The scope and tapestry of religious extremism
Gen Kayani’s speech at PMA Kakul on August 14 repays a close study. The war against religious extremism was our war, he said. This was the kernel of his remarks.…
Policies to prevent extremism
THE government has announced another policy related to countering extremism; it contains the same flowery words, borrowed jargon, hollow phrases, and unfeasible implementation plans as several policies before it. One…
Drivers of extremism
WHAT compels a mob to burn someone to death? What explains such amplified levels of anger that an accusation against some person from a marginalised group leads to a lynching?…
Understanding extremism
THE scenes are from a movie in a Third World, conflict-ridden state, when a mob descends upon a local church to set it ablaze, leaving behind a trail of destruction…
Mired in extremism
THE clumsy uproar of a religious group on filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha and an appeasing response by the government reveal only a part of the extremism problem facing Pakistani state…
Countering violent extremism
PAKISTAN seems to be in the grip of extremism often fuelled and expressed by those violently reacting to any accusation of blasphemy. The recent, and as yet unproven, allegations of desecration of…
Extremism virus
MANY societies affected by extremism mistakenly believe that countering and preventing extremism is the exclusive domain of government agencies. This perception only provides more space for extremist groups to disseminate…
The price of extremism
After a flurry of praise for the police officer who saved her life, most Pakistanis seem to have forgotten the incident in Lahore involving the woman who was accused of…
Identity crisis and extremism
An identity crisis is a phenomenon where a people's identity is defined and manipulated in a particular way to exploit it for political advantages. Identity crisis then leads to extremism…
Countering extremism
The Muttahida Ulema Board has unanimously decided to cleanse the curriculum of extremist content. “So far, 307 books have been cleared from possible extremist content,” Special Assistant to the Prime…
