A leading researcher on radical Islamic movements and former adviser to Israeli Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Ariel Sharon has said that given the current scenario, India is quite likely to become a target for al-Qaeda-type radical movements. Emmanuel Sivan, an eminent professor of history at Hebrew University, said at an interaction in New Delhi on Sunday that the contradictions within the Muslim society can create a hunting ground for the al-Qaeda in India.“Al-Qaeda is likely to look at India. India is not exactly in a strong nationalist phase and Muslims here.are faced with contradictions. The changed equations.and a general resentment among the people against earlier Muslim rulers can still cause that. While not a single Indian Muslim was reportedly linked with jihad in Iraq, the recent terror attack at a Sufi site in India smacks of an al-Qaeda-like-link. They are in favour of clearly demarcated identities and religions, quite unlike a Sufi worship place — where people from all religions congregate. Al-Qaeda will be deeply offended by this type of a situation,” Sivan added.Sivan said analysis shows that it is going to be a long and extended struggle against radical Islam and the way to reduce its impact can come probably from within the Muslim community itself or through larger social integration.“Al Qaeda is working on soft targets where they feel the state is near failure and ‘liberated enclaves’ can be created. They invest all their money and resources there,” he added. Calling Osama Bin Laden a “master organiser” in getting transnational identities together under al-Qaeda, Sivan said, radical Islam has developed strong roots.Born in an Israeli Kibbutz, Sivan was among the first scholars to begin to look at radical Islamic movements that were generated from the Iranian revolution in the late 1980s. He has written more than 150 articles and chapters and one of his areas of expertise is Islamic conceptions of the sanctity of Jerusalem. He has also authored many books on contemporary Islam, which include Radical Islam, The 1948 Generation, Mythes Politiques Arabes, Interpretations of Islam and Religious radicalism & Politics in the Middle East. Sivan is a regular commentator on Islamic movements for Israeli television and writes for the Israeli press. He took part in the Oslo negotiations and worked on the peace process with Egypt and Jordan.
