The second reason as claimed by former diplomat Talmiz Ahmad, is India’s syncretic culture and tradition. The Unity in Diversity in India. Muslims live harmoniously with Hindus and Christians in India. And that’s why they rejected extreme ideologies.
In 2015, when it was found that only 29 Indians had joined ISIS, a report stated that ISIS itself considered Indian recruits to be inferior. ISIS believed that the Islam practiced in India is a very soft version. It is a liberal version of Islam.
Third, many Muslim clerics have also played a positive role here. In March 2009, Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa declaring India as Dar al-Aman. A country where militant Jihad is prohibited.
Similarly, in 2015, a joint fatwa was issued by 70,000 Indian Muslim scholars against ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
The real Kerala story here is something to be proud of. Compared to the rest of the world how few Muslims from India joined ISIS.
