The Kashmir Litmus test: an examination of international Islamic solidarity and co-operation

ABSTRACT This article looks into international cooperation based on shared religious solidarity; its causative factors, and how it influences relations between states. To demonstrate its effects in actual practice, this article examines the case study of the decision of the Indian government to revoke the special status of Kashmir in 2019, which prompted criticism by a few states, specifically Turkey and Malaysia, and also examines the role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The article engages with the reasons for these states to engage in criticism of the Indian government’s decision and explores the influence of religious solidarity, especially Islamic solidarity in their rebukes against India, and also briefly deals with the implications such moves may have on a state’s foreign policy calculus.