Building community resilience
Mothers can play a key role in instilling tolerance and problem-solving approaches in their children
The writer tweets @alibabakhel
Recently, Nacta organised a discussion where experts from different walks of life were invited to suggest ways to tailor a “community resilience plan” amidst the ongoing spell of terrorism and extremism. During deliberations some knotty issues gave birth to several new and interesting questions, which earned the attention of the experts. In a society where religious, linguistic and sectarian diversities are living realities, how difficult is it to attain consensus? After a decades-long spell of violent extremism, why are we still talking of building resilience of communities? When will we fully transition from talking about building resilience to engendering empowerment? Does empowerment mean arming community members and encouraging the formation of lashkars or building the capacity of the community to sniff the virus of extremism in their neighbourhoods? Undoubtedly, empowerment of the community includes the capacity to recognise the symptoms of extremism, its facilitators and financiers. Why don't we move beyond talking about resilience and tailor a plan for the empowerment of communities? Can an anti-extremism plan without consultation of the community attain success? Trust deficit between the state apparatus and the community is a barrier. How do we remove such barriers?
In the post-APS scenario, Pakistani security forces are trying to reduce the physical space for extremists and terrorists. However, it is difficult to root out dormant extremists, who either try to survive in cyberspace or in sleeper cells, and poison the minds of likeminded individuals. How do we save the innocents within cyberspace? It is undoubtedly vital to tailor an effective plan to filter out such elements from cyberspace. The internet is not only an instant and easy means to hunt for likeminded individuals, it is also an effective means to disseminate hate material. Those who believe in taking shortcuts to counter the menace we face, assume that the empowerment of the community means to motivate and prepare the public to handle guns and be ready to respond to any militant attack. Such thinking may further push us towards tribalism and weaponisation, and weaken the writ of rule of law. The situation warrants capacity-building of the community to sniff out the virus of extremism and be on the lookout for sympathisers, facilitators and financiers of extremism. Ideally, a community should have the capacity to identify hate material and its negative implications. Being resilient does not mean that the community should always wait for divine help; rather it should have the capacity to respond to the challenge posed by extremists in a proactive manner.
To save communities from those who use religion for ulterior motives, it is imperative upon the clergy to disseminate the true message of Islam.
In societies where women are marginalised, their role in countering extremism also needs special attention. While mentoring their kids, mothers have to play a regulatory role. In societies like ours, mothers may be in a better position to assess the symptoms of extremism. Mothers in Fata, K-P and Balochistan have faced the major brunt of the terror onslaught, but there is hardly any organised realisation or effort to sensitise and integrate women in counter-extremism and de-radicalisation processes. Mothers can play a key role in instilling tolerance and problem-solving approaches in their children.
Political manifestation based on clarity is the initial step towards an ideal counter-extremism recipe hence without political ownership and political consensus all such endeavours carried out by other stakeholders may not achieve the desired results.
Different communities, like personnel of security forces and law enforcement agencies, businesses, students, academia, lawyers, politicians and political workers have suffered a lot at the hands of terrorism. While the heirs of law enforcement personnel, who have sacrificed their lives in the war on terror, have recieved compensations, it is a different story when it comes to the heirs of civilian victims as each province has a different policy in this regard. Balochistan and Punjab have enacted laws for civilian victims and other provinces also need to follow suit and bring more transparency, generosity and uniformity in compensation packages. Such a move will improve the trust of the communities in the state and government. To strengthen the confidence of the citizenry in the state, it is imperative to have transparent compensation packages to be paid without any hassle.
Prior to 9/11, Maliks in the tribal areas played the role of a bridge between the community and the political administration; sadly, the terror onslaught has seen hundreds of Maliks being targeted and losing their lives. In addition, there is hardly any endeavour to incorporate local bodies’ representatives in counter-extremism initiatives. Neighborhood watches can be instrumental in the prevention of terrorism and district and union councils need to form neighborhood watch councils for this purpose.
The low conviction rate in terror cases has eroded the confidence of the community in the criminal justice system. However, an increase in the conviction rate is not possible without the cooperation of witnesses. In a society where witnesses feel insecure, how can judges be expected to convict terrorists? The ultimate beneficiaries here are extremists.
In abnormal situations, communities should realise the limitations and challenges that a state faces. Communities have to realise that the ongoing war is between the state and violent non-state actors hence such situations can sometimes warrant the curtailment of some human liberties. Soon after 9/11, the US enacted the Patriot Act, and France, known for its values of liberty and freedom, imposed a state of emergency in November 2015. Without public support governments alone cannot defeat the enemy within.
After the APS attack, Pakistan responded with the 20-point NAP and Protection of Pakistan Act 2014. However, the NAP fails to provide any inspiration for the incorporation of the community in countering terror. The effective implementation of the NAP requires a clearly defined role for communities. The incorporation of community members in counter-extremism or de-radicalisation plans does not mean expecting them to play the role of intelligence operators. To fully utilise the potential of any community, it is essential to lessen the trust deficit and seek only their cooperation. This is possible by inculcating a spirit of volunteerism and a sense of responsibility within them, and extending the umbrella of state protection to all citizens. Law enforcement higher-ups need to dig out the reasons behind our communities opting to remain silent in the face of the terror threat. When states do not empower communities, their members do not feel responsible to act in adverse situations.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2016.
In the post-APS scenario, Pakistani security forces are trying to reduce the physical space for extremists and terrorists. However, it is difficult to root out dormant extremists, who either try to survive in cyberspace or in sleeper cells, and poison the minds of likeminded individuals. How do we save the innocents within cyberspace? It is undoubtedly vital to tailor an effective plan to filter out such elements from cyberspace. The internet is not only an instant and easy means to hunt for likeminded individuals, it is also an effective means to disseminate hate material. Those who believe in taking shortcuts to counter the menace we face, assume that the empowerment of the community means to motivate and prepare the public to handle guns and be ready to respond to any militant attack. Such thinking may further push us towards tribalism and weaponisation, and weaken the writ of rule of law. The situation warrants capacity-building of the community to sniff out the virus of extremism and be on the lookout for sympathisers, facilitators and financiers of extremism. Ideally, a community should have the capacity to identify hate material and its negative implications. Being resilient does not mean that the community should always wait for divine help; rather it should have the capacity to respond to the challenge posed by extremists in a proactive manner.
To save communities from those who use religion for ulterior motives, it is imperative upon the clergy to disseminate the true message of Islam.
In societies where women are marginalised, their role in countering extremism also needs special attention. While mentoring their kids, mothers have to play a regulatory role. In societies like ours, mothers may be in a better position to assess the symptoms of extremism. Mothers in Fata, K-P and Balochistan have faced the major brunt of the terror onslaught, but there is hardly any organised realisation or effort to sensitise and integrate women in counter-extremism and de-radicalisation processes. Mothers can play a key role in instilling tolerance and problem-solving approaches in their children.
Political manifestation based on clarity is the initial step towards an ideal counter-extremism recipe hence without political ownership and political consensus all such endeavours carried out by other stakeholders may not achieve the desired results.
Different communities, like personnel of security forces and law enforcement agencies, businesses, students, academia, lawyers, politicians and political workers have suffered a lot at the hands of terrorism. While the heirs of law enforcement personnel, who have sacrificed their lives in the war on terror, have recieved compensations, it is a different story when it comes to the heirs of civilian victims as each province has a different policy in this regard. Balochistan and Punjab have enacted laws for civilian victims and other provinces also need to follow suit and bring more transparency, generosity and uniformity in compensation packages. Such a move will improve the trust of the communities in the state and government. To strengthen the confidence of the citizenry in the state, it is imperative to have transparent compensation packages to be paid without any hassle.
Prior to 9/11, Maliks in the tribal areas played the role of a bridge between the community and the political administration; sadly, the terror onslaught has seen hundreds of Maliks being targeted and losing their lives. In addition, there is hardly any endeavour to incorporate local bodies’ representatives in counter-extremism initiatives. Neighborhood watches can be instrumental in the prevention of terrorism and district and union councils need to form neighborhood watch councils for this purpose.
The low conviction rate in terror cases has eroded the confidence of the community in the criminal justice system. However, an increase in the conviction rate is not possible without the cooperation of witnesses. In a society where witnesses feel insecure, how can judges be expected to convict terrorists? The ultimate beneficiaries here are extremists.
In abnormal situations, communities should realise the limitations and challenges that a state faces. Communities have to realise that the ongoing war is between the state and violent non-state actors hence such situations can sometimes warrant the curtailment of some human liberties. Soon after 9/11, the US enacted the Patriot Act, and France, known for its values of liberty and freedom, imposed a state of emergency in November 2015. Without public support governments alone cannot defeat the enemy within.
After the APS attack, Pakistan responded with the 20-point NAP and Protection of Pakistan Act 2014. However, the NAP fails to provide any inspiration for the incorporation of the community in countering terror. The effective implementation of the NAP requires a clearly defined role for communities. The incorporation of community members in counter-extremism or de-radicalisation plans does not mean expecting them to play the role of intelligence operators. To fully utilise the potential of any community, it is essential to lessen the trust deficit and seek only their cooperation. This is possible by inculcating a spirit of volunteerism and a sense of responsibility within them, and extending the umbrella of state protection to all citizens. Law enforcement higher-ups need to dig out the reasons behind our communities opting to remain silent in the face of the terror threat. When states do not empower communities, their members do not feel responsible to act in adverse situations.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2016.