The role of education in preventing extremism

and promoting peace....

Extremismis essentialy
a political term which determines the activities that are not in accordance with
norms of the state,are fully intolerant towards others,reject democracy as means of
governance and the way of problem solving and also reject the existing social
order.It is one of the largest problem of current world affairs,which neither let
an individual or a group of people to positively progress.

People are not born violent extremists. Neither do they become an extremist
overnight. Nor does their faith, ethnicity, age, sex, background or where they live
play a part in them becoming one.But there are a number of factors that can
increase the risk of someone becoming vulnerable to extremist views. These can
include:-
1:Being bullied
Anger at being bullied or feeling unfairly treated by different sections of
society, people or groups, can lead to feelings of social isolation or exclusion.

2:Peer pressure
The desire to fit in or go along with the status quo can sometimes lead people to
be drawn into extremism.

3:Low level criminality or behavioural issues

Disruptive behaviour, association with gangs, drug taking.

4:Struggling to fit in
Sometimes people experience issues concerning their identity or where they feel
they fit or belong. This can make them feel very distant from friends and family
and can lead them to seek out new groups or people who they feel �get them� more.
Radicalisers are well trained to exploit these feelings of confusion and low self-
esteem.

5:Major life change

Some people can find it harder to navigate life traumas for example someone close
to them dying, losing a job, or the breakdown of a significant relationship. If
they already feel alone this can lead them to seek new solutions or behaviours to
try and cope. Radicalisers pick up on signals that people in this position might
display and will seek to exploit their vulnerability.

6:Mental health issues

The vast majority of people suffering from mental health issues will not be drawn
down an extremist path. But for some people it can increase the vulnerability to
influence by extremists who wish to prey on their mental health issues and exploit
any instability.

Globally, millions of people have been killed, disabled, displaced, widowed and
orphaned as a result of acts of violent extremism. In the majority of cases, the
statistics are available because it is a tangible, visible damage that can be
measured. However, the discourse around the imperceptible, invisible harm that
extremism, rather than violence, has inflicted on communities, societies and
countries is still limited. States have introduced strategies and policies to
prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE), but there is no strategy or policy
developed to address the long-lasting harm and impact of extremism on individuals,
families and communities.

Extremism today has become a way of thinking and outlook not only in the countries
which have been directly affected by acts of violent extremism but in countries
that have not experienced it directly. In my opinion, extremism is an attitude and
it becomes part of one�s belief system when it is not checked, condemned and
disapproved by family, the larger community and the state itself.

This tendency permeates into institutions, organisations, families and the wider
community and has devastating impact on the social harmony and unity of the
society. This extremist tendency among educated young people is more dangerous than
violence itself. It is an invisible outcome of living within an environment of
violent extremism for years.In the context of Pakistan, the extremist movements and
tendencies have found succor in the minds and hearts of the people and majority of
them have internalised extremism as a normal way of life.

The greatest impact of such a societal attitude is the transformation of a

tolerant, accommodative and pluralistic society into an intolerant and exclusionist
one. The intolerance of ordinary citizens matters because it impacts the socio-
political sphere of the society. Due to prevalent religious, ethnic and sectarian
intolerance, people have less heterogeneous peer groups, they are more critical of
others� behaviour and faith, and they do not feel free to express themselves
because of the fear of negative consequences. This mass religious, ethnic,
sectarian and political intolerance has resulted in a culture of conformity that
constrains individual rights and liberty in many important ways. At the same time,
cultural intolerance has divided once united communities on the narrow lines of
sectarianism, religion, ethnicity and language. Communities that have been living
together peaceably, sharing religious and cultural festivals and supporting each
other in time of sorrow and joy, now live under the shadow of doubt and suspicion
of each other.

Massive displacement of people from their area of origin to other places, as a

result of incidents of extremism, is changing the fabric of society, not only in
Pakistan but elsewhere, and it is undermining traditional coexistence. This is
compounded by an education crisis that is affecting millions of children and young
people. An entire generation is at risk of unemployment and social exclusion.

The most harmful and usually unrecognised impact of extremism is at the

psychological level. People who have been living in an uncertain situation due to
the regular occurrence of violent extremism, develop fear of everything and
internalise trauma. This can lead to a metamorphosis of the psyche, mental
decomposition and loss of confidence in oneself and others. In Pakistan, young
students became so fearful after the attacks on the school that many of them
stopped leaving their homes for sports and other social gatherings. This constant
exposure to fear also has a negative effect on children�s motor and psychosocial
development. Research has highlighted the role of a �building block effect�.
Traumatic experiences build upon each other and cumulatively increase the chance of
developing PTSD and depression.

The economic impact of extremism is the closure of many businesses in the affected
areas. This results in an increase in poverty, unemployment and various types of
crimes. Extremism also has a devastating impact on women�s mobility, social
protection and services. Many women are left as heads of households and a
significant number as widows. Displacement has rendered many women homeless and
more vulnerable to exploitation. The loss of loved ones also has a psychological
and social impact on these women. However, due to gender norms and in their
interplay with local contexts, young women face greater isolation as their mobility
in many places have been restricted, affecting their access to education and
employment opportunities.

Globally, the intolerance toward minority groups is on the rise in many countries
and there is growing insecurity and fear among them. Unfortunately, Muslims make up
the majority of victims of hate crimes, threats, attacks on places of worship and
forced conversion, particularly in India and China. In many cases, the reluctance
of the state to condemn the attacks on a minority group is also reflected in more
stringent laws that discriminate against religious minorities. Deep hatred, some of
which previously healed through dialogue and reconciliation, and which permitted
distinct ethnic and religious groups to live together in peace and cooperation, has
surfaced in social behavior and political movements across the globe. The ban on
headscarves and the rejection of Islamic education and building of Mosques in
Western Europe is the result of such tendencies, where the government and
communities had no previous objection to it.

Among all these negative developments as a result of extremism, there have been
some positive changes. In Pakistan, some communities have developed a strong
resilience against the ideology of hate, suspicion and exclusion. They have formed
effective community structures and mechanisms to create social cohesion, inter-
faith and intra-faith harmony. Education institutions have introduced the Inclusive
Peace Curriculum to teach the value of tolerance, pluralism and peaceful
coexistence.

Another positive outcome is that communities have recognised the importance of

women�s role in preventing violent extremism and community peacebuilding. Some
national-level civil society organisations have built the leadership capacity of
women to resolve and mediate local conflict, de-mobilise extremist young people and
hold interfaith and intra-faith dialogue.

Some of the recommendations for policymakers in this context should be that states
honour their obligations under international human rights law to fight any
discrimination and take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination
on the grounds of religion or belief in all fields of civil, economic, political,
social and cultural life. Legislation protecting the rights of all religious
communities should be adopted and implemented with the full commitment of police,
judiciary and other actors.

In the face of the bleak global landscape of growing persecution and restrictions
on religious freedom, it is imperative to hold interfaith dialogue and forge
alliances within and between religious groups that can become a formidable force in
coping with existing persecution and preventing it in the future.

When there comes the matter of peaceful prevention of extremism.Unquestionably, the

educational system plays a large role in preventing extremism. In fact, this
basically depends on the philosophy of education, and on the school curriculums and
the methods used in introducing them to students. I believe that having a coherent,
progressive and contemporary education system is a crucial factor in preventing the
infiltration of extremist ideas. In the end, the educational system plays a key
role in whether the outcomes of the learning process are good or bad, and therefore
the quality of education must be constantly monitored.

There is no doubt that education is one of the tools that can help eliminate the
ignorance that leads to violent extremism. Besides education, however, other
fundamental factors are required to overcome extremism and terrorism. Freedom,
democracy and justice help create cohesive and non-extremist societies. Tyranny
dilutes education and creates extremism and terrorism.But,there are several
factors that make it difficult to shape compassionate students, most notably the
absence of the political and moral project at the state level, the inability to
deal with emotions and questions of students, in addition to extremist platforms,
including media outlets and social media, which could reach them, deal with them
the way they like, and provide answers to their questions, even if these questions
were not correct (unclear). Therefore, attention should be paid on methodologies to
increase the level of rational thinking among students and encourage their
questions instead of oppressing them.
As mentioned earlier, in order for students to not be vulnerable to radical
ideologies, they must be equipped with the skill of critical thinking. Cognitive
skills such as thinking, learning and the ability to discuss and criticise
constructively away from taboos are imperative for students to be more committed
to logical reasoning and not to be susceptible to any attempts of
polarisation.So,for a peace full and sustainable society the role of government
also must not be ignored.States should also work to institutionalise inclusive
peace education as a long-term remedy and integrate diversity into education, so
that our young people consider the racial, religious, ethnic, sectarian and
cultural diversity of their societies an important part of their national heritage.
More broadly, there is need for a greater understanding of the invisible and
unrecognised impact of extremism on individuals and communities, looking beyond
physical violence.