GA

The Kashmir dispute is the oldest unresolved international conflict in the world today.
Sharing borders with both India and Pakistan, Kashmir remains to be a disputed territory,
divided between the two countries, but claimed in its entirety by both sides. This conflict
started by India’s forcible occupation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947,
claiming to have signed a controversial document that puts the disputed area under its
control, however, the people of Kashmir and Pakistan did not accept the Indian claim.
Despite the UNSC Resolution of 21 April 1948, which stated that the accession of
Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan should be decided through the democratic
method of a free vote, the conflict continued for decades, resulting in an internal division
in the area, characterized by split political and religious standpoints of the people within.
As a result, great unrest has arisen in Kashmir, since the territory’s majority Muslim
population are wishing to secede from the Indian Union, and to become a legal part of the
Pakistani state. Hence, for decades, the violence continued from both fronts, with the
Muslim population of the Kahmir Valley engaging in both peaceful and non-peaceful
uprising and protests, and Indian Army and police forces firing airstrikes on protestors
and arresting many of them. The result of this conflict has been severe, with tens of
thousands of people being killed, and many others relocated. India and Pakistan have
gone as far as to threaten each other with promises of war as a result of a heated conflict
at the Indian and Pakistani border in Jammu/Kashmir. As tensions continue to escalate,
Political instability in the region has allowed for certain actors to become involved,
including the United States and China, resulting into a worsening of the situation. With
such difficulties arising on a constant basis, it is essential that this issue be resolved with
the utmost caution.

Over the past decades, hatred against the Islamic community became prevalent.
There are a number of governmental organizations and certain groups of people who seem
to keenly oppose this religion and its followers. One of the main reasons behind such
oppositions are the terrorist actions that religious-based groups, like Al Qaeda, claim
responsibility for. Therefore, terrorist attacks have become closely linked to Islam, which
lead to the adoption of a defensive behavior against Muslims, as well as the limitation of
any connections with them. Hereinafter, and over time, hatred against the Muslim society
has escalated and took over a number of global communities.

According to long researches, the term Islamophobia first appeared after the 9/11
incident, when Al Qaeda, an Islamic Terrorist group claimed responsibility for the
destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City. Hence, Islamophobia initiated in the
Western World and the concept quickly spread through the Media, which focused on
ruining the image of Islam and Muslims together. Consequently, Muslims started facing
endless difficulties, both socially and politically. Many people seem to encourage
discriminatory messages and ideas, while trying to promote Islamophobia in the aim of
ensuring a safer living environment. In fact, the number of Islamophobic hate crimes is on
the rise, as there were 1,115 Islamophobic hate incidents reported in 2015/16, and 1,264 in
2016/17, which accounts for a 13.3% year on year increase.

On the other hand, there are people who protest for the rights of Muslims
worldwide, and continuously try to cause change. They demand that governments
encourage a wider acceptance of the Islamic community in countries all over the world, and
oppose all kinds of Islamophobic messages. Subsequently, there have been a number of
protests against Islamophobia, awareness posters and advertisements, and the list of all the
continuous efforts that Anti-Islamophobics engage in, can go on.

Along these lines, conflict between the two sets of people have been on the rise, and
the issue, in itself, has become a major concern in a number of countries. First off, in the

United States of America, the Trump administration is in favor of a Muslim ban for the sake
of the national security. In France, a majority of the French seem to avidly support right-
wing extremist Le Pen, who has been open and clear about her Anti-Muslim opinions. In the
United Kingdom, there have been a number of terrorist attacks that have forced the
administration to try to secure the land with anti-Muslim measures. The list of involved
countries is much longer than this, and the issue is not only a concern for governmental
organizations but also other independent organizations.