
(
Ahlul 
Bayt 
News 
Agency)  - There are at least 175 million Muslims in India. Twenty to twenty  five percent of these are believed to be Shiites, with the Twelver  Shiites comprising the majority. In the following interview, Mahan  Abedin makes enquiries to a leading Shiite figure in India, Seyed  Mohammad Asgari, about a wide range of issues affecting Indian Shiites,  in particular their relationship with the majority Sunni population. The  picture that emerges offers a striking contrast to the situation in  neighbouring Pakistan.
Seyed Mohammad Asgari was born in the northern  Indian town of Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh state) in 1955. He travelled to  Iran in 1974 to study at the prestigious Qom religious seminary, where  he obtained the rank of Hujjat al-Islam. He stayed in Iran until 1993.  Upon his return to India Asgari founded the Ahlul Bait [1] Foundation (Bonyad-e-Ahlul Bait), which he continues to manage.
The  Ahlul Bait Foundation specialises in the provision of religious and  vocational training to local Shiite Muslims and to a lesser extent the  wider community. The Foundation aspires to raise awareness of Shiite  teachings and culture in India. Moreover, Bonyad-e-Ahlul Bait undertakes  charitable activities on behalf of India's poor, in particular the poor  from the Shiite community.
Previously the Foundation produced two scholarly journals in Urdu: Peyghame Thaqalein and Tawhid,  both of which were translated into different languages. Owing to  financial difficulties the publications were discontinued but there are  plans to revive them in the near future.
This interview took  place at the Ahlul Bait Foundation's main office in the Jamia Nagar  district of New Delhi. The interview was conducted in Persian.
Mahan Abedin - How do you view Shiite-Sunni relations in India?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - It has varied at different stages. At present, relations can be  described as favourable. There have been no major reported incidents in  recent years. However, from time to time there is an outbreak of verbal  and rhetorical conflict. The main culprits are certain Sunni clerics,  particularly those with a Wahabi mindset. Some minor Shiite clerics also  foster misunderstanding by saying foolish things. But broadly speaking  the situation is calm and satisfactory at present.
Mahan Abedin - To what extent can we talk about Islamic “unity” in India?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  Despite the activities of extremists on both sides, there are many  Shiite and Sunni activists and scholars who are working hard on the  scene and behind the scenes to foster understanding and bring the  Islamic religions closer together. Their efforts have borne fruit in  recent years as evidenced by the lack of conflict. Increasingly Shiites  and Sunnis attend each other's conferences and meetings. This is a major  step toward greater understanding. But there is a long way to go before  we can talk about full unity in this country. In recent years  misunderstanding between Shiites and Sunnis has increased outside India  and it is difficult to ignore this reality.
Mahan Abedin - How do you explain the relative lack of sectarian violence in India?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - If you take a global perspective there are two countries in which  there is serious Shiite-Sunni conflict, namely Iraq and Pakistan. In  both cases the factors producing violence have less to do with religious  differences than with politics. These political antagonisms don't exist  in India. Take Iraq as an example; Shiite-Sunni conflict only broke out  after the American-led invasion and occupation. Prior to that there was  no open armed conflict between these two groups. At the time of British  imperial rule in India there was widespread conflict between Shiites  and Sunnis in this country, stemming either from the direct policies of  the occupying power or the indirect consequences of the same.
It is clear that Global Arrogance 
[2] [Editor's note: referring to America and her allies]  is neither for the Shiites nor the Sunnis, in fact they are the enemies  of both Islamic traditions. Take Pakistan as an example; before the  victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran there was no physical conflict  between Shiites and Sunnis. Misunderstanding was limited to verbal  spats. However, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution and Imam  Khomeini's insistence on unity amongst the two major Islamic religions,  there were many influential political and intellectual quarters in the  West who were alarmed by this development.
The arrogant powers  regard Islamic unity as inimical to their core interests in these  regions. Consequently, these powers went to work to subvert the plans of  the Islamic Revolution. It is around this time that we saw an explosion  of Wahabi literature in Pakistan that sought first and foremost to  misrepresent Shiite beliefs with a view to distorting the Sunnis'  perception of the Shiites. The then Government of Pakistan led by  General [Muhammad] Zia ul-Haq financed and armed many of these Wahabi  groups and this was the single most important cause of sectarian  violence. They went even further and attempted to physically displace  Shiites and re-populate their villages with Sunnis.
These factors  don't exist in India. The Indian Government neither favours the Shiites  nor the Sunnis. There are suspicions that elements of the Indian  Government, especially in the powerful bureaucracy, favour Hindu  extremists and nationalists, but that is a different matter. View the  fact that the Sunnis in India are a minority; that helps explain their  reluctance to undertake activities which might cause the ire of the  Indian state. In Pakistan Sunni extremists feel no such inhibition and  they can count on the support of the powerful military and security  establishment which is riddled with extremist elements.
Mahan Abedin - Isn't it in the interest of Hindu nationalists in India to foment Shiite-Sunni conflict?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  The bottom line is that no matter how much some elements in the Indian  establishment dislike the idea of Shiite-Sunni unity; at the end of the  day the Indian Government feels it has a minimum duty of care towards  all its citizens. India doesn't want bloodshed on the streets. The  situation is totally different in Pakistan where the extremists are  supported and provoked by elements in the establishment. The Pakistani  establishment in turn is supported by the arrogant powers, namely the  United States and the United Kingdom, both of which aspire to foment  Shiite-Sunni conflict everywhere as part of a broader strategy of  subverting the Islamic Revolution.
Mahan Abedin - You talk about so-called Wahabism in India. How extensive is this group's influence over Sunni Muslims in India?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  From a quantitative point of view, this is not a major group. However,  they are qualitatively impressive. This is due in large measure to  generous funding by countries where Wahabism is either the dominant  state ideology or otherwise a powerful political-social movement, namely  Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Moreover,  Wahabism is a relatively new movement, or better put a 
cult, and  wherever a new movement emerges there is a lot of activity associated  with that trend. Wahabis are very active in building mosques, madrassas  and other training institutes, and the sheer range and scale of this  activity inevitably generates influence.
Mahan Abedin -  When you talk about so-called Wahabism what and who exactly do you have  in mind? Are you talking about a specific group or a more general  religious and intellectual tendency?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  The people who are referred to as Wahabis in India are divided into  several groups, the members of which don't get along with each other.  The Ulama of the Deoband Seminary 
[3] are regarded as Wahabis, as are the Tablighi Jammat 
[4] movement. The Nadwatal Ulama Seminary 
[5] and the Ahleh Hadith movement 
[6] too are considered Wahabis. Moreover, the political Islamists of the Jammat Islami 
[7] are  also viewed by some as Wahabi in outlook. In the Indian Muslim  community the term “Wahabi” is ascribed to those elements who disapprove  of the prevailing Islamic practices in this country, such as the  mourning ceremonies for Imam Hossein 
[8] on the Day of Ashura 
[9].
Furthermore,  people who reject the tradition of emulation in Islamic religiosity and  scholasticism are often described as Wahabi. Note that the four main  schools of Sunnism follow the teachings of specific great scholars. The  Wahabis effectively reject the four schools. In India 90 percent of  Sunni Muslims follow the Hanafi School of jurisprudence. The Ulama of  Dar Ul-Uloom Deoband, the Tablighi Jammat, the Nadwatal Ulama and the  Jammat Islami all follow the Hanafi School. The only dissenting group is  the Ahleh Hadith. On that basis it is possible to refer to the Ahleh  Hadith as the only true and pure Wahabi movement in India.
Mahan Abedin  - There is some evidence that the senior Ulama of the Deoband Seminary  are distancing themselves from some of the more extremist beliefs and  practices associated with that tradition. In view of this evidence, is  there any interaction between Shiite groups and the Deoband Seminary?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari - There is no organisational engagement. However, there are individual Shiites who maintain dialogue with the Deoband Seminary.
Mahan Abedin - Do you believe there has been reform at the Deoband Seminary?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  No, I don't believe there has been organisational or any kind of  root-and- branch reform. There may be individuals who express dissenting  views but it doesn't go beyond that. In any case the Deoband School no  longer constitutes a unified and coherent institution. It has been split  into at least two major schools since the early 1980s. Moreover, there  have been additional splits within these two schools.
Mahan Abedin - How would you explain the state of Shiite-Barelvi [10] relations?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - Of course the Barelvis in India, like their brethren in Pakistan,  look upon Shiites with a measure of disapproval and suspicion. But owing  to their respect for the Ahlul Bait the Barelvis are closer to Shiites  than the other Sunni groups. For example, on the Day of Ashura in Delhi  most of the processions mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hossein are  organised by the Barelvis. Of course, they don't mourn the martyrdom of  Imam Hossein with the same passion and fanfare as the Shiites, but this  gesture inevitably creates proximity between Shiites and Barelvis, at  least from the Shiites' point of view.
Mahan Abedin - To what extent does the Indian Government interfere in internal Muslim affairs?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  There are elements within the system, if not the Government, who are  not in principle opposed to fomenting serious divisions amongst the  Muslims. There are people in India who don't like the idea of too much  harmony in the Muslim community. But as I said earlier the Government as  a whole is at pains to prevent bloodshed on the streets. At the same  time the Government doesn't want the Muslim community to become strong.  Naturally they would take measures to keep the Muslims weak and divided,  but not to the point of fomenting violence, which could undermine  India's international image. But I must stress I am talking generally  here. I have no evidence nor can I point to specific issues or events.
Mahan Abedin - To what extent have Shiites been affected by violence perpetrated by Hindu extremists?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - Shiites have not played a major role in any of the large scale  Hindu-Muslim riots of recent years. Shiites have never instigated any of  these riots nor have they played a significant role in the proceedings  or the aftermath. Moreover, I can't think of a single case where Hindus  have attacked the mourning processions for Imam Hossein on the Day of  Ashura. On the contrary there are Hindus who are deeply affected by the  Ashura narrative and feel a close bond to Imam Hossein. There is even a  Hindu sect called Hosseini Brahman, which has developed its own  idiosyncratic historical narrative on Ashura, the accuracy of which is  not the subject of debate here.
Anyway, the point I am making is  that the Shiites in India never initiate inter-religious violence.  However, when these large scale riots break out the Hindu extremist mobs  don't exactly go to great lengths to differentiate between Shiites and  Sunnis. Their immediate objective is to kill as many Muslims as  possible.
Mahan Abedin - What is the extent of Iran's influence over Indian Shiite Muslims?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - Naturally Indian Shiites, as well as many Indian Sunnis, were  delighted at the establishment of an Islamic Government in Iran in 1979.  Muslims in general were emboldened by Iran's raising of the Islamic  banner across the world. As far as Indian Shiites are concerned, for the  past thirty years they have been delighted by Iranian successes and  conversely depressed by Iranian setbacks. If there is disturbance in  Iran then the Shiites in India become emotionally and psychologically  distressed.
The vast majority of Indian Shiite Muslims follow two Iranian Marjaa Taqlid [11]  (Sources of Emulation). The majority follow Grand Ayatollah [Seyed Ali]  Sistani, who is based in Iraq but is of Iranian origin. Most of the  rest follow Grand Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the leader of the  Islamic Revolution. However, the great majority of Indian Shiites regard  Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamanei as a political leader, even if they don't  follow him in a Taqlid (Emulation) context.
Mahan Abedin - Who is your Marjaa Taqlid?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - I follow Grand Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. I have personally known  him since before the victory of the Islamic Revolution. I regard him as  unequalled in honesty and commitment and in possession of the deepest  religious, scientific and political knowledge.
Mahan Abedin - To what extent are Indian Muslims, in particular Shiites, supportive of the Islamic Republic of Iran?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari -  Religious Shiites universally support the Islamic Republic. This  support is extensive and has a lot of conviction behind it. For example,  if the leader of the Islamic Revolution Grand Ayatollah Seyed Ali  Khamenei, issues a command then religious Shiites feel duty bound to  follow.
Mahan Abedin - Do Indian Shiites view the Kashmir conflict differently to Indian Sunnis?
Seyed Mohammad Asgari  - Initially the Shiites had the same aspirations about Kashmir as the  Sunnis. But when the sectarian and political problems in Pakistan  escalated from the mid 1990s onwards some Shiites reached the conclusion  that Kashmir might suffer even worse if it was in Pakistani hands. This  perception is reinforced by a steady stream of stories painting a bleak  and difficult life for many Shiite residents in Pakistani-held Kashmir.  However, I must stress that there are differences of opinion in the  Shiite community and there are many Shiites who dissent from this view.  In any case, Shiites are not happy with the present situation in Kashmir  either. Clearly India has a problem in Kashmir and there is a  widespread feeling that injustices are being inflicted on the Muslim  population in Indian-held Kashmir.