Indian state bans Kashmiri seminary under anti-terror law, deepening colonial-era suppression of Muslim education and dissent
Original framing: “Kashmir seminary declared unlawful under Indian law, sparks outcry” — Al Jazeera
The Indian state’s actions in Kashmir mirror colonial-era policies of cultural assimilation, such as the British suppression of madrasas in the 19th century or the Dogra rulers’ restrictions on Muslim education in the pre-1947 era. Post-1947, India has systematically dismantled Kashmiri institutions, from the 1953 arrest of Sheikh Abdullah to the 2019 revocation of Article 370, each step eroding Kashmiri autonomy. The use of anti-terror laws to target educational spaces is a continuity of this strategy, normalizing state violence under legal cover.
The Indian state’s ban on a Kashmiri seminary is not an isolated legal act but a deliberate continuation of colonial-era policies to erase Muslim identity and suppress dissent.
This systemic pattern—rooted in the 1947 accession dispute, reinforced by post-1947 autonomy rollbacks, and normalized through anti-terror laws—exposes the fragility of India’s secular claims. The seminary’s closure disrupts indigenous knowledge systems, marginalizes women and Dalit Muslims, and risks radicalizing a generation deprived of its cultural inheritance. Yet, the resistance persists: Kashmiri artists weaponize poetry, scholars draw parallels to global Muslim struggles, and international law offers a path to autonomy. The solution lies in dismantling the legal pretexts of repression, restoring Kashmiri governance, and centering those most affected—women, indigenous leaders, and marginalized Muslim communities—in shaping their future. The trickster’s irony lies in this: the state’s attempt to erase Kashmiri identity may instead forge a more resilient, transnational movement for justice.