Strife in Kashmir

Demonstration in Kashmir

I know next to nothing about the region called Kashmir which is both a province in the north of India and another separate region under the control of Pakistan. Both countries claim Kashmir as their own.  There are about 14 million people in the Indian portion of Kashmir and for years they have existed as a semi-autonomous state. I had to start snooping around to find this information and I sure hope I'm getting this right.

Kashmir has been in the news a lot in recent weeks because the Indian government has revoked the special status for the region, sending in troops and setting curfews. People there claim they are going hungry under what is effectively martial law and demonstrations are shut down. Schools are empty as parents fear violence and in this largely Muslim area people are restricted from gathering for prayer and worship. 


While I'm relatively uninformed about Kashmir I have blogged about India a couple of times since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. Modi has a suspect record when it comes to religious freedom, despite assurances to the contrary. Christians in India feel that they have been marginalized because of the pro-Hindu policies of the Modi government and tensions have risen in many parts of the country. It seems that what is happening in Kashmir is more evidence of this disrespect for religious freedom and expression. 

We can't keep up with every conflict in every place in the world, yet it is important that we care about justice and the freedom to gather for worship, whatever the religion may be.