The menace of sectarianism and religiously inspired extremism has affected the lives of people across the globe. The most dangerous effect of religious extremism is that it breeds violence and destabilizes the social, political, and economic structure of society. The religiously motivated ideology of extremism is used to persuade people to develop hostilities against those who deviate from the path set by extremist ideology. These inter-creed hostilities not only destroy social relations but also cause the disintegration of social institutions. Terrorist organizations through acts of violence and sectarian conflicts challenge the writ of the state to achieve their political interests. Extremism phenomena are destroying Muslim societies by producing fanaticism, hate, and narrow-mindedness. It causes intolerance which insidiously penetrates ethnic, religious, educational, and political fields. In the religious sphere, there is intolerance towards the beliefs of other sects. People with an extremist way of thinking don’t accommodate people who disagree with their rigid point of view and unleash violence against their ideological as well as political opponents. They have a sense of self-righteousness, and they believe that they have the right to impose their beliefs on a beleaguered segment of society. This tendency is also seeping into every aspect of the social and political system of our country. Thus, the elimination of extremism is a formidable challenge faced by Pakistan.
Pakistan was created on the basis of Islamic ideology. The purpose of its creation was to safeguard the political, economic, and social rights of Muslims. After the making of Pakistan, the rights of all citizens of the state were protected. All citizens began to be treated equal and they were free to profess and practice their faith. The founder of Pakistan Quaid-I-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned Pakistani society in his historic address on August 11, 1947. He said: “You are free, you are free to go to temples, you are free to go to your mosques or any other place of worship in the state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state. In the course of time, Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of every individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the state” This clearly indicates that religion was not supposed to be used for political purpose and one community should not be promoted at the expense of the other communities.
The religiously motivated ideology of extremism is used to persuade people to develop hostilities against those who deviate from the set path.
However, in the past, religion has been used to capture, perpetuate, and legitimize power. For instance, Zia Period (1977-1988) was an example of the religionization of politics. His religious policies created polarization among various classes in society and widened the gulf between different sectarian groups. His regime patronized the wave of sectarian divide and nurtured extremism. In addition, political intolerance was rooted in society by replacing joint electorates with separate electorates which further sowed the seeds of hatred among minority communities. During the Zia regime, religious feelings were further exploited in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The United States was able to convince Muslims that this invasion posed a serious threat to the existence of Islam. Pakistan and the US made an alliance and developed friendliness with Islamist groups in Afghanistan by declaring the Soviet Union their common enemy. It resulted in the mushroom growth of Madressahs and the process of radicalization began to develop its roots in society. Some Madressahs maintained close ties with radical, sectarian, militant, and political groups in the country. Some religious parties also played role in the growth of extremism and disharmony. The spread of hate was converted into sectarian violence. However, the expansion of the militant landscape posed a serious threat to peace and harmony in society. All religious parties benefited from the gullible nature of people around them and promoted their ideologies and accomplished their political tasks. They also promoted perniciously their extremist ideas and made the Madrassas vehicles of hatred for other creeds, and sects.
The recent history of extremism indicates that the successive governments adopted a policy of appeasement and remained reluctant to take kinetic action against the extremist groups and put the lives of innocent citizens at the mercy of extremist hordes. Such dereliction of duties on the part of authorities allowed extremist forces to multiply in a conducive environment. However, in the recent past, the state took concrete initiatives to eliminate extremism and stop unprecedented growth in religious heterogeneity and radicalization. Its narrative was made to counter growing extremism. The Paigham-I-Pakistan narrative was launched in 2018 through joint efforts of the Council of Islamic Ideology and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for stemming extremism and radicalization among youth through real and virtual platforms. The aim of this narrative is to promote cultural diversity and interfaith dialogue, national integration social cohesion and youth engagement in positive activities. This narrative is to respect religious diversity and value social, and cultural expressions. It can be argued that this peace narrative in combination with Sufism-related thoughts and values can contribute to inclusiveness and plurality in society which is so essential for peace and harmony.
It is expected that government will take tangible action against the extremist elements and show its resolve against militancy by restricting their movements and weaning them away from disseminating hate speech after the launch National Security Policy (NSP) earlier this year. The further new policy of National Counter Violent Extremism (NCVE) has been enforced to create collaboration among federal and provincial institutions and promote coordination among law enforcement agencies. It has been made part of a wider counter-terrorism strategy framework. It is also aimed at the state’s regulation of educational and religious institutions and seeks to bring social change through curriculum and pedagogy reforms.
In the above activities, a close relationship between state and society will bring synergy and harmony in their thoughts for building peace and implementing counternarrative against the complex extremist ideology and promote reconciliation of state laws and social values for achieving a common goal. Religious scholars can play a vital role in promoting moderation and tolerance as an essence of Islamic teachings. Islam’s message of peace for mankind is a universal principle that guides all followers and believers of different religions and creeds about creating a spirit of coexistence and maintaining peace in the world. This idea of Islam dispels the ideological clash among various cultures and facilitates interfaith dialogue among various civilizations.
Moreover, the pervasiveness of extremism can be further countered by the development of community resilience through active citizenship and community engagement. Community resilience can be strengthened by reformed education, Sufism and cultural festivities, participation of civil society, speedy social justice, implementation rule of law, youth engagement, effective governance, the democratization of public opinion and mitigation of economic and social disparities which are key to curb the anatomy of violent religious extremism in Pakistan.
The writer is Professor and Director (Pakistan Study Centre, University of Sindh, Jamshoro) and can be reached at [email protected]