Srinagar Mufti Bashir-ud-din, the government-appointed Grand Mufti who heads the Islamic Shariah court, has imposed a lifetime ban on the entry of a pastor and three other missionaries into the state. The Shariah court said they have been found “guilty” of converting Kashmiri Muslims to Christianity.
The state government is, however, silent on the legality of the Shariah court. “I have to check whether the Shariah court can impose ban on entry of missionaries,” said Law Secretary Ghulam Hassan Tantray.
Deputy Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam said pastor C M Khanna of the All Saints’ Church, Ghayoor Maseeh, foreign missionary Jim Borst, and woman missionary Chandrakanta have been found guilty of luring Muslims of Kashmir, especially young boys and girls, towards Christianity. He said the entire proceeding of the investigation is on record with the Shariah court.
