There is nothing veiled about the latest threat issued by the fringe underground group, the Lashkar-e-Jabbar. On September 13, it declared that Muslim women not wearing burqas would be shot at. Tailor shops are flooded with orders and there is a mad rush to buy readymade outfits that fit the 'head-to-toe' dress code. The Jabbar has set a 24-hour deadline before it shoots at those seen without veils.
Helping their cause has been the shocking endorsement given to the Islamic dress code by Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who is also a part of the Hurriyat Conference. Says Asmat Ara, a college lecturer: "When major militants like the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen opposed the Jabbar move, we heaved a sigh of relief, dismissing the threats. However with Geelani sahib endorsing the Jabbar code, we really feel insecure and have no other option." Support from a mainstream politician like Geelani has served to lend credibility to a fringe fundamentalist group of whom neither the police, the intelligence agencies nor other militant groups have a clue.
Incidentally, Geelani's position is at variance with that of the Hurriyat Conference which has strongly condemned the forceful imposition of any dress code. In fact, all major separatist groups in the Valley have urged women to defy the code; which makes Geelani's support even stranger. Only extremist groups like the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of the Faith) and the Jamiatul Mujahideen have supported it.
Geelani claims that the Quran verse on the use of force for adhering to Islamic principles has been wrongly interpreted. "The verse was meant for non-Muslims and one can't force them to obey Islamic principles. But Muslim women should not come out of their homes without wearing a burqa. See-through dresses should be banned," he says. When reminded of the threats Jabbar employed to enforce its diktat, Geelani said: "The boys should convince people through persuasion about the utility of the purdah in Islamic society, not resort to violence. It's a shame Muslims have to be forced to follow Islam."
The Jabbar first surfaced with a statement directing Kashmiri women to strictly abide by the Islamic dress code or face the consequences. It was followed a few days later by an acid attack on two women not wearing burqas, one of whom was hospitalised. Jabbar then set a September 1 deadline for the dress code to be followed. This was later extended by 10 days.
Meanwhile, encouraged by Geelani's support to their burqa campaign, Jabbar a day later issued fresh "instructions" asking public transporters to earmark separate seats for women. They also urged Hindu women to wear bindis and "Sikh sisters to cover their heads with saffron dupattas".
Acid attacks taught women in the Valley not to take the threats lightly. The latest injunction only helps fear take stronger hold in the Valley.