A Social Experiment in Muslim Radicalism: Contrasting Evolution of Pakistan and India

Abstract

Predictors of religion-based terrorism are becoming clearer. By comparing the evolution of Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, nations created from the same landmass just sixty years ago that share similarities in language, ethnicity, culture and cuisine, this paper deduces an underlying law that describes the radicalization process of Muslim communities. The law states that popularization of certain features of Islam, namely, sharia and jihad lead to backwardness and violent extremism regardless of location or time. This paper proposes a paradigm shift in policy undertaking to help mitigate the socio-political influence of these features to begin turning back the tide of terrorism and to address socio-economic stagnation of the affected communities.

Keywords: Islam, Terrorism, Radicalism, Jihad, Sharia, Muslims, Pakistan, India, Paradigm shift