The rise and rise of radicalism

Pakistan has been steered into radicalism over many years. There has never developed or been allowed to develop a counter-narrative, and a radical mindset now colours the national paradigm creating a tolerance of extremism — the step beyond radicalism. But Pakistan is not alone in seeing radicalism grow and flourish and it is not a phenomenon confined either to Muslim-majority states or the developing world generally. There is now a report that a women in Singapore has been detained because she tried to join Islamic State fighters in Syria and was actively seeking an IS husband. She has been detained under a draconian law that allows detention without trial. Three men have recently been similarly detained.

Singapore may not be the first place that springs to mind when asked to consider the spread of radicalism. Yet there is concern about the rise of radicalism in the region and Singapore has initiated intelligence cooperation with its neighbours. Widen the focus and it is easy to see that the developed world is experiencing a mushrooming of radicalism, much of it self-generated by online exposure rather than by proselytising messengers of hate. An increasing number of terrorist incidents are committed by so-called ‘lone wolves’. Their actions may be subsequently claimed by IS but there is scant evidence of direct command and control by the group.

Pakistan is not alone in having failed to develop a counter to radicalism — no other state has successfully and sustainably done so either. There have been initiatives by governments — ‘Prevent’ in the UK perhaps being the best known — but they are mostly poorly thought through and fail over time as has ‘Prevent’. So long as populations have the freedom to choose then individuals within them are going to choose radical or extreme paths. This is the time of the iconoclast, of radicals and extremists. And for those that are neither it is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2017.

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