EDITORIAL

Can Pakistan counter Religious Extremism?

The working sentiment for the creation of Pakistan was religion. Otherwise, most Indians were familiar with the same ethnicity, language, culture and territory. Indian nationalism had been a strong emotion. However, religion divided it irrespective of the merit of the argument. Even instantly after the partition, religion as a working sentiment subsided, and other forms of nationalism emerged. Still, there had always been a strong attachment to the religion; therefore, the state employed it to cater to other linguistic and ethnic nationalism. It was the primary mistake of the state to sponsor religious sentiments. Then, the Afghan Jihad and policies of the Zia Ul Haq added fuel to the fire, and the society turned into an extremist religious society.

The monopoly of religious clergy over poor people has been the fundamental cause of religious extremism. The denial of the state towards poor people and letting religious clergy take care of them shall never pacify religious extremism. Religious clergy uses poor people for economic, religious, sectarian and political advantage. The population explosion in the ranks of poor provides religious clergy with all the human resources inevitable for their cultural, political and sectarian advantages. This alienation by the state has damaged the society in Pakistan. Then, religion should be regulated by the state, not the individuals, and the state must hold all the authority and monopoly on religious thoughts. Regulation of religion by the state is the only way to control the rising religious extremism.

Awareness of religion among the masses is critical for the understanding of religion. Then, the state must regulate the religious scholars and all the syllabi. The literature creating sectarianism, extremism, and orthodoxy, should be banned. The syllabus regulation is critical for the cause. Notably, the writ of the state is crucial in this regard. It is the state’s primary obligation to protect a citizen’s life, and it is also a fundamental right to be proceeded as per law and meet due procedure of law. Therefore, mob lynching is unacceptable, and how can the state allow it? A state which can not control mob lynching is a Banana Republic.

Lastly, society must stand against religious extremism. It must push the state to implement the writ of the state and ensure due process of law for all those accused of religious violations. Society can not allow religious extremism to take control of social values of the society, and if it does not control, society and state shall collapse. Pakistan should not compromise the sovereignty of its statehood.https://republicpolicy.com/tackling-religious-extremism-in-pakistan/