Outrage across J&K as Sheikh-ul-Alam’s (RA) chapter removed from Class IX textbook in Kashmir

19 December 2024

By: Jahangir Sofi

Srinagar: Kashmir region’s mainstream parties and their leaders have hit out at the government on the removal of a chapter on the revered Sufi Saint, Sheikh Noor-U-Din Wali (RA) from one of the class 9 textbooks.

The move has ignited widespread condemnation across political and social circles in the region.

Sajad Lone, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) and MLA from Handwara, termed the move “cultural terrorism” and an “assault on our culture and ethos.”

Highlighting the deep reverence in which Sheikh Noor-U-Din Wali, also known as Sheikh-ul-Alam, is held by Kashmiris, Lone said, “This is pure cultural terrorism. It is an assault on our shared culture and ethos.”

Taking to the social media platform, X, Lone wrote, “BOSE has removed a chapter based on the saintly life of the greatly revered saint of Kashmir, Sheikh Noor -U- Din Wali, from text books of class 9. We have all revered him and people irrespective of religion hold him in highest esteem.”

He added, “More than anytime in the past, the current times are smudged with violence, greed and hatred. In these times our great Saint is a beacon of hope and role model for emulation. And for the BOSE removers — Our great Saint and his Saintly ways were etched in our hearts and minds much before BOSE came into existence.”

The Sufi saint, a symbol of Kashmir’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage, is revered by both Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits. The shrine in Charar-e-Sharief, was razed to the ground along with many houses in the area during the 1995 siege. The shrine was later rebuilt.

Former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu too criticised the move, stating that it was a new ‘accomplishment’ by the new NC Government.

CPI (M) leader and MLA M Y Tarigami also expressed his dismay, urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Tarigami posted, “It is deeply troubling that an entire chapter on the revered Sufi saint Sheikh-ul-Alam has been dropped from the Class IX textbook. This blue-pencilling, carried out prior to the Assembly polls, is unacceptable to a society rooted in rich Sufi traditions. I urge Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah to intervene and ensure that this crucial chapter is reinstated, thereby preserving and honoring our rich cultural and Sufi heritage.”

Meanwhile, responding to Tarigami’s tweet on X, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assured about the chapter’s inclusion. “I assure @tarigami Sb that there will be no deletion of the chapter. The matter has already been taken up by @sakinaitoo sahiba as soon as this was brought to the attention of the government,” Abdullah wrote on X.

National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq also clarified the issue, stating that the chapter would not be removed from textbooks. “The Education Minister has directed the Principal Secretary to address and rectify the issue found in the PDF version of the textbook,” Sadiq told reporters.

The controversy has sparked widespread debate about the preservation of Kashmir’s cultural and spiritual identity, with political leaders, educators, and civil society expressing concern over the deletion of a chapter on Sheikh Noor-U-Din Wali (RA).

—(KNO)