Terrorism: A battle of grand narratives
The internet has become the new source of infiltrating the minds of young recruits and influencing them to believe in the extremist ideology.
The recent attack on Quetta’s Civil Hospital is an addition to the list of stories of the failure of the nation to eliminate terrorism despite a decade-long war on terror.
It is evident that there has been a decline in such attacks in the country since the counter-terrorism operation Zarb-e-Azb commenced, but the use of military force is only a short term measure.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his recent address, said we have to completely eliminate terrorism from the country.
However, the reality is that the fight against terrorism cannot succeed solely on the basis of killing terrorists and winning back territories.
Terrorist organisations have weaved an intricate network by creating an extremist mindset hence; the strategy to curb extremism should involve preventing the indoctrination of religious extremism.
The problem will only cease to exist when the roots of extremism are pulled out.
The state needs to develop a counter-narrative to the narrative of terrorists in order to stop indoctrination factories from generating more militants.
The national counter-narrative should target not the enablers, but the producers of this extremist propaganda and it should highlight the cause and source of terrorism.
“Terrorist groups intend to establish strong footholds in foreign regions, however, the most successful militant groups in Pakistan are local,” said Jason Burke, a foreign affairs correspondent for The Guardian who has been reporting from Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia for over 20 years.
“Of course, transfrontier logistic support and especially safe havens can help, but for the Taliban for example, they operate better at home than anywhere else,” said Burke.
The National Action Plan (NAP) was formed as a counter-terrorism system by the ruling government in 2015 after an attack on Army Public School in December 2014 killing around 148 people, mostly students.
According to a recent report presented to PM Nawaz, 8 out of 20 points from the NAP were not implemented yet.
The government plans to tackle growing religious extremism in the country by banning sectarian organisations, monitoring and censoring hate speech, banning distribution of extremist material through print and electronic media, and prohibiting glorification of acts of terrorism and terrorist organisations.
The state needs to reach a consensus regarding their policy against terrorism should focus on de-radicalisation and preventing the spread of Taliban’s narrative that promotes violence against other religious minorities.
Radicalisation is the main cause of growing extremism in the region as it used as a tool to develop extremist mindsets.
The war on terror will not succeed until the sources of radicalisation are not removed.
Ibn Taymiyyah, an ultra-conservative scholar initiated the movement that first inspired ‘jihad’ against the ones who do not follow ‘Sharia law’ (Islamic Law).
The terrorist organisations have applied his teachings to misinterpret Islam and use it as a tool to justify the violent acts that they conducted to gain control over the masses.
Ibn Taymiyyah emphasised the importance of jihad and instigated the concept of justifying violent acts by carrying them out in the name of religion.
“Religiosity is enhanced in Pakistan to such an extent that it is difficult to separate it from the political system,” said Political Analyst Mehdi Hassan.
“Quaid-e-Azam in his 11th August speech said ‘Religion has nothing to do with the business of the State’, hence, religion should not be used as a tool in political matters,” said Mehdi Hassan.
Ibn Taymiyyah, an ultra-conservative scholar initiated the movement that first inspired ‘jihad’ against the ones who do not follow ‘Sharia law’ (Islamic Law).The terrorist organisations have applied his teachings to misinterpret Islam and use it as a tool to justify the violent acts that they conducted to gain control over the masses.
“Secularism should be adapted as the counter-narrative to terrorism, and the education system, media, political parties have the responsibility to clear the misconception that secularism is anti-religion,” Hassan added.
It is the responsibility of the civil society to ensure that implementation of this counter-narrative takes place.
The operation Zarb-e-Azb has managed to extradite terrorists from their main grounds near Pak-Afghan border however, the philosophy behind these militant groups is the main problem that can only be tackled if the state adapts secularism as their narrative.
The internet has become the new source of infiltrating the minds of young recruits and influencing them to believe in the extremist ideology.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have claimed to monitor the content that is available on social media.
Militant groups are able to use social networking sites to promote their beliefs and ‘brainwash’ the youth.
“Hate speech against any religion or minority, incitement to violence or explicit support for an extremist organisation should be punished by existing laws wherever it is published,” said Jason Burke.
NAP intends to reduce content related to extremist ideology on social media. Terrorist organisations target audience that live in poverty ridden areas with high unemployment rates and low literacy rates.
Militant groups manipulate the population to believe that a progressive and secular system is the influence of ‘anti-Islam’ forces.
Terrorists misguide the locals and promote anti-development policies and destabilisation by target issues related to education, health, the role of women, and socio-economic reforms.
The role of the state is to eradicate terrorism by developing policies that counter radicalisation by regulating seminaries that promote hatred and religious extremism.
The state with the assistance of religious scholars should develop a counter-narrative that focuses on highlighting the fact that insurgents are using the misinterpretation of religion to promote their agenda.