Chris Doss wrote:
> --- ravi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: nothing unites like hate. and
> for that there is pakistan and/or muslims. the common language i
> share with my indian spouse is english. but not to worry with respect
> to commonality... advice from some relatives/acquaintances on both
> sides struck a common chord: marry someone soon, but just don't marry
> a muslim! even one of the those american boys/girls is ok...
> </facetious> --
>
> There must be more of a unifying Indian identity than just shared
> hatred of Muslims and Pakistan. Wasn't there a kind of pan-Indian
> nationalism that manifested itself during the struggle for
> independence?
>
i am not anywhere close to an authority, but i would answer in the
affirmative. national identity is cultivated using similar means as in
the US: reciting pledges at schools, sporting national teams and
propogating the legend of patriotism, while leaving plenty of room for
existing sectarian differences (religion, caste, region, language, etc)
to express themselves.
> How do non-Kashmiri Indian Muslims view the Kashmir issue? Is it seen
> in religious terms?
they probably do, now, given the sharp hindu-muslim divide (witnessed by
the successful rise of the BJP, the user-friendly front of hindu
extremism). purely based on anecdotal data, i would also add that it
would be difficult to ascertain the true views of muslims in india, who
are cowed into a pro-india position through false logic (such as
comparisons between india and pakistan) and challenges (it was perfectly
within bounds for my anglophile uncles to support the australian cricket
team against india, but rumours of muslim support for the pakistani
cricket team were/are maintained and brought out to question the
'loyalty' of indian muslims).
--ravi
