Religious Extremism in Kashmir

The Kashmir region, fought over by Pakistan and India, has long been a place relatively tolerant of religious and ethnic differences - being cross-roads of cultures for centuries, that's exactly what one would expect. But the conflict between Pakistan and India has had a polarizing effect and as a consequence, the tolerance that took centuries to develop has crumbled in mere decades.

ABC News reports:

The shift to extremism in predominantly Muslim Kashmir, many analysts say, has less to with the rise of homegrown Islamic radicalism than a reaction to political mismanagement and rising Hindu militancy. ... Extremist Muslim groups, disillusioned by the political situation, decry democracy as a menace. "Democracy is part of the system we are fighting," said a supporter of a radical Islamic group. The man, requesting anonymity to avoid reprisal by authorities, said it was his duty to wage war against Sufism Muslim mysticism that preaches moderation and tolerance of non-Muslims.

Both Hindu and Muslim militancy are serious threats to peace in the region - and because both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers, they are threats to peace that should worry everyone in the world. These two countries have come very close to nuclear war more than once in the past and it is not inconceivable that they could go all the way at any time in the near future. There are religious fanatics on both sides who seem unworried at the prospect of tens of millions of deaths, if only their own cause appears to be victorious in the end.

Read More:

• What is Jihad?
• Islam, Violence, and Terrorism
• Islamic Extremists