Islamic Fundamentalism in Kashmir
Ethnic
Cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits
The
Muslim and Hindu peoples of Kashmir have lived in
relative harmony and friendliness since the 13th century when Islam first became
the majority religion in Kashmir. The Sufi-Islamic way of life that ordinary
Muslims followed in Kashmir complemented the rishi tradition of Kashmiri Pandits
(Hindus), leading to a syncretic culture where Hindus and Muslims revered the
same local saints and prayed at the same shrines.
The masked terrorists in Kashmir:
Pawns in a bigger game.
Periodically however,
there have been rulers and leaders who have had a narrow view of Islam, and have
subjected Hindu minorities to great cruelties and discrimination. The current
armed secessionist movement in Kashmir mostly derives its inspiration from these
people.
Terrorist leader with bodyguards.
A canard is now being spread
past few years by the secessionist-terrorists and their sympathizers that in
1990 Kashmiri Pandits left Kashmir willingly, having been "tricked" by
then Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is that Kashmiri Pandits were
driven from their homeland after a campaign of intimidation and harassment was
launched against them by the military-wing of the secessionists. Kashmiri
Pandits were forced from their hearths and homes at the point of gun. The
objective of this ethnic cleansing was to create a minority-free Kashmir
valley where the goal of Islamization could be easily forced on the ordinary
people. The books and articles below will provide you with an in-depth
understanding of the genesis of the current political situation in Jammu and
Kashmir.
This website aims to tell the story
of Kashmir as it was and what has become of it now. Contrary to the
misinformation currently being propagated, India did not "annex"
Kashmir. At the time of independence in 1947 from British rule and the
subsequent partition of the country into theocratic Pakistan and secular India,
the Hindu Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir had the option to join India, Pakistan,
or remain independent. He contemplated the latter option, but after Pakistan
invaded Kashmir hoping to preempt such a decision, he decided to accede to
India. This accession was ratified by Sheikh
Mohammed Abdullah, head of the largest political party (the National
Conference) representing the Muslim majority of the state. The Sheikh did so
because he felt that the interests of Kashmiri Muslims, who practice the secular
Sufi-Islamic way of life, would be best served under the protection of the
Indian constitution.
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The
well-armed Islamic terrorists in Kashmir. |
The present secessionist
drive in Kashmir has its antecedents in the dissatisfaction of a small and
insignificant section of Kashmiris (mostly political opponents of the Sheikh).
However, since about 1985, this drive has been hijacked by Islamic
fundamentalists who have resorted to terrorist tactics, targeting Hindus, Sikhs,
and secular Muslims. Since 1990, with training and support from Pakistan, the
terrorists are engaged in a low- intensity war against India for establishment
of a theocratic nation in Jammu and Kashmir.
To further their cause the secessionists have
completed a program of ethnic cleansing, expelling about 350,000 Kashmiri (Pandits)
Hindus - something that has unfortunately gone largely unreported in the Western
press. These Pandits are at present living as refugees in their own country.
The refugee camps at Jammu.
The following pages
will show you a glimpse of the history, culture, and the current plight of
Kashmiri Pandits. You will understand the goals of the bigoted religious
terrorists in Kashmir whose vision of Azadi (independence) is to use religious
dogma to exclude women, religious minorities, and secular-minded people from
every kind of freedom in social and political life.
A Kashmiri Pandit victim of the
Holocaust.
Terrorists at a hide-out in
Kashmir.
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