Disclaimer: I don't claim to be knowledgeable in Islam, its tenets and details. So, I would appreciate if you would be kind enough to point out any factual errors in this post. This is just an attempt to spread some thoughts to people who would like to read a summary of such issues rather than the entire details.
The recent bomb blasts in India have prompted me to read some articles on the rise of Islamic terrorism in India and elsewhere. A major part of this post is drawn from my reading of the detailed coverage in India Today edition August 11. I shall try to summarize what I have learned hoping more people would be aware of what we are dealing with.
Source of Islamic Fundamntalism
Make no mistake, the issue of Islamic Terrorism has not started now. There have been fundamentalist Islamic organizations even before independence. But they were very few in number. In India the majority of the Muslims follow a secular Islam that has evolved with amalgamation of the local cultures. however, the minority group of Muslims follow the radical Wahhabi fundamentalism. The reason for the growth of this sect has been the unlimited funding of the Madrasas by Muslims belonging to Saudi Arabia (where the state sponsors the Wahhabi fundamnetal form of Islam). These fundamental organizations have even taken over (with their money) some of the more secualr organizations and have started preaching the supposedly "pure" form of Islam. These organizations encourage violence as a means of purifying the Islamic religion. When the profiling of terrorists ivolved in all the bomb blasts in the recent eyars has been carried out, it has ben learned that most (if not all) of these individuals belong to the fundamentalist category. Now, the conservative Islamic groups have awakened and refuse to be funded by Wahhabi group of Islamists. The Wahhabi fundamentalism is also very similar to the Deobandi spirit of Islam. The Wahhabi school of thought has been spreading not only in India, but also in Britain. Most of the terrorists now are home grown in madrasas belonging to these radical schoolos of thought. The secualr group of islamists have realized that they need to step up to prevent the further radicalization of Islam, but it needs to be seen if their actions are adequate enough. There is also the fact that Muslims have progressed evry little since independence that seems to be driving them towards a more fundamental form of Islam among the youth. This is something that needs to be addressed.
Recent blasts and the reaction
Well, many people have expressed their disappointment at the way Indian government (for that matter the entire political system) has reacted to the recent serial blasts in many urban regions. These blasts allegedly perpetuated by Indian Mujahideen show clearly how vulnerable the country is to terrorism. The reactions to these blasts only further strengthen the fact that India is a soft target. In spite of so many lives lost we have not seen the arrest of any significant people behind such dastardly acts. The congress government does not act strongly because it does not want to offend the minorities. But, isn't this coming at the cost of innocent lives? The only leader who has responded credibly (not acted yet) is Narendra Modi. Of course, the rest of the BJP has not done itself any favors. Anyway, until a specific department to counteract Islamic fundamentalism is setup there will be no progress and more of such blasts will be occurring.
To say the least the attitude of the government is appaling. The India Today article tiltled the article aptly as "Impotent India". I can't argue with that! Can you?
The recent bomb blasts in India have prompted me to read some articles on the rise of Islamic terrorism in India and elsewhere. A major part of this post is drawn from my reading of the detailed coverage in India Today edition August 11. I shall try to summarize what I have learned hoping more people would be aware of what we are dealing with.
Source of Islamic Fundamntalism
Make no mistake, the issue of Islamic Terrorism has not started now. There have been fundamentalist Islamic organizations even before independence. But they were very few in number. In India the majority of the Muslims follow a secular Islam that has evolved with amalgamation of the local cultures. however, the minority group of Muslims follow the radical Wahhabi fundamentalism. The reason for the growth of this sect has been the unlimited funding of the Madrasas by Muslims belonging to Saudi Arabia (where the state sponsors the Wahhabi fundamnetal form of Islam). These fundamental organizations have even taken over (with their money) some of the more secualr organizations and have started preaching the supposedly "pure" form of Islam. These organizations encourage violence as a means of purifying the Islamic religion. When the profiling of terrorists ivolved in all the bomb blasts in the recent eyars has been carried out, it has ben learned that most (if not all) of these individuals belong to the fundamentalist category. Now, the conservative Islamic groups have awakened and refuse to be funded by Wahhabi group of Islamists. The Wahhabi fundamentalism is also very similar to the Deobandi spirit of Islam. The Wahhabi school of thought has been spreading not only in India, but also in Britain. Most of the terrorists now are home grown in madrasas belonging to these radical schoolos of thought. The secualr group of islamists have realized that they need to step up to prevent the further radicalization of Islam, but it needs to be seen if their actions are adequate enough. There is also the fact that Muslims have progressed evry little since independence that seems to be driving them towards a more fundamental form of Islam among the youth. This is something that needs to be addressed.
Recent blasts and the reaction
Well, many people have expressed their disappointment at the way Indian government (for that matter the entire political system) has reacted to the recent serial blasts in many urban regions. These blasts allegedly perpetuated by Indian Mujahideen show clearly how vulnerable the country is to terrorism. The reactions to these blasts only further strengthen the fact that India is a soft target. In spite of so many lives lost we have not seen the arrest of any significant people behind such dastardly acts. The congress government does not act strongly because it does not want to offend the minorities. But, isn't this coming at the cost of innocent lives? The only leader who has responded credibly (not acted yet) is Narendra Modi. Of course, the rest of the BJP has not done itself any favors. Anyway, until a specific department to counteract Islamic fundamentalism is setup there will be no progress and more of such blasts will be occurring.
To say the least the attitude of the government is appaling. The India Today article tiltled the article aptly as "Impotent India". I can't argue with that! Can you?
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