The Challenge of South Asia Muslims 

Islam invaded South Asia in the 10th century and dominated the sub-continent for the next 800 years. Their influence was vast. Today South Asia has the largest Muslim population of any region. When the colonial British armies left in the 20th century, the region eventually partitioned into three major states: Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. They have been in hostility ever since.

The roots of this go back centuries, when Muslims burned down temples or converted them into mosques. Tensions between Muslims and Hindus continue to spark protests, unrest and even violent conflict. The religious riots in Gujarat left thousands of Muslims dead and catapulted Gujarat’s governor to national prominence. He became a hero to Hindus everywhere because he turned a blind eye to the massacre of Muslims in his state. They eventually made him prime minister of the whole country.

In this context Muslims in India have become an unlikely ally of Christians, who are also the victims of a rising Hindu fascism. North of India in Pakistan it is a much different story. Pakistan’s blasphemy law was designed to terrorize the entire Christian population. All it takes is the accusation of one Muslim, and without any evidence a whole Christian family can be locked up for life with a death sentence hanging over their heads. Hundreds have been unjustly imprisoned through this method.

Pakistan is controlled behind the scenes by a shadowy intelligence service called the ISI. They support, staff and arm the Taliban in Afghanistan, engage in terrorism in India, and assassinate at will any who stand in their way within the country. Pakistan continues to itch for a fight with India, and if comes to this, the blame will lay squarely at the feet of the ISI. Pakistan’s development of a nuclear weapon raised the stakes, not only in the region but for the whole world. They became the first Muslim state in history to achieve this feat, and the fear is very real that they may help others like Saudi Arabia to develop their own. It was because of Pakistan that North Korea eventually obtained a nuclear weapon. Should a nuclear war break out between rogue states in the future, the seeds of its germination will likely trace back to this region.

What is the answer to all of this? Only one person: Jesus Christ. May the light of the world sent to redeem all peoples become the hope that leads South Asian Muslims home.