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INDIA
 INDIA, an independent democracy from 08/15/1947, on the Western coast of the Pacific Ocean and on the Eastern side of the INDIAN Ocean, is a part of Pacific Asia, stretches on 3,288,000 km, the 7th largest country in the world, and has a population estimated about 1,150,000,000 - the second populated country in the world after China.
INDIA has a very varied population speaking many different languages, 18 of them official languages and believing many faiths, though two religions are dominant in the INDIAN Society: Hinduism, close to 80% and Islam about 17%.
Because of the diversity of languages, sects, beliefs, traditions and nations INDIA always suffered from some sectarian and religious tensions and eruption of violence. In INDIA the relations between Muslim minority and Hindu majority were no exception.
When the British left the INDIAN subcontinent in 1947 they created and left behind two states: a Muslim dominated state - Pakistan, which included, up to the INDIAN -Pakistani war of 1971, Bangladesh and a Hindu dominated state –INDIA. The partition caused a wave of violence, mutual massacres of millions and the uprooting of about 14 millions from their homes.
Kashmir, on the Northern border between INDIA and Pakistan, which was with a Muslim majority but with many Hindus living in South East Kashmir, was divided, temporarily, between INDIA and Pakistan and cause, ever since, to an ongoing conflict between the two countries about the final status of Kashmir. This conflict caused 3 wars between INDIA and Pakistan, an ongoing bloody guerilla of Muslims in Kashmir against the INDIAN regime, which is supported by the Pakistani regime and its notorious secret service – ISI, and a constant military tension between the countries which has, now, also military nuclear capacity.
After the War in Afghanistan ended in 1989, many of the Mujahidin ( Holy Warriors) from Afghanistan, with the support and direction of ISI, were transferred to Kashmir and changed the conflict in Kashmir to a holy religious war rather then a secular sectarian conflict.
Most of the Islamic militancy in INDIA and the terror attacks are directly related to the conflict in Kashmir, to the background support of ISI and to Pakistani based terror groups and not to the relations between Muslims and Hindus in INDIA itself.
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29/08/2007 15:48:58
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