In the past, Kashmir was a link between the Silk Road and the trade networks of Central Asia. Many peoples, cultures, and religions met there, giving rise to Kashmiriyat—the “spirit of Kashmir,” which emphasized harmony, coexistence, and a shared life beyond religious boundaries.

This spirit was also reflected in the Sufi-Rishi tradition of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. Muslims combined Islamic mysticism with the ancient practices of Shaivite saints, pursuing inner harmony and spiritual discipline. In this way, Kashmiriyat became a lived expression of religious interweaving.

In recent years, however, Kashmiriyat has become a contested idea. For those who look back with nostalgia, it represents a lost era of harmony. For victims of violence, such as the displaced Pandits (see August 8), it can sound like an empty and hypocritical slogan. Militants have used it to argue for political autonomy, while Indian state narratives have used it to cast nationalism as “inclusive.”

Yet as violence continues to tear apart relationships between communities, Kashmiriyat can no longer easily bind up wounds that keep bleeding.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your throne endures forever and ever; the scepter of Your kingdom is upright. Before the mountains were born, before You formed the earth and the world. From everlasting to everlasting, You are God. May the people of Kashmir come to know that You are still waiting for them, despite their disappointments. May they know that You do not cast people off forever. May they turn back from the weariness of conflict and pain, and receive the comfort that comes from You. May they lay down the ethnic and religious burdens they have carried from the past. May they forgive and accept one another, and may harmonious relationships between communities be restored. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.