RADICALISATION IN KASHMIR

THE IDEOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION

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THE revelation that an educated, white-collar terror module from Kashmir was behind the Red Fort blast in Delhi that killed 13 people has reopened an unsettling argument.

The attack's primary accused, including doctors and other professionals, represents a disturbing new face of militancy: one shaped not by poverty or illiteracy, but by ideological conviction, and transformation.

This new wave of radicalisation among educated Kashmiri youth poses profound questions — how did a society once anchored in tolerant Sufism evolve into a breeding ground for extremist ideas? What explains the ideological shift among the well-educated? And, critically, how can the Valley arrest this drift before it consumes another generation?

From Kashmiriyat to Caliphate dreams

For centuries, Kashmir's spiritual and social fabric was built on Sufism — a syncretic understanding of Islam that emphasized compassion, inclusiveness, and love for humanity. Shrines like those of Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani in Charar-e-Sharif and Mir Syed Ali Hamadani were centres of devotion that united Hindus and Muslims alike. The concept of Kashmiriyat evolved from this Sufi foundation: a hybrid identity blending religious tolerance with cultural pride.

This equilibrium imploded in the late 1980s. The rise of militancy, coupled with influence of foreign religious funding, eroded the Valley’s spiritual moderation. After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, Pakistan redirected thousands of trained fighters and a vast jihad infrastructure toward Kashmir. Madrasa networks, fed by Gulf and Pakistani money, started promoting Salafi and Wahhabi doctrines, replacing Sufi teachings. This ideological shift—from devotional mysticism to political Islam—gradually radicalised segments of the Kashmiri youth, experts believe.