Share this story!            

‘Misinterpretation of Islam — root cause of terrorism’

* Students say terrorism and extremism are being attributed to Pakistan
* Government urged to improve country’s image before the world

By Hina Farooq and Adnan Lodhi

LAHORE: Students from various educational institutions have concluded that misinterpretation of Islam is one of the major root causes of terrorism in Pakistan, which, according to them, has become a label for the country.

Talking to Daily Times, they said terrorism and extremism were being attributed to Pakistan across the world.

The students said that misinterpretation of Islam, poverty and unemployment had been the causes of terrorism in the country. Moreover, most of the students held external forces responsible for it, adding that violence had been nurtured during the Ziaul Haq regime. They said the madrassas (seminaries) that groomed students in the name of jihad (holy war) and ‘promoted’ extremism were also responsible for cultivating this scenario.

Memona Yousaf of the Lahore College for Women University said Pakistan’s image had been adversely affected by terrorism, which had given an open invitation to the United States to enter the country in the name of the fight against extremists. “The government is not taking positive steps to control the situation. The current strategies are leading us towards a civil war,” she said. “The government should control inflation, create internal peace boundaries, restore the judiciary, and maintain law and order in the country.”

Sanniya Khan of the Defence Degree College suggested that there were two schools of thought in the country; one was supporting liberalism and supporting the war against terrorism, and the other was promoting extremism, urging people to die in the name of jihad and fight for the spread of Islam. “The government is taking action to some extent, but only to show the western media that it is trying to resolve the issue,” she said. “ The government should facilitate and bring reforms in madrassas instead of attacking them, call back the Army from Waziristan and Swat, and negotiate with the militants in order to protect the lives of other Pakistanis.”

Muhammad Asim of the Government College University said poverty, illiteracy, incompetent leadership, lack of proper development programmes, and a badly affected economy were the reasons for the spread of terrorism in the country. “Something must be done to stop terrorism, and the first step the government should take is fulfil the basic needs of the people,” he said.

Rida Sohail of the Beaconhouse National University said internal instability had paved the way for external negative forces to ‘play with the country’. “Terrorist attacks have made us socially and ideologically weak,” she said, adding that terrorist attacks had increased in the last eight years.

Natasha Hassan of the Lahore University of Management Sciences said the trend of extremism began in the country in the regime of Ziaul Haq.

“The government should focus on Al Qaeda and its roots that had spread in Pakistan, and all Muslim countries should unite to strike back at external forces,” she said, adding that the example of the Lal Masjid incident should not be set again.

Akseeb Javed of the National College of Arts said the political structure of the state, the blame-game going on between various departments, and the strategies adopted and applied to cease activities in Balochistan and the border areas were making the country pay a heavy price. “Apparently, the government has tried to tackle the situation. Law enforcing agencies should be organised to maintain law and order in the country,” he said

Zubaida Ayub of the Kinnaird College for Women said the political policies and lack of cohesion between the parties were the causes of terrorism. “People have absolutely no tolerance and no one feels secure,” she said.

Home | Lahore

Share this story!