ON 24 SEPTEMBER 2012, 26 people from six Buddhist families converted to Islam in the Zanskar valley in Ladakh, in India’s far north. The converts were from oppressed castes and wanted to break free from the discrimination that they experienced daily. The local market was filled with Muslims celebrating the event. Their jubilation made the Buddhists in the Zanskar valley angry.
In the aftermath of the celebrations, Buddhists forced a shutdown of the market. They were led by the Zanskar Buddhist Association (ZBA), which wrote to local Muslim leaders threatening further protests if conversions did not stop. The ZBA expressed scepticism that such a large number of conversions could have happened at once with the free agreement of the converts. There were whispers about coercion, which the converts and Muslim community leaders denied. Tensions built up until a mod of Buddhists attacked the Muslims, leaving dozens of people injured. Muslim houses were damaged and property worth thousands of rupees was destroyed.
The attackers demanded “custody” of the new converts. Though one family succumbed to pressure and vowed to renounce Islam, others stood firm in their newfound faith. The standoff had a lasting impact on local interfaith relations, with Buddhists initiating a social boycott of Muslims – they refused to deal with any Muslims traders, shops or workers – that continued for six years. It ended only in 2018, after the Dalai Lama intervened and representatives from both communities formed a peace committee at his behest.
Ladakh is today a Union Territory of India, situated in a high-altitude desert. It has a mixed population of Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus living in the districts of Leh and Kargil. About 46 percent of the population are Muslim, while 40 percent are Buddhists and 12 percent Hindus. Leh district, bordering China, is dominated by Buddhists, who comprise around two-thirds of its population; Kargil district, bordering Pakistan, is mainly inhabited by Muslims, who make up over a quarter of its residents.