From Tehran to Srinagar: Why events in the Muslim world often spark protests in Kashmir

Srinagar: The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has triggered massive protests in several parts of Kashmir, once again underlining a long-standing pattern in the Valley where developments in the Muslim world frequently spill onto the streets.

Large crowds took to the streets earlier this week in Shia-dominated areas of Srinagar, Budgam and Bandipora raising slogans against the United States and Israel and expressing solidarity with Iran’s leadership.

The demonstrations are the latest reminder of how geopolitical events in distant parts of the Muslim world often resonate strongly in Kashmir.

Such reactions are not new. For decades, the Valley has witnessed protests over developments involving Muslim countries or communities—from conflicts in Palestine to wars in Iraq and Syria.

Perhaps the most controversial example came in 2011 when hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani offered funeral prayers in absentia for Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda chief killed by US forces in Pakistan. The “gaibana namaz-e-janaza” was held in Srinagar and echoed in several mosques across the Valley, highlighting how events far beyond Kashmir’s borders could trigger political and religious mobilisation locally.

More recently, protests erupted in parts of Kashmir and Ladakh in 2020 following the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad, particularly in Shia-majority pockets.

Analysts say the Valley’s strong reactions to such developments are rooted in a mix of historical links, religious identity and political sentiment.

For centuries, historians say, Kashmir maintained deep cultural connections with Iran and Central Asia. Persian served as the language of administration and scholarship in the region, leaving a lasting imprint on the Valley’s literature, art and religious traditions, they said.

Shia communities that developed in parts of central Kashmir also maintained close theological and cultural ties with Iran.

“These reactions are largely emotional because people here feel a deep religious and historical connection with Iran and other parts of the Muslim world,” said Aga Syed Yosuf, a political leader from Budgam. “Whenever something significant happens there, people in Kashmir see it not just as an international issue but as something that concerns the wider Muslim community.”

Observers say such protests are also shaped by the Valley’s own political history. For decades, the Kashmir conflict has been framed by many local actors within a broader narrative of Muslim political struggles worldwide, making global events resonate strongly with sections of the population.

As a result, demonstrations linked to international Muslim causes have often followed a familiar pattern in the Valley—large gatherings after Friday prayers, rallies and slogans condemning Western powers or Israel.

The latest protests over developments in Iran, analysts say, underline how events unfolding thousands of kilometres away can still ignite strong emotions in Kashmir, reflecting a continuing sense of religious and political solidarity with the wider Muslim world.