On the Kashmir issue and Gandhi

If something that was originally one separates, can it be reunited again?

When I see things that were separate fighting each other, I can't help but think that way.

I'm talking about the recent exchange of attacks between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan (and Bangladesh) were originally one India. It was the same during the Mughal Empire and the colonial period of the British Empire. And when Gandhi won independence from Britain non-violently, he never expected Pakistan to separate from India. India is mostly Hindu, but it was also influenced by Islam, and the Mughal Empire was Islamic. And Hindus and Muslims began to coexist. And at the time of independence, there was a dispute between Islam and Hindus. Since Hindus are more numerous, perhaps Muslims were worried about losing their initiative, and despite Gandhi's desperate efforts to stop it, the areas with a large Muslim population separated into Pakistan (and Bangladesh).

Gandhi was a man who seriously believed that various religions could become one, and although he was probably based on Hinduism, he seems to have incorporated prayers from various religions. He also seems to have incorporated the Buddhist mantra (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo) as one of his prayers.

Gandhi seemed to think that the reason there are various religions in the world is like there are various paths to a destination. All religions have one goal, but the path is not one.

It's a "Prayer for Love and Mercy" itself.

The goal is, of course, for us to be happy, but what is needed for that is for us to become one. And to become one while maintaining our diversity.

Despite Gandhi's desperate efforts, India was divided into Pakistan and India. And it seems that there were extremists not only in Islam but also in Hinduism, and Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu supremacist. Looking at it this way, it may not only be a case of separation from the Islamic side, but also a rejection from the Hindu side.

Anyway, once something that was one is divided, only conflict awaits. After that, if India had nuclear weapons, Pakistan would also have nuclear weapons, and the conflict in the Kashmir region would become a conflict between nuclear-weapon states, and one wrong step would lead to a catastrophe. When two identities exist as a country, conflicts arise on the border, but the border is rarely clear. The distinction between identities becomes ambiguous near the border. That is Kashmir, where most of the residents are Hindu, but the prince was Muslim. And they argued about which side to belong to. And they are still arguing. Moreover, part of it is effectively controlled by China, which is also a nuclear power.

Historically, they were one, but if they are divided, peace will become more distant. It's not like Islam is asking people to convert to Hinduism or vice versa. Can't they unite under an even bigger identity while maintaining their two identities? After all, India was able to do that before.

Looking around the world, it's frustrating to see both directions of unity and of fragmentation. Yugoslavia was one, but now it is torn apart. And once it is torn apart, the seeds of conflict will never run out. Europe is trying to become one. That is wonderful, and I thought the EU was created and there was hope for humanity, but then the UK left the EU. I was looking at it with hope, thinking it would be a touchstone for humanity to become one and bring peace closer, but it was completely shattered.

However, it is not good to be one with everything. When the Soviet Union collapsed, many countries separated and became independent, but if there had been a relationship of domination and subjugation between ethnic groups up until that point, I think it is right to separate and become independent in order to eliminate that. We must respect each other's identities, be equal, and become one with an even larger identity.

This is what we should be.

Guided by love and compassion