اگر کسی نے ایک انسان کو قتل کیا تو گویا اس نے تمام لوگوں کو قتل کر دیا اور جس نے ایک جان بچائی گویا اس نے تمام لوگوں کی جان بچائی قرآن پاچ- باتی
(If anyone kills a person, it would be as if he killed the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people – Quran 5:32)
Prologue
Radicalisation has developed as a substantial challenge all across the globe over past two decades and it has been ascertained to be the foremost reason for terrorism. Radicalisation refers to a process by which an individual or a group of individuals come to adopt increasingly radical views in opposition to a political, social or religious ideology. It is a complex and highly individualized process determined by the interaction of various structural and individual factors and thus is very difficult to exactly capture in all its dynamics.
Many initiatives have been undertaken to develop effective ways and means to combat terrorism but countering radicalisation is still a gigantic challenge. Radicalisation is mostly fueled by an ideology, thus, kinetic measures adopted so far to contain radicalisation have failed to yield positive results.
Radicalisation in Indian Context.
In the Indian context, the problem of radicalisation is comparatively a new phenomenon and there exists a section of intellectuals, which does not consider it a problem meriting serious consideration. It is being argued that while other countries in the subcontinent viz Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Maldives have struggled to check the scourge of Islamic radicalisation, the Indian Muslim community appears to be fairly resistant to violent extremism.
It has been pointed out that a very few Indian Muslims have joined Al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan over the decades, and the number of those joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been quite less compared to several other countries with much smaller Muslim populations.
It is pertinent to mention that there have been hardly any Indian Muslims outside Jammu and Kashmir who have supported the separatist movement. This inherent resilience of Indian Muslims has often been lauded as largely a sign of their strong commitment and patriotism to the national cause. Among other reasons cited for the failure of Islamist radicalisation to catch on in India include the prior decision of Indian Muslims to reject the Islamic state of Pakistan and stay on in India as part of a secular nation, implying that the divisive political message does not resonate with Indian Muslims any more. The failure of Muslim states in Asia, to develop themselves as prosperous states and cohesive societies, does not present as a viable option to pursue for Indian Muslims. In addition, the Salafi-Wahhabi ideological movement to which most global Jihadists like Al Qaeda and ISIS subscribe to, fundamentally opposes Hanafi school of Sunni Islam which is followed by majority of Muslims in India. Therefore, the terror message of these groups finds little theological tradition in India. Even Indian followers of the Sunni Ahle-Hadeeth pursue a moderate version of their orientation in the country.
This doctrinal difference has been attributed as a reason for the failure of Salafi-Wahhabi global terror networks from gaining much support in the country. Irrespective of the aforesaid aspects and many other stated causes for the relatively low levels of Jihadist radicalisation compared to other countries, there is no denying that Islamist radicalisation has started picking up pace in the country in recent times. It is thus pointless to rest on the laurels of India’s composite social ethos, rather, it is important to get one’s act together to confront an emerging threat.
Islam – The Religion of Peace
Islam is a religion of peace and security, and it urges others to pursue the path of peace and protection. The most significant proof for the aforesaid statement is in the name ‘ISLAM’ itself, which is derived from Arabic word ‘Salama’ meaning peace, security, safety and protection. As a religion, Islam is peace incarnate and encourages the entire humankind to be moderate, peaceful, kind, balanced, tolerant, patient and forbearing. The teachings of Islam have been propagated by the last Messenger of Allah (PBUH) through Quran & Hadith. Islam, the religion of tolerance, holds the human soul in high esteem, and considers the attack against innocent human beings a grave sin. The statement is backed by a Quranic verse which reads, “Whoever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and who so ever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of entire mankind” (Quran 5:32).
Right from the Iranian revolution to 9/11 attack, with continued acts of global terrorism by militants in the name of Islam, questions have been raised and charges made regarding the relationship of Islam to religious extremism, violence, suicide bombing and terrorism. The relationship of Islam to extremism and terrorism remains critical in present times. The primary cause of global terrorism, most often political and economic grievances, are sometimes obscured by use of religious language and symbolism by the extremists.
Quran – The Sacred Scripture of Islam
Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the west Arabian towns of Mecca and Madina. The Quranic corpus, composed in an early form of classical Arabic, is traditionally believed to be a literal transcript of God’s speech. Quran forms the bedrock of Islamic law and many legal details are derived from the scripture as well as from utterances and actions attributed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Islamic tradition has produced a rich and sophisticated literature. There is, first, Quranic interpretation in the narrow sense, consisting of dedicated commentaries that treat the text of the scripture in its established order, either verse by verse or section by section. Such a translation is referred to as ‘Tafseer’, which is also the word for the activity of scriptural interpretation as such. Second, Quranic verses and their interpretation also feature in other literary genres, such as legal and doctrinal discourses, whose authors would often justify their claims by recourse to proof texts from scripture. In ancient times, the Islamic commentaries on the Quran would examine the text of the scripture in the light of the full panoply of scholarly disciplines, of particular importance were the fields of Arabic grammar, lexicography and rhetoric, giving many Quranic commentaries from the 9th century onwards a distinctly philological quality. A second characteristic of much pre-modern Islamic exegesis is its tendency, already remarked upon above, to connect many verses and verse clusters with extra scriptural accounts of events in the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Third, such
Islamic commentaries on Quran generally compare and weigh alternate explanation of a given verse, thereby acknowledging that many scriptural passages have more than one plausible interpretation.
Modern Islamic exegesis is generally deemed to commence with the commentary from Egypt, which is also known as ‘Manar Commentary’. This work has put a lot of emphasis on the ability of Quranic knowledge to provide moral guidance even in present days. The latest commentary which came into being as
late as in 1960’s calls for revolutionary implementation of an ‘Islamic System’ of governance but is also distinguished by keen literary sensibilities.
Misinterpretation of Quran
The study of the teaching period based on the descent of the Quran becomes interesting based on the suitability of the material to its target.
Each verse that comes down has a specificity, either on the scope or the problems it faces. Generally the verses that descended in Mecca targeted the humanitarian matters territorially in Mecca and the Quranic view for the issues is comprehensive. In the Meccan verses, one comes across sayings in which Prophet Muhammad warns the citizens of Mecca to leave idol worship and instead follow one God. While the verses that descended in Madina elucidated the history of earlier prophets, laws and ways of life. In these verses the actual meaning of jihad, that is, the struggle against one’s conscience, soul and ego has been emphasised.
Many Muslim Clerics in Pakistan, right from the time when it emerged as a separate state post partition, have been using the Meccan verses during routine Friday sermons and other public speeches without any co-relation of those verses with respect to the time when they were revealed and with related Hadith. By doing so the actual meaning of those verses is concealed and a false propaganda is being spread in the name of religion. The same practice is in vogue in Kashmir valley since early 1990’s which has radicalised a considerable population against the government and eventually illiterate youth fall prey to terrorism.
Way Ahead
In order to have a check on radicalisation of Muslim youth in Kashmir valley, it is imperative to analyse the underlying issues such as misinterpretation of Quran by Muslim clerics to spread false propaganda against the government machinery. This can be started by instituting a formal Arabic language in the school curriculum to enable the new generation understand Quran and other Islamic literature which is mostly in Arabic language.Clubbed with this there is a requirement to ban extremist organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammat-e-Tallaba etc in India, to prevent further radicalisation of youth.
Last but not least concerted efforts need to be made to increase awareness among Muslim Masses. Awareness programs should be conducted to enhance the awareness among the general public via renowned and educated Muslim scholars. Such programs should highlight the hidden aims behind the wrongdoings by various extremist outfits and the futility of radicalisation.
