You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Olde Tyme Religion
Muslim 'Rage Boy' says he's really angry
2007-07-05
Really.
SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - He has become the face of Muslim fury: an angry young man whose bushy beard and fiery-eyed scowl take centre stage at nearly every pro-Islamic demonstration in Indian Kashmir. Shakeel Bhat, 31, has been displaying his teeth and shaking his fist over anything from Salman Rushdie's knighthood to Danish cartoons, becoming a photographers' favourite and earning himself the nickname "Rage Boy" in online columns and blogs. One American columnist has dismissed him as a "professional Muslim protester," while other bloggers have also held him up for ridicule as a person who appears to be very easily enraged about anything.

But Bhat, the man behind the angry face, said he could take any kind of criticism in his stride. "Whatever I do, I do for Allah and the Prophet Mohammed," said Bhat, who admits to having been an armed militant between 1991 and 1994 with a pro-Pakistan rebel group. "I can't resist injustice. I protest for all the oppressed Muslims in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan," he told AFP.

Bhat dropped out of school in his early teens, and quickly found his way into the armed struggle against New Delhi's disputed hold over part of the scenic Himalayan region. The nearly 18-year-old conflict has left at least 42,000 people dead, nearly a third of them civilians. After escaping scores of police raids, Bhat finally spent three years behind bars -- a lucky escape from the Indian army's "catch and kill" tactics of the 1990s.

While he no longer carries a weapon, Bhat said he was still fuming about the Indian army's often suffocating presence in Kashmir -- where there is one soldier for every four civilians -- and what he sees as a wider international conspiracy against Muslims. "If my photographs get published across the world, it is because my emotions are real and my looks are not deceptive. The photos show the anger inside," said the full-time demonstrator, who when off the street looks distincly modest and a little shy. Bhat has been detained more than 300 times since he first took to the streets of Srinagar in late 1997. He even travels to other parts of the picturesque Kashmir valley to vent his Islamist anger.

"Police have registered 40 cases against me for taking part in the protests and I have to shuttle from one court to another to defend myself. I've been in almost every police station," he laughed, clutching a plastic bag full of court papers. Although not a Shiite Muslim, he says his inspiration is Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
?
"I sometimes leave my home and return days later after being in police lock-ups," said Bhat, whose family run a handicrafts business. "My family members are very supportive. They know I am not doing anything wrong. I am doing what every Muslims needs to do."

Apart from drawing ridicule from bloggers, Bhat has even inspired one American neoconservative website to push "Rage Boy" merchandise -- including T-shirts, beer mugs, mouse pads. "I don't believe this! I have no knowledge about all this. Why do they do it?" demanded Bhat, who says he has no idea how to use a computer and the Internet.
C'mon, Shakeel. You have Priceline bookmarked, you crazy cat.
Bhat also shrugged off his rather unflattering "Rage Boy" nickname. "I don't need any titles. I am a simple Muslim. Yes, I get enraged if someone, somewhere makes derogatory remarks about our religion or Prophet," he said. "The Koran is my driving force. I will come out on streets as long as Muslims are victims of oppression, even if it leads to my death."
Posted by:Seafarious

#26  Remember as the camera Panned down the line the last folks had big wrenches and baseball bats?

My point entirely.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-07-05 23:54  

#25  Go Ahead ... Make My Day
Posted by: doc   2007-07-05 22:06  

#24  "Bhat, whose family run a handicrafts business. 'My family members are very supportive.'" ... "'anger inside,' said the full-time demonstrator, who when off the street, looks ... a little shy.'"

Hmmmmm - lessee.

Doesn't work at something productive - check.

Supported by Sponges off Mommy and Daddy - check.

Consistantly angry dork with no social skills - check.

Islamic Rage Boy is a Leftard!

Gee, I didn't know they had basements in India.... :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-07-05 20:38  

#23  Anyone else immediately picture that scene out of "Airplane!" where they all line up to slap the hysterical woman?

Remember as the camera Panned down the line the last folks had big wrenches and baseball bats?
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2007-07-05 19:36  

#22  #10: "I'd like to set him on fire and kick him in the balls."

What makes you think he has any, JM honey?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-07-05 17:58  

#21  "I sometimes leave my home and return days later after being in police lock-ups," said Bhat, whose family run a handicrafts business.

Handicrafts? Sure. The kind that explode.
Posted by: Intrinsicpilot   2007-07-05 17:56  

#20  That seems rather a lot of weaponry for a home-grown insurgency. Or even a non-home-grown low level war of conquest.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-07-05 17:54  

#19  The nearly 18-year-old conflict has left at least 42,000 people dead, nearly a third of them civilians.

This is from an interview with Gary Saxena, the Governor of J+K state, responding to Perv

Q. He also claims that more then 70,000 people have been killed in Kashmir.

A. I do not know who gave him those figures. According to statistics that were made available to me, 13,600 people lost their lives in the last 14 years. Of these 10,000 were killed/massacred by terrorists in various incidents of violence. Rest 3,600 lost their lives in crossfire between the security forces and the terrorists. I am telling you these figures because each body was identified.

I must tell you that the security forces lost 3,600 personnel and killed over 16,700 terrorists since 1989. Seventy per cent of these were foreigners.

Q. What kinds of arms and ammunition have been seized during the operations?

A. The Indian Army and paramilitary forces have seized over 25,000 Kalashnikovs, 325 sniper rifles, 1,000 machines guns, 1,800 rocket propelled grenade launchers, 4,000 rocket launchers, 10,000 land mines, 50,000 hand grenades, 30 tonnes of explosives, 7.5 tonnes of RDX, 10,000 revolver pistols and 4,000 wireless sets.

This speaks about the kind of assistance terrorists groups have been getting from Inter Services Intelligence.

While he no longer carries a weapon, Bhat said he was still fuming about the Indian army's often suffocating presence in Kashmir -- where there is one soldier for every four civilians -

BS.
There are 340,000 Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. Only 80,000 troops are involved in Counterinsurgency duty.
About 160,000 are assigned to the borders where they defend against several Pak armored corps and the Chinese PLA forces as well as infiltration across the LOC.
Another 100,000 sustain the logistics train to the Himalaya.
So the J+K State Police actually outnumber the Indian army COIN troops.
"Suffocating" ? Only to the Pak divisions waiting across the LOC.
Posted by: John Frum   2007-07-05 17:47  

#18  I'd like to get him so angry he sets himself on fire, and THEN we line up to kick him in the balls.

Anyone else immediately picture that scene out of "Airplane!" where they all line up to slap the hysterical woman?
Posted by: Zenster   2007-07-05 13:45  

#17   No, a fitting last public appearance for him would be when his head explodes, eyeballs, teeth & beard going in all directions.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2007-07-05 12:35  

#16  I'd like to get him so angry he sets himself on fire, and THEN we line up to kick him in the balls.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan   2007-07-05 11:26  

#15  I'd like to set him on fire and kick him in the balls.

Awesome! We need more public spirited folk like JerseyMike.
Posted by: Excalibur   2007-07-05 10:36  

#14  "Rage Boy" is the 'Poster Boy" for islam. Someone should clean out his diaper, i.e. remove him from it permanently.
Posted by: JohnQC   2007-07-05 10:33  

#13  He is truly the typical muzzie male. Uneducated, no skills and mad at the world for not handing itself to him on a silver platter.
Gee... he sounds like a liberal.
Posted by: DarthVader   2007-07-05 09:34  

#12  My mommy didn't let me wear a burka
Posted by: Shakeel Bhat   2007-07-05 09:13  

#11  I will come out on streets as long as Muslims are victims of oppression, even if it leads to my death.

Because I have a 6th or 7th grade education and no work skills, so what else is there to do?
Posted by: lotp   2007-07-05 09:03  

#10  I'd like to set him on fire and kick him in the balls.
Posted by: JerseyMike   2007-07-05 08:01  

#9  Someone should kidnap him and keep teasing him for a few years.

It would be so amusing to see him on film.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan   2007-07-05 07:36  

#8  Simple, cretin, moron, idiot, imbecile - take you pick.
Posted by: SR-71   2007-07-05 06:39  

#7  I am a simple Muslim.

Aren't they all?
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2007-07-05 06:00  

#6  "Rage Boy",
a lucky escape from the Indian army's "catch and kill" tactics of the 1990s.

lucky for him but... but thanks India for the model, perhaps one day...
Posted by: RD   2007-07-05 05:39  

#5  He's really going to be enraged when the Imam tells him there aren't any hadiths dealing with licensing , trademarks and copyrights...
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)   2007-07-05 02:37  

#4  Hindus have lived in Kashmir for thousands of years. During the present conflict, over 400,000 Hindus had to escape from their own homeland. I don't suppose "Rage Boy" sees anything wrong with that.
Posted by: McZoid   2007-07-05 02:06  

#3  So lemme get this straight Rage Boy. Muzzies are "oppressed" when someone says anything about their religion that you don't like?

I guess the millions of Christians, around the world, that you sons of bitches routinely persecute, behead, mutilate, imprison, torture, etc, don't count as oppression.

Ah hell with it, I was gonna say more, but go F*ck yourself muzzies. There. Are you angry now?
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2007-07-05 01:31  

#2  I will come out on streets as long as Muslims are victims of oppression, even if it leads to my death.

Cool beans. I'll leave it up to our Marines to arrange the meeting.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-07-05 00:36  

#1  soon he'll be a used car lot barker: "Islamic Rage Boy's. He's CRAZY! It's all GOTTA GO!"
Posted by: Frank G   2007-07-05 00:36  

00:00