Terrorism and Religious Extremism in Pakistan - Case Study Example

Terrorism and religious extremism in Pakistan Introduction Religious extremism is perhaps the biggest challenge the Pakistani society is facing today. Since the emergence of religious military groups during the Afghanistan war involving the West and the Soviets, Jihadism has entrenched itself in the fabric of the Pakistani society to the point that it is considered to be state policy in Pakistan.1 With the increase in the number of religious extremist groups and militant activities perpetrated by these groups, there has been a significant increase in terrorist attacks within and outside Pakistan. Al-Qaeda has particularly found a haven in Pakistan, with many of its members living in Pakistan. Notably, Pakistan was suspected to been hiding the former world’s most wanted man, Osama, who was killed by the U.S.’s Navy seals in Abbotabad, Pakistan. Despite the level of religious extremism in Pakistan, many people do not understand the root cause of extremism and militancy in the country. Some political commentators and pundits have blamed the high levels of religious extremism in Pakistan on the Islamic religion.2 However, the key driver of extremism and sectarian violence in Pakistan is the economic and political situation.3 Of course, this combines with other factors like the fact that Islam allows Jihad, if Muslims are mistreated by non-Muslims, and the fact that Pakistan has a large network of madrassas that can be used by radical clerics and teachers in spreading the message of Jihad. There has also been confusion among political commentators with some using religious extremism and terrorism interchangeably as if they are synonymous. While some religious extremists engage in terrorist activities, not all religious extremist groups are terrorists. On the other hand, some terrorist groups do not start as religious extremist groups and thus in the context of Pakistan, terrorism per se cannot be characterized as religious extremism. This paper is an analysis of the relationship between terrorism and religious extremism in Pakistan. Terrorism and religious extremism Superficially, the relationship between terrorism and extremism seems obvious. However, upon close examination of the features of the two, one discovers that the relationship between terrorism and extremism is complex. Religious extremists kill people because they believe in some religious ideologies that regard the killing of people as serving God. The extremists do not sympathize with their victims because according to them, the victims are God’s enemies.4 Sometimes they even sacrifice their own lives believing that they will be rewarded in their afterlife. Conversely, terrorism is motivated by a number of issues. Despite the numerous motivations for terrorism, most terrorist organizations use religion as an alibi for their existence and for perpetrating acts of terror. When they carry out an attack for whatever reasons, they cite their religious beliefs as being the main reason behind such an attack. However, upon closer examination, their theological explanations are illogical. For instance, most terrorist organizations are not even religious to begin with, yet they explain their terror attacks using theological explanations.5 Muslims believe in a fruitful afterlife after sacrificing their own lives in suicide bombs. However, the Tamil Tigers, a no-religious terrorist group has carried out more suicide attacks as compared with most Islamic terrorist organizations.6 This therefore proves that religion is not the main motivation behind the acts of terror carried out by terrorist organization. If religion motivated such attacks, one would expect that Islamic terrorist organizations have the highest number of suicide attacks because Muslims believe that there is a reward for such acts. Although religious extremism contributes to terrorism, not all terrorist organizations are religious extremist organizations and not all terrorist activities are related to religious extremism. Therefore, terrorism and religious extremism cannot be taken to be synonymous in Pakistan’s context.7 Additionally, religion is not a contributing factor as far as the efficacy of terrorist organizations is concerned. Hamas, for example, had existed for a long time preaching against violence and encouraging political Islam and personal righteousness. Hamas only started exhibiting terrorist and violent traits when the first Palestinian uprising took place.8 This characteristic applies to all religious extremist organizations. Their ease of involvement in terrorist activities changes with time, while their sectarian characteristics remain unchanged. They also adjust their theology to fit their dynamic orientations. Religious extremist groups can harness the commitment of their members and the credibility of their clergy to engage in cooperative production. Some of the cooperative engagements that religious extremists engage in include provision of social services like schools and hospitals. Militia and terrorist activities can be viewed as extreme cooperative production activities and thus religious extremist groups can form effective terrorist organizations if they choose to engage in terrorism. This therefore means that religious extremists may choose to engage in positive cooperative activities and shun terrorism. Thus, it is wrong to view all extremist groups as terrorists. Main causes of terrorist activities The growth of religious extremism and consequently religious terrorism in Pakistan cannot be directly linked to the Islamic faith that is characteristic of Pakistan as a nation. In the same way, the militant tendencies of the Pakistani society are not attributable to the kind of society that Pakistanis enjoy. Rather, extremism has been fuelled by economic and political events that have repercussions on the Pakistani populace.9 For instance, during the Afghanistan War, religious groups in Pakistan and other countries cooperated with the West in fighting Russia. This led to glorification of extremism within the Pakistani society. It can therefore be argued that terrorism is a manifestation of the underlying problem of political and economic excesses committed by the ruling elite. At this point, it is important to mention that the aforementioned Jihad marked the start of al-Qaeda, a terrorist group that has gained popularity worldwide as the leading religious extremist organization.10 If terrorist activities were solely attributable to religion, one would expect that the formation of an organization as powerful as al-Qaeda would be based on theological principles. However, al-Qaeda was formed because of efforts to win a political war in Afghanistan and it continues to cooperate with other regional terrorist groups.11 Given the effects that religious extremism has on the Pakistani society and state, it is important that the phenomenon be controlled as much as possible.12 Most political pundits agree that for the Pakistani government to take strides in combating extremism and militancy, it has to adopt a democratic tradition. The argument is that if the Pakistani society lives in a democratic political environment, then the support that extremist groups enjoy will be substantially withdrawn. The Musharaf regime was largely unsuccessful in reforming the society to reduce extremist tendencies.13 This is because the force it used to crush extremist groups led the Pakistani society to believe that it needed militancy and extremism to help it keep the government in check.14 From this experience, it is apparent that the use of force alone in the fight against religious terrorism is likely to be counterproductive unless the government of the day addresses the issues facing the Pakistani society. In addition to the economic and political causes of religious extremism in Pakistan, the fact that Jihad is more or less Pakistan’s state policy has contributed to militancy. As mentioned above, Pakistani religious groups were actively involved in the Afghanistan war where Russia engaged with the West. During the war, the aforementioned religious groups were co-opted by Pakistan’s forces in Afghanistan. This action gave the Pakistani populace the idea that if they wage Jihad in a genuine case, their actions are legitimate. After the war, the religious groups co-opted by the Pakistani forces in Afghanistan returned home and gained influence, giving them access to funds including funds from donations, charity and Arab-oil money.15 They then solidified their influence and power by preaching Jihad in public rallies, starting and maintaining mandrassas and offering military training to youths touched by the Jihad ‘gospel’. The Islamists also mounted insurmountable pressure on the ruling elites in Pakistan to give in to their dictates. To date, the religious groups, who evolved to become al-Qaeda have substantial influence on Pakistan’s ruling establishment. This is evidenced by the fact that as recently as two years ago, the world’s most wanted man and al-Qaeda leader – Osama Bin Laden – was killed by the U.S. in a Pakistani hideout within army barracks. The paradoxical relationship between Islam and terrorism If anyone asked a law-abiding Pakistani who the terrorists in Pakistan are, the most likely response will be that the terrorists are not Muslims. This is because according to Islam, one Muslim cannot kill another Muslim.16 However, there are many instances in the past where Muslims killed one another. Actually, many instances occurred in cases where there was no interference by non-Muslims. In addition to this denial, Muslims usually assume that terrorists must come from elsewhere. The most common evidence given is that some terrorists are tattooed and that it is against Islamic culture to get tattoos. However, there have been instances where security personnel have unearthed male potency drugs and pornography in terrorists’ paraphernalia. These are also against Islamic teachings and thus it proves that some Muslims do not follow Islamic teachings strictly. Without doubt, Pakistan is sometimes attacked by foreign citizens. However, assuming that every terrorist attack on Pakistan is executed by non-Muslims is ridiculous. Conversely, terrorists consider liberal Muslims as non-Muslims because they claim that they do not take Islamic teachings seriously. This is especially the case when such terrorists, like the Taliban, have killed fellow Muslims and want to prove that they are Muslims. Regarding their fellow Muslims as non-Muslims therefore gives them the right to kill them and remain Muslims. Therefore, according to the Taliban, liberal Pakistanis are not Muslims and according to liberal Pakistanis, members of the Taliban group are not Muslims. The liberal Pakistanis take the religion holistically and consider its elements of peacefulness while the Taliban take a stricter look at Islamic teachings.17 It is therefore imperative that each side considers the other side’s view of Islam and regard them as Muslims. This way, both sides can find where they differ and find common ground. Consequently, the two groups can work together in a bid to change the situation. From the discussion above, it is apparent that some terrorists are Muslims and that not all Muslims are terrorists,18 just like with the other religions. Pakistan has been notorious for its failure to accommodate its non-Muslim population adequately. Actions by successive Pakistani government have undermined the principles that came out clearly in its founding father’s speech in the year 1947.19 This intolerance has also partly contributed to the non-harmonious relationship between liberal Muslims and orthodox Muslims. A community in which different religious groups suspect each other is bound to live in tension and thus the non-harmonious relationship between Muslims and their non-Muslim counterparts is bound to contribute to terrorist and extremist activities. The role of Madrassas A discussion about terrorism and religious extremism in Pakistan would be incomplete without mentioning madrassas. In Pakistan, there are extensive networks of mandrassas, which give free education, food and shelter to their students. Mandrassas have gained a lot of popularity in Pakistan partly because the Pakistani society operates under immense poverty and a culture of large families. Thus, people are forced to enroll their children in the madrassa system because the madrassas help alleviate the poverty situation. Additionally, it is part of Islamic culture and therefore the society feels obliged to take its children to madrassa classes. There are approximately 40,000 madrassas in Pakistan, both registered and unregistered.20 Despite the fact that madrassas have uplifted the Pakistani society socio-economically, the West believes that they are facilitated by radical teachers who introduce the youth to extremism. Initially, the madrassas were used to produce Jihadists who fought in the Afghan war and thus, according to the U.S. and other Western countries, the Jihad component was effectively introduced into the madrassa syllabus. The U.S. therefore believes that the madrassas teach Jihad with the aim of radicalizing youths who become future holy warriors.21 Additionally, there have been allegations that after completing the syllabus in a Jihadi madrassa, youths are sent to get training on guerilla warfare and use of weapons. In summary, and according to the West, Pakistan’s problem lies in not only the terrorist acts committed by extremist groups but also in the pervasive Jihad mentality,22 which the extensive networks of mosques and madrasas have nurtured. Conclusion From the discussion above, it is apparent that religious extremism is a major problem facing the Pakistani society. Religious extremism is different from terrorism and thus terrorism in Pakistan cannot be solely characterized as religious extremism. Religious extremist groups are mainly formed because of the poor economic and political environment that is characteristic of Pakistan as a country. Similarly, they engage in militant activities in case there are unresolved economic and political issues in the country. However, other factors such as the Jihadi provision of the Islamic faith, the fact that the country has many madrassas and mosques, and the fact that the country condones radicalism also contribute to the problem. Religious extremism contributes to terrorist activities, and thus the Pakistani problem of religious extremism has far-reaching ramifications. It is therefore imperative that Pakistan and the world at large find a lasting solution to the religious extremism problem in Pakistan. Military interventions have proved counterproductive in the past because attacking religious extremists only serves to get them more support from the populace. This therefore implies that even an international assault on such groups by NATO is likely to lead to more radicalization and ultimately worsen the situation. The solution therefore lies in improvement of the economic situation of the people of Pakistan and improvement of the political environment in the country. If such solutions are found, religious extremists are likely to stop engaging in terrorist activities and limit their operations to benign sectarian actions. Bibliography Ayaz, Babar. “Dimensions of Extremism in Pakistan”. 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Pewglobal. http://www.pewglobal.org/2009/03/12/few-in-pakistan-support-extremists/ Read More