Ghulam Rasool Noori

Education

Noori is highly educated scholar from Kashmir valley. Noorie preliminary studied under the guidance of his father who was known religious scholar of his time. After then he went to Banaras India for higher studies where he studied in Jawadia Arabic College under the guidance of Ayatollah Syed Zafrul Hasan Rizvi. Noori is Fazil from Allahabad Board UP India and is Fakhr-ul-afazil from Jawadia Arabic College Banaras UP India. He has also received the degree of MA from Banaras Hindu University He subsequently went to Iran for the studies of Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic theology, where he studied under the guidance of famous scholars of that time Aaqa Aatimadi, Aaqa Wijdani and Aaqa Payane.

Positions

Noori is chairman and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Ahl-e-Bait Foundation. He is also the patron of Idara Nashri Uloom Ahlulbait Kashmir and was ex-vice principal of Jamia Elmia Imam Reza Srinagar.

Works

Noori is known for his workings around Kashmir valley. From 1990 when he returned from Qum, He organized Islamic educational classes for the common people, young and old and preached them about Shia religion. Before this in Kashmir valley only marsia were read by the zakirans in such congregations, then he organized (majlis Aza) and Islamic educational classes in different places in the valley and through these majalises and classes he preached about the Battle of Karbala and its significance and duties of young generation. For this he organized (ashra majalis ) Moharram congregations in different places in Kashmir with the assistance of his friends. Before this time no such majlises (congregations) were celebrated In Kashmir. At first he organized these majlis (congregations) in small rooms at different places where only 10-20 youngsters used to come and he preached them Islamic religion. Besides he assisted other Islamic organizations in this field. He also participated in educational conferences of different colleges as representative of Shia community.

International tours

Noori has travelled extensively across the globe to deliver the lectures on Moharram. In 2014,2105 as well as in 2016, he was invited to Dubai by Indian Diaspora, where he gave a prolific speech on Brotherhood, Justice and Humanity. In 2012 Noorie was invited to Bangkok where he delivered speech during the month of moharram.

Book releases

He presided the release function of book The Creation No Evolution authored by Dr. Rouf Hussain Beig held at College of Education, Srinagar on 20 August 2006. Noted economist and dean Social Sciences, Kashmir University Professor Nisar Ali released the book, Professor Rehman Rahi and poet Dr. Shabib Rizvi were also present on the occasion.

Unity and Brotherhood

Hujjatul Islam Noorie promotes and backs unity among Muslim ummah. He has participated in different conferences organized by different Islamic school of thoughts that propagate unity within the Muslims. Besides that he has also delivered lectures and messages to promote unity and brotherhood within the Islamic community. He stresses that the leaders of each sub community within the Islamic ummah should play the pivotal role in order to promote this value. In one of his speech he made a remarks saying that "when leaders both religious and political are united entire nation is united” which show his emphasize on the role of the people in power to achieve this goal. In an interview he said that,

This remark points out that the leaders of community according to Noori’s point of view have the duty to fend off any outside threat that might lead to a discord within the Islamic society. In other sense he also made them know that one of the important characteristics of a leader is to have a vast knowledge of the threats that submerge from within or outside the community itself.

In several occasions he also defused tension that had arose within the Islamic ummah especially in Kashmir with the speech that he has made publicly. For example, when there was a popular tendency within the Kashmiri themselves to interpret the death sentence upon Saddam Hussein to be motivated by sectarian’s motive, he made a remark that the judgment should be viewed from the human rights and judiciary’s perspective instead of the previous one, thus redirecting them towards the real issue and in the same time leave no space for sectarian interpretation. His speech has been quoted by The Hindu, which wrote,

Ban on Muharram Procession

Hujjatul Islam Noorie has always advocated free movement of azadari processions [ moharram processions] all over the globe especially in the valley of Kashmir. The government of jammu and Kashmir has banned 8th and 10th Muharram processions in Srinagar after the eruption of militancy in 1989. Prior to ban, the 8th Muharram procession used to be taken out from Shaheed Gunj and would culminate at Dalgate while 10th Muharram procession was taken out from Abi- Guzar to Imam Bara Zadibal.

Following the ban in 1989 Shia leadership and community continued to agitate peacefully and annually offered mass arrests during period of Muharram. Noori has for all time opposed the ban on moharram processions in Kashmir which he has described as infringement of right to freedom of religion. Noori in an interview given to The Citizen he said that

"It is extremely sad that when whole world promotes freedom of religion, our state Government bans the important religious procession, it is just a political game and nothing else"

Noori has accused the state government of “divide and rule politics" over moharram processions