How Self-Proclaimed Godmen Betray Our Trust- The Fake Peer Baba

 Ikkz Ikbal ✉

He was believed to be a spiritual healer. People had a blind faith in him, even though he was not in his senses. He had never had a bath. Ateeqa Begum, 70 was his regular visitor. And then something terrible happened. A story of darkness that shrouded the people’s hearts in hopelessness.

The recent tragedy that unfolded in Chogal area of Handwara in North Kashmir has once again left people in mourning and ripped open the wounds of grieving community. A self-proclaimed Godman, Ghulam Rasool, known ominously as “Lasse Båb” killed the women in a senseless act with axe and left her children and family in mourning and the society in deep shock. Leaving behind a trail of sorrow and bewilderment.

This today’s tragedy is not an isolated event, but a symptom of a serious menace plaguing our society. As I reflect on this heartbreaking tragedy, there is a sense of anger and frustration. I cried for a while but then held my pen back thinking that by writing the fingers will swallow, but by not writing the eyes will cry blood. 

What has happened to our once simple and devout nation? Where has our pursuit of false prophets and charlatans led us astray? Where have we lost our path? And who’s accountable for all this mess?

From the standpoint of pandemonium in Kashmir, the rise of these “Self-Proclaimed” godmen, spiritual healers and miracle-workers has cast a deep dark shadow over the pure fabric of our society. 

These impostors' prey on the vulnerable. There is a high demand of such self-proclaimed Godmen in our society, where every second person is suffering from some or the other problem. They exploit their fears and insecurities for personal gain. With honeyed words and false promises, they entice unwary victims into their web of deceit, waving a tangled tapestry of lies and deception.

You can see these lie sellers and purveyors in every corner of our valley, preying on the desperate and underprivileged. They offer false hope in exchange of your hard-earned money, promising miracles and supernatural intervention when none exists. Behind their facade of pious mask lies a heart blackened by greed and deception, a heart that knows no compassion and empathy.

But the damage done by these self-proclaimed charlatans extends far beyond just financial exploitation. Believe me, these people are not only misleading the people, but play with their emotions, they are not only claiming their money but also creating more difficulties in their lives. Believe me, these self-proclaimed Godmen have destroyed millions of houses in our society and killed hundreds of people. They sow discord and division in our communities, eroding the bond of trust and solidarity that binds us together. They sow seeds of doubt and confusion, diverting the faithful from the path of righteousness.

It is incumbent upon us, as a society and as a culture, to rise up against this scourge of spiritual charlatanism. We must arm ourselves with knowledge and judgement, rejecting these false proclaimers and embracing the authentic teachings of our faith. It is necessary to stay away from such shops of ignorance and save others too. Our religious scholars should guide the people who go to bogus pharaohs, fakirs, spiritual healers and sorcerers and help them to choose the right path. They must take a stand against these imposters and guide their congregations back to the genuine path of righteousness.

Furthermore, we must demand that our government enact the serious laws to protect the innocent from these scammers’ predatory practices. Legal measures must be implemented to hold them accountable for their crimes and ensure that they receive justice for the harm they have caused. In the face of darkness, we must be beacons of light, illuminating the truth and casting out the shadows of ignorance and superstitions. Let us band together to stem the flow of deception and rescue our nation’s soul from the grips of spiritual charlatans. Only then can we hope to heal our society’s wounds and usher in a new age of enlightenment and morality.

Written by Ikkz Ikbal, He holds a PG in Biotechnology and is an Administrator at Maryam Memorial Institute Pandithpora Qaziabad. He tweets @IkkzIkbal