Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR, Sept 14:Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Basheeruddin Ahmed has urged American citizens to leave the valley in view of growing resentment against an amateurish American-made video denouncing Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
“I request American citizens to leave the valley immediately for their safety, as anger against their country is growing among Muslims,” the Mufti, who heads a government recognised Islamic court, said over phone from his residence.
The trailer of the film, according to the New York times, was uploaded by a 52-year old Israeli-American real estate developer in California. He said he had raised $5 million from 100 Jewish donors to make the film.
The video gained international attention when a Florida pastor began promoting it along with his own proclamation of Sept. 11 as “International Judge Muhammad Day”, the NYT reported.
Although people in Muslim-majority Kashmir, otherwise known to protest against any act of blasphemy or desecration of Islam in any corner of the world, have remained calm, separatists have appealed to people to take out peaceful protests after the Friday prayers.
Mufti Basheeruddin said, “People in Kashmir are emotional about Islam and Prophet Muhammad, I appeal that they should remain calm.”
More than a dozen people died in Kashmir in September 2010, when Iran-based Press TV reported about the burning of the Quran by a pastor in the United states.
The state authorties have asked New Delhi to ban the controversial trailer on the internet, fearing that the situation could escalate in the Himalayan region, where a 23-year-old armed conflict is receding, but analysts say peace is fragile.
Police say they have no idea how many Americans are present in the valley right now.
