Poonam Sharma
Radical Islam and India’s Strategic Blind Spot: A Call for Clearer Vision Before It’s Too Late
The bomb blast in Delhi brings to our doorstep, once again, a rather stark and uncomfortable reality: India’s current liberal political approach is insufficient before the rise of radical, educated Islamist extremism. We are no longer facing the threat of illiterate foot soldiers in jungles; we face medical degree holders with foreign education and polished global identities. This new face of terrorism-articulate, urban, technologically equipped-demands a fundamentally different response.
Many people may find the argument bitter, but bitterness does not take away from the fact that it is true. Similarly, if India keeps to the same confused path, a country might be walking into an avoidable disaster. History across continents has shown that wherever radical Islam is allowed to grow unchecked, nations crumble from within. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Bangladesh-each stands as a cautionary mirror. Even Europe, once so confident in its liberal multiculturalism, now finds itself wrestling with extremist networks that operate with impunity under democratic cover.
The most vivid and telling example of this is New York, whose mayor has publicly declared his foremost identity as “Muslim,” not American. Identity pride is no crime; but when political leadership chooses religion over civic nationality, the message becomes clear: religion first, nation later. A mindset such as this, mixed in with ideological extremism, is an explosive force.
India’s Political Confusion: A Strategic Vulnerability
The troubling reality is that India’s political leadership still does not have a coherent understanding of radical Islam. Even the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for strong decisions, has acted with hesitation, contradiction, and fear of political backlash when it comes to this issue. Indeed, the words used in Delhi’s official responses often sound uncertain-sometimes soft, sometimes firm, often unclear.
This ambiguity is dangerous. Radical Islam does not thrive in strong states; it thrives in confused, liberal, hesitant states. If India cannot define the threat clearly, it cannot fight it effectively. Vision requires clarity, and clarity begins with acceptance.
China: Model of Relentless Counter-Extremism
It is uncomfortable but necessary to acknowledge that China is one of the rare countries that neutralized Islamist extremism long before it could explode. During the 1980s, when China sensed the first signs of separatist radicalization in Xinjiang, the Chinese Communist leadership responded with uncompromising force. Its policies were severe, controversial, even brutal—but the result is undeniable: China has no active radical Islamist terrorism today.
One can debate the morality, but not the effectiveness of China’s approach. China did try softer measures too: education, economic upliftment, welfare interventions. They failed. Only when the state adopted a firm zero-tolerance doctrine did extremism collapse.
Saudi Arabia: Reforming Islam From Within
For those who reject China’s aggressive model, another example stands in the heart of the Islamic world: Saudi Arabia. Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, Saudi Arabia has undergone a radical transformation that few thought possible.
This is the land of Mecca and Medina, the global centre of Islam, yet:
Hardline Wahhabi mic preaching has been banned.
Tablighi Jamaat is officially labelled a “terrorist organisation”
Cinema halls, concerts, and mixed public events are allowed.
Women have been granted greater mobility and rights.
All forms of extremist religious activities are heavily restricted.
Saudi Arabia today has zero tolerance for radical Islam in any form. The Crown Prince himself is highly educated, globally wired, and boldly modern; he understands a basic fact: wherever radical Islam surges, nations fail.
Ironically, Saudi Arabia—a fully Islamic state—refuses to recognize many Indian Muslims as “Muslims” in theological terms, for the faith practised in India is culturally different. Yet, Saudi Arabia faces far less radical Islam than India does today. That contrast should force India to rethink its approach.
Time for India to Seek Lessons—Not Just Warnings
Crown Prince MBS is a close ally of Prime Minister Modi. There is no harm, and perhaps great benefit, if India discusses counter-extremism strategies with Saudi Arabia. A Muslim state modernising Islam is a powerful example for the world—one that India can study without ideological discomfort.
India’s earlier model – educate extremists, provide them employment, integrate them economically – failed in China and is failing in India. The assumption that literacy and prosperity can reverse the process of radicalisation remains a myth.
The consequence will indeed be catastrophic if India continues to remain mired in political confusion and refuses to name radical Islam itself explicitly. Nations do not fall overnight; they fall in stages: first ideologically, then socially, then politically, and finally territorially.
A Constitutional Course Correction?
The most daring suggestion to emerge from this debate is the removal of the word “minority” from India’s constitutional framework. The argument is simple:
Minority policies create separatist identities.
Separatist identities may foster grievance politics.
Grievance politics can be exploited by radical ideologies.
Replacing all identity labels with a single identity—Indian—might reduce the space in which extremist politics thrives.
Agree or disagree, one question arises: does India have the courage to rethink its liberal framework before extremism grows big enough to get out of control?
Conclusion: The Cost of Confusion
India stands at a crossroads. Radical Islam is not just a security threat; it’s a civilizational challenge.China confronted it with state power.
It faced religious reform upon Saudi Arabia. Europe did not confront it and is now paying the price. Where does India stand? The next few years will show if India opts for clarity—or confusion. Survival—or slow collapse. Some truths are bitter, but ignoring them is fatal.
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