Ashura processions in
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
mark the
Day of Ashura commemorating the death of
Husayn ibn Ali
Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...
in the
Battle of Karbala.
However major mourning processions have been banned by the
Government of Jammu and Kashmir
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the governing authority of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its two divisions and 20 districts.
Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory in India under the terms of Article 239A (wh ...
since the 1990s when there was a rise in
insurgency in the state.
Smaller processions are permitted in some Shia-pockets of the state, including in the districts of
Baramulla,
Kulgam,
Leh
Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...
and
Kargil
Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Ja ...
. However, in the state capital of
Srinagar
Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...
, processions are not allowed along the traditional route–that begins at Abi Guzar, passes through Maisuma, and ends at Zadibal–and the occasion is often marred by clashes between the mourners and the police.
[ ]Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
leaders in the state, such as Mohammad Abbas Ansari
Mohammad Abbas Ansari (Urdu: محمد عباس انصاری) (17 August 1936 – 25 October 2022) was a political leader and a well known Shia Muslim scholar, reformer, preacher and cleric from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. He was know ...
, complain that the restrictions are discriminatory and impinge of their freedom of religion
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Islam in Jammu and Kashmir