Kashmir: Islam and terror (India, Pakistan)

This dissertation is about the Kashmir crisis and how Islamic terrorism has evolved as a thread within the crisis and influenced its progress. The two questions that have been central to this research are: what are the factors that cause Islamic terrorism; and what is the role of Islamic terrorism among the causes of violence in Kashmir. Matters pertaining to politics in the Kashmir crisis become important with specific reference to Islamic terrorism in this dispute.; The Kashmir crisis began in 1947 as a political and territorial dispute between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris. Since then diplomatic disconnections between India and Pakistan have caused tremendous military and social unrest in Kashmir. Islamic terrorism entered the fray under the banner of the 'Insurgency' in Kashmir in 1989. This movement had two phases, the first lasting from 1989--1994 and the second beginning in 1994. The objective of Phase I was to establish Kashmir as an autonomous state and that of Phase II is to unite Kashmir with Pakistan. Since 1989, the Kashmir crisis has progressed as a political, territorial and religious dispute between the Insurgents, India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris.; Extreme interpretations of the Quran and the movement of Revivalism cause religious violence in Kashmir. The Quran permits violence only as an act of defense to establish the Shariat in an Islamic society. The cause and extent of retaliation is determined by an individual's interpretation of the Quran. The conflict between India and Pakistan has been seen to violate the Shariat and thus induced Quranically legitimized violent Jihad in Kashmir. Research in Kashmir largely conducted by interviewing the current participants in violence shows how the Insurgency is governed by this legitimization and extreme interpretations of Revivalism and the Quran's discourse on violence. The evolution of the Insurgency has increased military and political violence between India and Pakistan in the crisis. This has further undermined the rights of Kashmiris and Pakistanis, and secured the religious role of the Insurgency. The cyclical impact of political, military and religious violence has led to the evolution of the Kashmir crisis as we know it today. This can be altered only if conditions arise such that the Insurgency is removed from the crisis on the basis of individual religious choices made by its participants.