COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Sectarian violence leads to the death of two Muslims in Bombay

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay

Simmering tension between two sects of Muslims in Bombay came to the fore on Monday, when the Barelvi and Deobandi sects of Sunni Muslims clashed over a minor religious issue. In the unexpected outburst of violence, two Muslims were killed in the heart of the Muslim quarter of the city.

"Trouble between the Barelvi and Deobandi Muslims is not new," says Fuzail Jafferey, an Urdu writer and former editor of Urdu Blitz. "But the significant aspect is that after 1955, this is the first time in India that a quarrel among the Sunni Muslims has led to two people being killed."

Trouble started this time over a seemingly insignificant matter. Some Barelvi Muslims were distributing pamphlets against the Deobandi Muslims who were holding a religious meeting in a mosque. When they emerged from the mosque they found the handbill distribution in progress, and an altercation broke out at once which in no time escalated into violence.

The Barelvi and Deobandi Muslims are the two major sects among Sunni Muslims in India. The two words are derived from Bareilly and Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, both centres of Islamic learning and thought.

The basic difference between the two sects is that while the Barelvis believe in the Sufi cult and dargahs, the Deobandis are more puritanical. Barelvis are followers of Ahmad Raza Khan, while the Deobandis follow Ashraf Ali Tanvi, the differences in teaching between the two scholars also contributing to the divide between the two sects. In terms of numbers, the Barelvis easily outnumber the Deobandis in the country, although no exact figures are available.

Says Maulana Riyaz, leader of the Deobandi Muslims in Bombay, "The Barelvi Muslims are upset that many of their brethren are joining us. Moreover, they were angry after we held a successful ijtema (religious congregation) on November 28 in Bombay with more than 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world attending it."

However, Saeed Noori, general secretary of the Raza Academy and leader of the Barelvi Muslims in Bombay denies this, and blames the Deobandis for the trouble.

Relations have soured between the two sects to such an extent that both of them accuse each other of being CIA agents and un-Islamic.

And this rift is bad news for those wishing to garner Muslim votes from the city -- an important component in any election. Naturally, trying to pour oil on troubled waters is the local Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Asim Azmi.

Says he, "We want all the Muslim sects to be united, and for this we are planning to form a committee in which five members of Barelvis and five members of Deobandis will be co-opted. This group will help in solving such problems in the near future."

The panel is expected to be formed in three days, but till then the divisions between the two groups will continue to fester. The Deobandis have in fact taken a rigid stance, insisting that they will not compromise till the killers of their two members are arrested.

Tell us what you think of this report