‘Imam of peace’ tells Pakistan to ‘be honest’ about Kashmir belonging to India

An Islamic scholar has weighed in on the Kashmir issue with a tweet telling Pakistan to “be honest” and admit that the divided region never belonged to Islamabad.

Australian Imam Mohamad Tawhidi tweeted that “both Pakistan and Kashmir belong to India,” adding, “Muslims converting from Hinduism to Islam doesn’t change the fact that the entire region is Hindu Land.” 

Tawhidi, who calls himself the “imam of peace,” said that India is older than both Islam and Pakistan, and called on Pakistan to “be honest.” 

Tawhidi’s comments were met with mixed reaction on social media. Many applauded his take and thanked him for siding with India, while others were enraged by his claims, saying, “land cannot belong to a religion.” 

Tensions between India and Pakistan have been heightened since New Delhi revoked a constitutional provision that gave the Indian-administered region of Kashmir and Jammu a level of autonomy last week. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the move was meant to integrate Kashmir with the rest of India and bring stability and investment to the area. 

Kashmir and Jammu will now be federally controlled, and India has sent troops there to prevent potential terrorist attacks and violence. Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic relations with India in response, suspending trade and train links. 

The divided Kashmir region has been a source of contention between India and Pakistan since partition in 1947. Pakistan administers the Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan areas of Kashmir. 

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