War in Mideast spurs Muslims in Indian-controlled Kashmir to collect donations for Iran

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SRINAGAR, India (AP) — More than a thousand miles from the Iran war, Muslim residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir are collecting donations for Iranians: gold, cash, even utensils and livestock.

Community leaders and elders have set up stalls in this part of the disputed Himalayan region, which is overwhelmingly Muslim and split between India and Pakistan but coveted in its entirety by both. Young volunteers go door-to-door to collect contributions.

Women are donating their gold jewelry, bangles and earrings. Many households have offered their traditional copperware or livestock, and children have brought in their savings — some carrying piggy banks to collection points.

Some wealthier residents are sending cash to the Iranian Embassy’s relief account in New Delhi, set up earlier this month.

“My heart is with Iran, and I am offering my only pair of gold earrings,” said Shazia Batool, a young girl. “Sending help is the least we can do.”

Donations surged on Saturday, when Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Maqsood Ali, a volunteer, said that instead of focusing on just “feasts and family gatherings,” many turned the holiday into “something noble.”

Videos circulating on social media show Kashmir residents describing how they see helping Iranians as both a humanitarian and religious duty. The Iranian Embassy, in a social media post, thanked the people of Kashmir for their solidarity.

After the United States and Israel launched the war with Iran on Feb. 28, angry protests erupted across this part of Kashmir, where many, including the region's minority Shiites, have longstanding cultural and religious ties with Iran.

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