Preventing radicalism in educational institutions: Pakistan a case in point

• Author: Zainab A. Shah,Abrar Ahmad,Yousaf Ali,Muhammad A. Awan
• Published date: 01 August 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2111
• Date: 01 August 2020

ACADEMIC PAPER

Preventing radicalism in educational institutions: Pakistan a

case in point

Yousaf Ali | Abrar Ahmad | Zainab A. Shah | Muhammad A. Awan

Department of Management Sciences, Ghulam

Ishaq Khan Institute Engineering Sciences and

Technology, Topi, Pakistan

Correspondence

Dr. Yousaf Ali, Assistant Professor Department

of Management Science, GIK Institute of

Engineering sciences and Technology,

Pakistan.

Email: yousafkhan@giki.edu.pk

With the recent drastic shifts in societies, thinking styles, and most importantly, the

degree of online-and-offline exposure, it is easy for the young and developing mind

to fall prey to radical or extremist ideas. Radical organizations direct their recruiting

efforts toward those who have yet to reach adolescence and are incapable of forming

well-informed and educated decisions. Since it is in human nature to target the weak

and the vulnerable, these organizations look for dissatisfied, isolated and friendless

young people. They are especially allured when these organizations promise to get

them all they lack. As there have been incidents recently reported on young students'

involvement in terror activities, the study proposes alternatives to prevent them from

falling prey to radical thoughts. The proposed alternatives are judged through TOPSIS

(Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution) and the ideal alterna-

tive is singled out after mathematical calculation. Out of the five proposed alterna-

tives, the study, through TOPSIS analysis, proposes that parents may be trained to

handle their children in order to keep them from radical thoughts. In addition to the

ideal alternative, the study also suggests that the government take preventive mea-

sures to curb the evil of radicalism.

1|INTRODUCTION

The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines “radicalism”as “The

quality or state of being radical”. (Anon, 2016). This leads to the ques-

tion, what or who is a radical. This is defined by the Merriam-Webster

dictionary as “very different from the usual or traditional”

(Anon, 2016).

An extremist is one who hol ds views that defy logic , that swing

so far from the middle ground that any actions based on that pre-

mise are socially and often legally unacceptable. The tendency to

have radical or extr emist views can be a danger to any societ y. Radi-

calism is normally a ssociated with the younger generation . They are

easily impressionable, easy to incite and to excite. Therefore, they

are in the greatest need f or protection from exposure to extremism .

However, it must be added that “radicalization is not a threat to soci-

ety if it is not connecte d to violence or other u nlawful acts…”

(Vienna, 2017). Havi ng radical or extremist views does not necessa r-

ily mean that a person wi ll indulge in or give sup port to activities

that may cause physical, fin ancial or emotional harm to ano ther

person. In any case, it is still unhealthy and counterproductive to

hold or foster extremist views.

In a country like Pakistan, where religion is the societal fabric of

masses, radicalism was thus dyed with religious fundamentals. It is

mostly this religious tinge that turns radicalism into a totally new

phenomenon. When this phenomenon leads to unlawful, violent, or

terrorist acts, radicalism becomes a serious problem. Especially, when

young minds are inclined toward radicalism, incidents like Mashal

Khan's cannot be stopped from (re)occurring. Mashal Khan, a young

Pakistani student studying journalism at Abdul Wali Khan University

in Mardan, Pakistan, was lynched by an extremist and radical mob of

his colleagues. They claimed he had committed the sin of blasphemy,

and instead of demanding a proof they attacked him in his hostel and

took his life. (Anon, 2017). There have been countless incidents where

acts of violence or terrorism have been committed due to radical reli-

gious thinking. A case in point, terrorist organizations like the Islamic

State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) use the name of religion to incite hatred

and violence. They adopt extremist ideas and impose them upon

others. They gain followers by targeting those with weak or

Received: 6 January 2020 Accepted: 8 March 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2111

J Public Affairs. 2020;20:e2111. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 1of8

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2111