because the Muslim masses never will find the time and
resources to learn Arabic. Also learning Arabic is not a gateway to heaven.
Without knowing Arabic one can follow Islam in letter and spirit because the
primary texts of Islam have been translated in all the major languages of the
world. Whosoever is interested can know Islam from these translated works. Like
Kashmiri language enthusiasts who foolishly believe that Kashmiri language will
promote unity, similarly, some Arabic language promoters believe that once
people know Arabic the religious differences among schools of thought will be
eliminated. It is because our Islamic understanding is not pure, it has
amalgamation of Persian and Urdu, hence it has led to flawed understanding of
Islam.
Hence Arab
understanding of Islam will be flawless. These enthusiasts become blind about
the fact that the four jurists to whom the schools of thought are attributed,
as well as founders of Sufi Silsila and other sects like Shi’ism were
well versed with Arabic. But in spite of it they had huge differences in
understanding and interpretation of religious texts. Even now when Arabic is
the lingua franca of the Arab world, still the unity of these Arab nations is
far from reality not to think about Muslim world. These all people want us to
turn languages into idols and once we do it, we start hating and demeaning
other languages. Islam has come with the message of breaking and smashing any
kind of idols. Thus, if a language turns into an idol, whether it be justified
by any means needs to be annihilated. Language is a means of communication turning
it into an issue of life and death, Islam and infidelity is gross. Such
attempts should be nipped in the bud, only then can we experience a world free
of hate, bigotry and violence. Homogeneity of a language will always lead to
doom of a community.
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M.H.A. Sikander
is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/language-idol/d/130184
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