Message for Delhi in Arab winds of change

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Air Marshal Ashok K. Goel (Retd.)
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Message for Delhi in Arab winds of change
SHAUN GREGORY
(Dean at Breadford University, UK)

From Morocco to Pakistan and from Syria to Indonesia, the Islamic world is struggling with modernity.
Most of Islamic world is ruled by unrepresentative elites, whose power flows not from democratic legitimacy but from repressive militaries and intelligence agencies.
The Future-of –the-Global Muslim-Population.aspx projects that the global Muslim population will grow 35% in the next 20 years, with much of that growth in Asia.
This is why India has to look at Tunis, Cairo, Algiers and Sa’na and ask what the lessons are. Above all, it has to ask what the implications are for those parts of the Indian polity where Muslim/non Muslim fissures are most exposed. This means places like Kashmir. It is not to question Kashmir’s place as part of India, or to cede a square inch of ground to terrorism or to Pakistani interference, but to ask a deeper question about the relationship of ordinary Kashmiri Muslims to the Indian state. Do ordinary Kashmiri Muslims experience the Indian state as a guarantor-or at least as an agent-of political freedom, justice, and economic and social security or do they experience it as repressive power? To the extent the answer is the latter, the challenge for India is to find ways to move to the former.
Extracts from an article published in TOI dated 30 Jan 2011

Observations & Comments

The happenings in Egypt are serious and alarming. Should send signals to our politicians, social activist and to social reformers.
(a) Muslim population in presently 23.6% globally. Likely to reach 35% in next 20 years.
(b) Pakistan would become the largest Muslim country in the next 20 years (leaving behind Indonesia)
(c) Muslim majority state of J & K is yet to be fully integrated with India.
A thought:
 Our politicians should stop playing politics all the time in the state of J & K.
 The role of main opposition party in J& K has been communal, destructive and disruptive. They have only succeeded in separating Jammu (a Hindu dominated area) with the valley ( a Muslim dominated area)
 This was clearly evident when they had created a blockade for the movement of essential supplies from Jammu to valley (during agitation on land allotment for Amarnath Yatra)
 The recent Lalchowk episode and earlier blockade strengthened the cause and voice of the antinational elements.
 An appeal to politicians, evolve a system of consensus on major security, economic, foreign policy issues, to see the country moving ahead rather than working towards, gaining political leverage and advantage all times.