Daily Times

If an educated person becomes a terrorist, why do we put the blame on his/her alma mater? Why do we automatically begin to think that colleges or universities are responsible for radicalising the student? The making of a terrorist does not necessarily begin in school or even at the madrassa (seminary) level. There is more to it than meets the eye. What about the inner self of the person who chooses to become a terrorist? In every discourse about radicalisation, the presenters are keen to gather data on the institutions radicalised people attend. Rarely does one look into the families the person comes from or the influences he is exposed to outside the college. Least effort is spent in understanding the thought process that influences the decision making process of an individual.

Is it not possible for an Institute of Business Administration (IBA) student or for a graduate from the London School of Economics to have a family that supports religious or ideological leanings? Why is it not possible for a US-educated boy to have a mother who has created a space in her boy’s heart for her own ideology that supports dying for religion or sacrificing anything to make one’s religious belief a success? Why is that someone outside the college cannot influence an educated boy? Why can we not look beyond schools, colleges and even madrassas? Why do we not probe into the making of the terrorist? The non-seculars or the rightists blame the syllabi for promoting conservatism and a disposition towards terrorism. The rightists, on the other hand, also blame the syllabi for inducing secular values and immorality in the youth. Where do we go from here?

The other day, I happened to be with a family whose elder son had joined some jihadi group in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Seven years ago, the boy left his home, parents and siblings, without even saying goodbye. He left a letter in the Quran his father reads every day. He had left to save Islam from the hands of the miscreants. When I asked his mother about his whereabouts or if she had spoken to her son, the reply was far from satisfactory. However, she was adamant that her boy had chosen the right path. Then she started telling me about the number of times jihad is discussed in the Quran. When I broached the topic of the Taliban and al Qaeda, and sought an answer as to how she could justify the killing of innocent people by these groups, she shot back at me by saying, “The Taliban are innocent. It is the dirty work of the media. The media advertently puts the responsibility of every act of terrorism on the Taliban and al Qaeda to smear their reputation. The Taliban never claim responsibility for any act of terrorism.” I was aghast. I could not believe my ears. Her justification was simply unrealistic but she was not ready to listen to my argument. When I was about to leave she handed me a copy of the Quran, which was dedicated to the groups striving to keep those chapters of the Quran alive that promote jihad. In a last bid, I tried to make her understand that people in Pakistan need to be taught humanism before they can understand what it takes to be a jihadi. I told her that we are producing dishonest people and are a corrupt nation. To my amazement, again she attributed this malady to the lack of awareness about jihad or to the forsaking attitude of people towards jihad.

This is a well-educated family in which most of the members are attached to politics, the media and medicine. Before the boy left for jihad, he was being educated in one of the finest schools in Model Town, Lahore (DPS), where no one would assume a tilt towards terrorism takes place. Where do we go from here?

I know another boy from the US, ostensibly from a religious family. He will live six years in Pakistan to become an aalim (Islamic scholar). I have yet to find a boy as cool as he is. He does not adhere to whatever was taught in his madrassa where children are taught how to refuse to apply their minds. He sees Islam as a way of life and jihad not necessarily a domain for folk to preach or a field that only endorses faith-based killings. When I dug deeper, I found out the boy comes from a family that does not believe in a strict version of Islam, especially the mother. Instead, their belief system encouraged moderation and letting others live in peace and harmony with whatever they deemed right or wrong.

The point is that we need to challenge the stereotype about educated boys inclined towards terrorism (read martyrdom) as the product of their education system. We need to study other patterns of influence on their behaviour to decide what needs to be addressed to change the mindset that promotes terrorism in the garb of martyrdom.

The writer is a copywriter and freelance journalist with an academic background in public policy and governance. She can be reached at marium042@gmail.com