Kashmir and its Governance

Kashmir and Governance | MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com

No nation should be formed on the basis of religion anymore.  We have seen the ugly results of it, and any nation that is formed now should be democratic in governance, where all people's rights are protected.

There should never be an Islamic, Christian, Hindu or Jewish state, as religion is practiced by humans, and they may not live up to its highest principles. I would rather have a bad democracy over a theocracy, in a democracy we have a chance of correcting the course, and peacefully replacing the corrupt guys with good guys,  you cannot do that in a theocracy. Then the question is whose theocracy will it be?  

Shia, Ahmadiyya, Hindu, Christian and Sikh minorities live in apprehension in Pakistan, and in Bangladesh, you can add the Buddhist Minorities who are equally harassed.  The current but short-lived Hindutva wave in India is also causing apprehensions among Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities. 

 The authentic Islam that respects the otherness of others, honors dignity of every human, and believes in living your own life and letting others live theirs is part of the individual Muslim psyche, but it has not reached in governance of many a Muslim nations. As a Muslim, I invite fellow Muslims to stand against the brand of Islam practiced in Pakistan,  Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and.... others. There is no respect for other traditions within Islam in these nations, let alone others.  They claim to follow Islam, but they don't.

Islam is my religion and I love it, most of us want it to remain a personal guidance to continue to make us good humans and good citizens with no political ambitions to rule others, but to serve others as fellow beings.  The idea of ruling others in the name of a religion, corrupts that religion, any religion for that matter.

God honors caring people over religious people who do not care, caring is emphasized here. There are numerous examples - if someone gives water to a thirsty cat, God is willing to forgive his or her shortcomings, and such is the value places on caring for others.  God loves the man who shares his food with hungry fellow being, even if that person has committed sin over a guy who prays all day long. God only knows what is in your heart and you are reminded not to judge other people's faith.  God says in Quran, whether you are Jewish, Christian or Pagan, if you take care of fellow humans, he or she need not worry, as he would earn God’s grace.  Similar thoughts are in Hinduism, Christianity and other faiths – do the followers of all faiths follow their religion to the full? Then, why do we need a religion in governance?

An Independent Kashmir is not good for Kashmiris, Indians or Pakistanis. The extremists loaded with guns will swallow it and terrorize everyone, but most certainly Muslims for not following their brand of Islam. They will be coming from around the world to establish a false Islamic Caliphate in the likes of Islamic state, where they rape women, make them slaves and sell them, completely against the principles of Islam.

Islamic Caliphate should be consistently discouraged, what we need is democracies, which is Islamic in nature, you elect your representative who is trustworthy, but there will be a contest with other trust worthy individuals. That is how it was done during the first four Caliphs of Islam, and after that it was always run by  dictators and kings and together they have messed up what Islam is all about to suit their whims, Islam is a system designed for individuals to create cohesive societies where no human has to live in fear of the other with justice, mercy and equality to all.

Kashmir and Kashmiris are better off with a Pluralistic India, where they can choose who governs them freely. You can fix the problems in a democracy, but not in a theocracy.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Visit him in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and a bulk of his writings are at TheGhousediary.com and several blogs listed there in.