Iranian Cleric Urges Muslims Not to Remain Silent on Kashmir Killings
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ayatollah Abdul-Nabi Namazi, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, condemned the recent killings of Muslims in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, calling on the Islamic community not to keep silent on the “brutal massacre”.
“The brutal massacre of a number of Muslims of Kashmir puts the responsibility on countries, Islamic governments and nations, as well as international organizations, like the United Nations Security Council, to react to the crime,” Ayatollah Namazi told the Tasnim News Agency.
He further slammed self-proclaimed advocates of human rights for their failure to condemn the killings and act timely and properly.
The cleric underlined that those killed by the Indian Army in Kashmir were “human beings before being Muslims”.
Clashes in the restive region erupted on July 9, when thousands of protesters thronged streets in towns across the Kashmir valley to condemn the death of a popular secessionist leader at the hands of Indian security forces.
The violence has been among the worst in the region in years. Indian forces have shot dead at least 45 people since July 9, while thousands of others have been injured.
Protesters have also attacked police vehicles, security posts and other government property.
Security forces have been accused of using disproportionate force against civilians, a charge the state government has vowed to investigate.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and Indian-administered Kashmir has long been troubled, plagued by the aftershocks of an armed insurgency born in the late 1980s.