Series of targeted killings of minorities in Kashmir. In the last two weeks, we witnessed human catastrophes. Many people, particularly Kashmiris believe and have repeatedly said on TV debates, and have written multiple articles stating the fundamentals of militancy in Kashmir because of Jihad.
So is there jihad in Kashmir?
People on TV debates are divided on this question. But I firmly believe that YES, there was Jihad in Kashmir. And it continues to radicalize youth in Kashmir. The state of India should not be in denial mode. The situation is alarming. We need to accept the ground reality that the philosophy of Jihad is the breeding ground of militancy in Kashmir. We need to acknowledge and address this issue. We need to come up with solutions to end this jihad to stop these killings once and for all. We cannot put a blanket on truth.
But I believe what is happening in Kashmir is not the same jihad as the religious doctrine of the Quran. According to this religious book, Jihad is defined as a struggle that pertains to the difficulty and complexity of living a good life: struggling against the evil in oneself – to be virtuous and moral, making a serious effort to do good works, and helping to reform society.
But what had happened to Kashmir, and what is still harboring is not the religious jihad, it is a philosophy that constitutes the amalgamation of separative politics for monetary benefits, political instability, Pakistan sponsored proxy war. And most importantly poverty, and alienation from the Idea of India. Such factors frame up a philosophy that radicalizes people under the name of Jihad. The name Jihad as gives it a false religious touch and misleading people becomes quite easy.
We need to address this jihad. The government now should come out of its denial mode. We need inclusive and collaborative efforts to eradicate this philosophy from Kashmir. it’s high time. We need to act now. Only debates on TV shows for their TRP won’t help us. We need to come on the ground to end this with substantial solutions. We need to make sure that the Idea of India reaches the Kashmiri youth before any motivated proxy war ideology reaches them.