Jihad, Hindutva, and the Taliban: South Asia at the crossroads

Studies on post-1947 South Asia mostly focus on divergences or only deal with the individual states, whereas this volume investigates similar trajectories across the most plural region in the world in reference to majoritarianism and its implications. Tracing the historical origins of the ideology of Jihad since the classical Islamic era it deliberates the more recent typologies of resistance during the colonial and contemporary times. The intricate relationship in Afghanistan between the erstwhile Majahideen and the Western powers during the Cold War and its break-up following 9/11 have necessitated a fresher searchlight on this major cornerstone of political Islam. The salience of Hindutva in India and demands for a Sunni state in Pakistan, simultaneous with similar espousals in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka reveal unique regional congruities on ideological issues. The Indian Muslims, non-Muslim Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, and other ethno-regional minorities have become the victims of this major ideological onslaught on pluralism in South Asia, which equally boasts of alert civil societies. The issues of contested statehood and national identity have certainly assumed an added significance, which this volume addresses within a changed regional and global political context. Other than ideology and pluralism, this volume also deliberates the problems of governance exacerbated by unilateral civil and khaki forces, often in cahoots with the external backers