NO one can forget the tragedy of terrorist attacks, it is also inerasable from the history of Pakistan since then because the country is still confronted with a challenge of violent threats. Indeed, the intensity of violent extremism has been increased manifold. While exploring various options to counter violent extremism and promote community resilience, one may consider the functions of a mosque in a society. Being a source of uniting force, a mosque is a community hub to gather people particularly men to offer prayers. In this way it can be a logical centre of interaction, which is crucial for sharing our problems. This is also important for preventing violent extremism as sharing our hardships with others in a mosque will remind us how we handle an unforeseen situation of extremist incident and exchanged ideas regarding how to move ahead in the right direction.
While digging into the past, it is revealed that mosque has played a magnificent role in each part of Islamic history. It is observed that Madaris associated with mosques in Pakistan existed prior to independence as welfare institutions providing free education, boarding and lodging to the needy students who otherwise could not afford joining formal education schools. This is a great contribution of a welfare institution to identify the conditions conducive to violent extremism and develop the shared understanding of nature of extremism among community members for successful targeting of violent extremism. In such a manner, Azmat Ali Shah et al. expressed that during the governorship of Muhammad Bin Qasim (712-15 AD), Jamia mosques were constructed in principal cities such as Multan to meet the religious and educational needs of the Muslim population. The then governments and prosperous groups employed to preserve these organizations under the administration of well-known spiritual intellectuals. In 1866, the mosque in UP (India) was selected as an academy in succession of Shah Waliuallah’s school of thought. It also helped in gaining more donors resulting in promoting it to a great university where the students not only from the country but also from outside were enrolled for religious graduation.
After the war of Independence 1857 A.D., Sir Syed Ahmed Khan took various initiatives in the form of Aligarh movement for educating the Muslims of the Sub-continent. In 1947, Pakistan came into being in the name of religion. This independence was also the beginning of the establishment of new schools and mosques in Pakistan. During this period, mosques had been pivotal for religious education to children. Lal Masjid constructed in 1960 in Islamabad was also initially known for philanthropic work, including providing shelter and education to orphans and poor children. However, during the Soviet Union’s invasion, Lal Masjid gradually came to serve as a major conduit for sending fighters to Afghanistan.
Until the 1970s, the religious seminaries contributed positively in the socio-economic uplift of Pakistan. In March 1970, the government released the ‘New Education Policy’ document which acknowledged the role of Madaris in providing education. However, by the late 1970s, these institutions were used effectively to sponsor jihadis (militants) against Soviet invasion in Afghanistan and then later for the Kashmir conflict. During that time, religious schools not only grew rapidly in numbers but they also had exposure to Jihad (armed struggle). Several factors contributed to the dramatic growth of radicalization in Pakistan during the late 1970s to 1980s including the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet occupation and resulting war in Afghanistan. As a result, the country has witnessed a mushroom growth of Madaris since the 1970s. Coupled with charities set up by local philanthropists, these Madaris were reportedly funded by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and some friendly, conservative Muslim countries as well.
The present education system may not satisfy the needs of the society particularly amid this growing violent extremism. Thus the old educational system must integrate mosques as primary institution and literacy centre for adults. Drawing on insights from previous experiences, some practical steps will be significant to use religious institutions in a better way for addressing the challenge of violent extremism. It is vital to educate Imams of all the mosques irrespective of any sect about radicals. An excellent example is DHA Lahore and Karachi that hire Imams who have a religious degree from Madrassa as well a master’s degree from any HEC recognized university. The content of sermons should be switched to the topics related to social welfare to increase social bonding, according to Muhammad Ammad-ul-Haque. A syllabus outlining the modern, social and national values should be compulsory for Imams because regular studies of Dars-e-Nizami (religious syllabus of Madaris) lacks it.
Instead of use of hate speech in mosques against rival sects, Imams should offer a social space for promotion of a spirit of mutual help among communities. Rather to avoid sectarian content, a soft policy should be outlined to bring awareness among community. Religious institutions must offer welfare to poor and needy communities. It is also imperative to form a social network wherein a mosque can be spiritual and physical hub for the network members comprising of community members from any sect/group. These network may help in becoming strong communities and also mitigate the threat posed by violent extremism.
—The writer is Islamabad-based researcher.
