Religious Militancy and Security in South Asia

All the major countries of South Asia have witnessed, over the past two decades, the rise of alarming forms of religious militancy and extremism. While the rise of religious militancy may be explained by the politico-economic, socio-cultural, historical and psychological factors peculiar to the South Asian polities, the fact remains that the phenomenon has, in recent times, manifested itself in some macabre forms like communal violence, intra-religious sectarian violence, and extremism and fanaticism in religion-based politics etc. While religious militancy has fomented hatred, intolerance, discord and bigotry in most of the countries of South Asia, the real issue pertains to security implications for the region as a whole. The book Religious Militancy and Security in South Asia deals with the entire gamut of religious militancy as it manifests itself in South Asia. The book explores the exact origin, nature and characteristics of religious militancy in the region. It brings to the forefront the issue that militancy in the region of South Asia has its own realities and dynamics and is not necessarily religious in nature; it is more a part of the agenda for political ends.