hidden image

The Atom Bomb of Religion

Jijo Thomas Placheril Jijo Thomas Placheril
12 May 2025

The relationship between India and Pakistan has been strained since its inception. Despite India's efforts to foster amicable relations, these attempts have proven fruitless. Pakistani terrorists have consistently sought to infiltrate India, inflicting harm upon its citizens, with the Pahalgam attack being one such incident. There is significant tension between the two nations, creating a situation akin to a full-blown war.

In Pahalgam, the terrorists asked the names of the tourists, and the men with non-Muslim names were fired at. It's not because the terrorists loved Indian Muslims, but it's because they knew that religion is an atom bomb in India. Their objective was to instigate an internal conflict within India, turning Hindus against Muslims.

Historical evidence clearly indicates that the Hindu-Muslim discord was a strategic manoeuvre employed by the British to undermine India's unity. By leveraging this tactic, they maintained control over India for twenty decades.

The Indian Rebellion of 1857, referred to as the Sepoy Mutiny, exemplifies the collaboration of Hindus and Muslims in their struggle against the East India Company for independence. This uprising threatened the Company's dominance in India, leading to the transfer of power to the British crown.

The British were acutely aware that a united Indian populace would pose a significant challenge to their rule. Consequently, they employed a divide-and-rule strategy, fostering divisions among Indians based on religious lines. They instilled hatred in the minds of Hindus towards Muslims and created a sense of insecurity among Muslims in Hindu-majority regions, ultimately resulting in the partition of India into Hindustan and Pakistan.

In Pahalgam, the terrorists intentionally asked the names of the victims before firing them because they wanted to create a feeling in the minds of Indians that the Muslims killed the Hindus, and that would naturally cause the Hindus to turn against the Muslims.

At this moment of tension, we, the Indians, should be united irrespective of all boundaries and diversities. Our political ideology, religion, language, culture, or values may be different, but we should be united at this time as Indians. The enemy wants to see a division among us, the Indians. But this is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our solidarity and mutual support.

After the Pahalgam attack, we see a trend of hate in some Hindus towards Muslims. We have to realise that not all Muslims are terrorists and at the same time, not all Hindus are patriotic as well. We cannot ignore the fact that there are external as well as internal enemies who always wish and try to divide the citizens based on religion and portray them as anti nationalists for their vested interests.

When we go back to the history of India, we understand that the battles fought on the Indian continent were not on the basis of religion, but because of the greed for power. At present, there is a political interest in India to project all the Muslim rulers of history as cruel and persecutors of Hindus, which is not true.

The First Battle of Panipat was fought between Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, and Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, on April 21, 1526. Both were Muslims. The Battle of Patan was fought on June 20, 1790, between the Maratha Kingdom of Gwalior, backed by Peshwa and Holkar, and an alliance of Rajput kingdoms, including Jaipur and Jodhpur. In the Battle of Haldighati, the Mughal Emperor Akbar's army was led by Raja Man Singh, a Hindu, and Hakim Khan Suri, a Muslim, commanded a unit of Maha Rana Pratap's forces. During the reign of Akbar, Holi was celebrated in the Mughal courts. These are examples of Hindu Muslim unity in India.

The All India Muslim League was founded on December 30, 1906, to represent the political interests of Muslims in British India. The Morley-Minto Reforms were enacted through the Indian Councils Act of 1909, which introduced separate electorates for Muslims. A section of Hindus was not happy with it, and in 1915, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha was founded to advocate the interests of the Hindus. The British taught a distorted version of history that the Muslim kings always persecuted the Hindus. The Muslims, as well as the Hindus, were scared that the other would take control of the nation. This fear was converted into hatred, and the hatred was transformed into riots and the partition of India. The British were successful in their strategy of divide and rule.

In the Pahalgam attack, the terrorists have taken the strategy of divide and destroy. They tried to drop the same atom bomb that the British had dropped in India, the atom bomb of religion. Let's not become prey to them. Let's show our unity as Indians, as brothers and sisters.

Recent Posts

A democracy must distinguish between an armed insurgent and a questioning citizen. Calling critics, students, academics or activists "Dimaagi Naxals" is unacceptable. Strength lies not in silencing di
apicture Dr Martin Valiyaparambil VC
24 Aug 2026
As I watched, I could not help remembering the interview I did with your father, NKP Salve, for Jain TV in the 1990s. Goswami, I presume, was then still "studying for some time in a Jesuit-run school,
apicture A. J. Philip
24 Aug 2026
After years in abeyance, Justice Sunday returns at a moment of profound national crisis. From poverty and exclusion to attacks on minorities and environmental destruction, the Church is called to recl
apicture Cedric Prakash
24 Aug 2026
Israel has transformed from the biblical David into a heavily armed Goliath. Self-defence cannot justify occupation, mass displacement and civilian suffering. The world must find the courage to act.
apicture P. A. Chacko
24 Aug 2026
Pellet guns were fired at protesting students, and nobody can say who ordered it. The issue has transcended one incident. Power remains concentrated, but responsibility is endlessly dispersed.
apicture Oliver D'Souza
24 Aug 2026
Beneath India's boasts of growth and power, a deeper restlessness is spreading. Jobs vanish, institutions weaken, citizens move, dissent is silenced, and trust collapses; the CJP's rise reflects this
apicture Thomas Menamparampil
24 Aug 2026
Sanatan borders bruised me In caste societies. Left Ideologies crushed me In European societies. Sharia societies Erased my skin.
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
24 Aug 2026
Unity is beautiful, but only when united around what is right. Otherwise, unity merely allows everyone to become lost without feeling lonely.
apicture Robert Clements
24 Aug 2026
Bengal once welcomed missionaries who built schools, hospitals and presses, enriching the region's education, healthcare and reform. Today, priests are told to leave their parishes. The irony is devas
apicture CM Paul
17 Aug 2026
With Christians constituting barely 2.3 per cent of India's population, the charge of mass forced conversion defies logic. Yet anti-conversion laws pivot charity into "allurement," suspicion and crime
apicture Chhotebhai
17 Aug 2026