Erasing Identity: Kashmir’s Shift from Indigenous Autonomy to Indianization

Erasing Identity: Kashmir’s Shift from Indigenous Autonomy to Indianization

Indigenous Kashmiris in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are being transformed into a directionless, Indianized population. By nature, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are meant to live on their fatherland, rooted in centuries of culture and tradition. Yet today, they are forced to exist as a compulsion rather than a choice, not as,migrants, but as residents of their own homeland. Their forefathers’ homes, once vibrant with life, now feel occupied by fear. Since the illegal revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in February 2019, India has waged a systematic siege on the Muslim identity of the region. The impact is visible in the targeting of religious institutions. Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, a cornerstone of spiritual and cultural life, remained closed for nearly two years following the revocation.


On 19 January 2026, Hafiz Nasir Mir, an Imam of a mosque in Srinagar’s Lal Bazar area, received a government form that shattered the sanctity of his daily life. The form demanded intimate details: sources of mosque funding, dates of establishment, religious sects, and land ownership. Nasir was left bewildered. How could a religious institution, supported by its own community, be treated as suspicious without evidence? This was not an isolated demand. All religious administrators were being pressured to expose funding sources, curriculum content, and property ownership. While the government claimed such measures were to prevent “radicalization,” in reality they aimed to erase the centuries-old Islamic identity of Jammu and Kashmir. Islamic institutions are not alien threats,they are an integral part of the region’s heritage, culture, and collective memory.


International law recognizes this. Articles 18 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) obligate states to protect religious freedom without discrimination. Yet, the Indian government continues to violate these basic human rights, turning ordinary lives into sites of psychological torture. Every mosque questioned, every form filled, every scrutiny imposed is a reminder that a people’s faith, culture, and dignity can be stripped away under the guise of control.


The siege on Kashmiris is not just political, it is deeply personal, targeting the soul of the community and its sense of belonging. From revoking legal protections to controlling religious education, the inten t is clear: to erase identity, suppress tradition, and reshape a population to fit an imposed ideology. The world cannot remain silent. International human rights bodies, defenders of religious freedom, and global institutions must hold India accountable before these oppressive measures inflict permanent harm. Kashmiris are not outsiders, they are human beings, custodians of a rich heritage, and citizens of the world. Protecting their faith, culture, and dignity is protecting the very spirit of humanity.

'https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/19/india - i s - p r o fi l i n g - k a s h m i r- m o s q u e s - r a i s i n g new-surveillance-fears.




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