IT is commonly understood that one of the major reasons of violent extremism are lack of access to education. However, it is also evident that less or poor educational attainment does not have a correlation with violence. Pakistani religious seminaries and public educational institutions were considered as platforms that may produce extremist ideas. Indeed, several incidents of violence have involved individuals with university degrees. In fact, the incidents of violence implicating university scholars are not new phenomenon in Pakistan, but the number of violent events on university areas and involvement of university students in extremist incidents are rising. Violent extremists may use universities to legalise their ideologies of extremism and extend them more easily across the country. Various scholars including Fatima Waqi Sajjad (2022), Ahmed et al. (2020), Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog (2016) have examined that why education at this higher level fails to prevent our youths from joining extremist groups. It is also vital to interrogate why violent extremist can easily access to university campuses.
Before we explore the answers of the above questions, it is imperative to learn the definition of the term ‘extremism’ in variant ways by scientists, scholars and political authorities. Some say, extremism is defined as ‘attitudes or behaviours that are deemed outside the norm’. As per Andrej Sotlar, extremism is essentially a political term which determines the activities that are not in accordance with norms of the state, are fully intolerant toward others, reject democracy as a means of governance and the way of problem solving and also reject the existing social order. It is also described that violent extremism is ‘the beliefs and actions of people who support or use violence to achieve ideological, religious or political goals’. It is acknowledged that radicalization is a process that leads towards violent extremism wherein an individual may accept extreme ideology of the violent extremists and apply their narratives in the shape of violent activities across society. However, violent extremism is a collective violence that may produce due to feelings of deprivation and dissatisfaction in relation to their human basic needs.
On the point of engaging university students, Dr. Carlo Tognato says that extremists seek the buy-in of university communities by exercising their influence upon them. In a study by Fatima Uiversity, teachers identified a number of reasons for the rise of extremism in university campuses. One reason identified was the dominant traditional methods of teaching that do not allow students to think independently. It was pointed out that quite often teachers neither believe in critical thinking themselves, nor promote it. Independent thinking that promotes creativity is blocked. When thinking is blocked, students remain vulnerable to extremist ideologies. Another teacher was of the opinion that universities have ineffectively managed the student unions. Several public and private universities in Pakistan do not permit to have student unions which is not good. In my personal experience, the existence of student’s union is not always for incidence of violence but it is crucial for students to access to basic rights. Indeed, student unions may help students to feel at home and get the youth involved in peaceful activities.
Education has been leveraged to both radicalize and to de-radicalize young people. Universities in Pakistan are not only in the business of knowledge generation but they also cultivate and support extremist ideologies among their students and teachers and use or sometimes explode them whenever they need their lives for their vested interest. The question is why violent extremists select university students. A possible explanation from Ahmed et al. (2020) is that various universities in Pakistan are ethnically diverse and thus university students urge to seek ethno-lingual membership. Ahmed et al. in their study stated that around 50% of the respondents agreed that students need support from student councils in a range of administrative matters, such as managing accommodation in hostel and seeking favours in class grades (as student council or group leaders have direct links with the academics and the university administrators). These basic needs are fundamental for the students particularly for the female students who live in the hostel and come from far flung areas and this may be her first step outside her home. These female students need strong support in the university so she finds ethnic group of her area as the most influential support system for such daily help. Violent groups exploit and distort ethnic differences among university ethnic groups and then they lure these educated fellows into extremism. Indeed, these ethnic groups are vulnerable as sometimes they are used by their tribal people and sometimes they are played in the hands of extremists. The latter group use their exclusive traits for their violent missions. Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog (2016) also gave some other clear explanations that students believed that education is their path to a better life but when they fail to achieve it and thus this feeling of deprivation made them vulnerable to radicalization.
As noted by Fatima Waqi Sajjad (2022), violent extremism is largely regarded as an individual’s problem and hence it is emphasized that education must inculcate certain skills in individuals that can shield them against radicalization. There must be some absolute solution of this crucial problem. Remove the student from university or ban on students’ union or target the single terrorist networks may not be the best way to counter extremism. To control the extreme voices on campuses, university authorities must create internal public sphere where students can pursue free and open dialogue on campus on any topic they desire. It has been seen that the overall atmosphere of university campuses does not encourage open and free thinking. Fatima (Ibid) elucidated that it is significant to create open and critical dialogue among students to develop students’ critical consciousness and constructive thinking.
Students can participate in free debates on everyday social and political issues. These dialogues will be a civilized option for addressing conflicts in a constructive manner, sharing information and fostering mutual understanding. However, it is also important simultaneously to align university curricula with the job markets. Moreover, no matter what ever a student’s career; scientist, doctor, engineer, artist, lawyer, our youths must be prepared for tomorrow’s world to succeed in their entrepreneurship life. They need training, creativity and innovative ideas for their own business because entrepreneurship will give them autonomy, and financial security. Youth entrepreneurship is the future of Pakistan’s economy by establishing new firms and innovative ideas that may help increase Pakistan’s GDP and expand financial resources.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
