Srinagar, Aug. 9 -- There is perhaps no political instrument more powerful than faith. Governments can offer jobs, welfare and security, while political parties can promise development and prosperity. But faith offers something politics often cannot manufacture: moral certainty. Tell people that a policy is economically necessary and they may question it. Tell them it is politically necessary and they may oppose it. But convince them it is God's will, and questioning it can suddenly become a moral offence.

Across history and continents, rulers have discovered the power of linking political authority with the sacred. Kings ruled by divine right, empires portrayed themselves as defenders of religious civilisation, and modern political move...