Events

Ms. Saman Ayesha Kidwai, Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), spoke on “Far-Right Extremism in the West” at the Monday Morning Meeting held on 27 June 2022. Dr. Adil Rasheed, Research Fellow, chaired the session. Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy, Director General, MP-IDSA, and research scholars enriched the discussion with their remarks and questions.

Executive Summary

Incidents of far-right extremism have increased in both the United States of America  (U.S.A.) and Europe, especially in the past few decades.
To that effect, the presentation highlighted its driving factors, ideological foundations, strategies of operation, and impact on the post-World War II rules-based order. While touching on prospective threats to Indian interests in this context, the presentation proposed corrective measures.

Detailed Report

The speaker highlighted the surge in far-right extremism over the past five years. According to the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, between 2015 and 2020, over 82 percent of deaths recorded due to extremist violence were perpetrated by far-right extremists. Three recent incidents were pointed out in this context, such as the Christchurch attacks in New Zealand in March 2019, the Capitol Hill riots in Washington, D.C., in January 2021, and the Buffalo shootings in May 2022.

Additionally, she spoke about factors, including the 2008 financial crisis, European Union’s well-meaning but awry immigration policy, particularly amid the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, and the beheading of Samuel Paty in a suburb of Paris in October 2020, re-enforced the far-right narrative and thrust it into mainstream discourse. Simultaneously, it was underscored how the far-right musical festival in Kyiv and the participation of thousands of foreign fighters in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, driven by their ambition to acquire arms and combat operational training to foment devastation and anarchy in their native countries, have continued to worsen the security dilemma. More recently, it was emphasised how the COVID-19 Pandemic and a surge in disinformation with increased access to social media and online gaming platforms have swelled the ranks of the far-right.

The far-right ideologues, spanning the political, media, and literary spectrum, are also responsible for drawing out the crisis.

Ms. Kidwai also emphasised that abovementioned factors have collectively resulted in the gradual normalisation of far-right extremism. However, the phenomenon often derives its legitimacy from extremist ideological foundations. For example, the Great Replacement Theory, mainstreamed by Renaud Camus, has suggested a deliberate attempt to bring in an influx of illegal migrant workers into predominantly white European societies, converting the white Christians into a minority in their homelands and eventually ridding them. This theory found considerable popular support as white genocide in the U.S.A. and EurAbia across Europe, inspiring the Charleston Church Shooting in June 2015. Furthermore, Accelerationism, a fringe far-right ideology that propounds that the current liberal democratic framework is highly inept and requires to be violently overthrown for a white-dominated order to emerge, found support in the Tree of Life Synagogue attack in Pennsylvania in October 2018. Finally, Eco-fascism links the ideas of cultural degradation with environmental deportation. It holds the immigrants solely responsible for environmental degradation in predominantly white European communities. People like Brenton Tarrant, the Christchurch shooter, were inspired by such beliefs.

The speaker mentioned that there appears to be an absence of notoriety in the aftermath of a violent attack staged by far-right supporters. They also operate in a decentralised manner, inspired by James Nolan Mason and Louis Ray Beam, in contrast with the 20th-century hierarchical systems in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Nevertheless, they remain inspired by ISIS’ martyrdom tactics, rely on social media to further their agenda, and even convene through offline training camps organised by groups such as The Base. An equally significant of far-right characteristic is according white males who carry out acts of mass violence, titles such as “Saints.”  

Ms. Kidwai also delineated how self-publishing service platforms like Google Play Books allow authors to bypass the censorship guidelines that reputable publishing houses would generally upload. Moreover, the ability of fictional books to inspire acts of large-scale violence can be found in The Oklahoma City bombings of April 1995, inspired by works such as The Turner Diaries. The complexity surrounding the lone-wolf narrative and the deepening ties between the radical Islamists and far-right extremists, mainly over the past year, is a matter that is of increasing concern. Furthermore, ideological malleability displayed by far-right ideologues, their infiltration into armed and police forces, and increasing penetration of boundaries of even Asian countries like Singapore, are some of the unnerving trends demonstrated by the speaker, who also spoke about the civil society’s response to addressing this threat. Initiatives such as EXIT- Germany have achieved satisfactory success in this regard.

Moreover, funding more research in the area and ensuring setting up a mutually accessible database would be crucial. But, unfortunately, a lack of collaborative efforts has hindered the duplication of such success worldwide.

Before concluding the presentation, the speaker deconstructed potential threats to Indian diaspora, officials, and investments given the violent extremist’s belligerent attitudes towards immigrants and globalisation. She also emphasised the implications of neo-Nazi outfits colluding with anti-India elements to undermine its national security, should they choose to come together.  

As the presentation drew to an end, the need to eradicate the far-right challenge from its root was addressed before moving to how unless it is brought to an absolute halt, the end of the post-WWII liberal international framework could become a foregone conclusion. 

Key Takeaways from the Q&A Session

The insightful remarks shared by the audience added depth to the presentation. The discussion had primarily focused on four critical areas:-

1. The need to further explore the historical background of the emergence of the far-right.
2. A comparative study with the emergence of left-wing extremism and cult-based groups.
3. An analysis of any pre-existing response mechanisms to the stated threat.
4. A detailed study of the factors driving this ideology, especially Islamist extremism, economic inequality, and cultural affinities.

The points raised were well taken and proposed to be incorporated as subjects of further study.

This report was prepared by Ms. Tejusvi Shukla, Intern, Internal Security Centre, MP-IDSA.

Mr. Pradeep S. Gautam, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), spoke on “India at G7: Challenges and Way Forward” at the Monday Morning Meeting held on 4 July 2022. The session was chaired by Dr. Swasti Rao, Associate Fellow. Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy, Director General, MP-IDSA, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi (Retd.), Deputy Director General, MP-IDSA, and scholars of the Institute were in attendance.

Executive Summary

G7 remains one of the most important multilateral bodies to set the global agenda and tackle emerging challenges. However, it is also faced with internal incoherence on certain issues. As its share in the global GDP has gradually declined, it has chosen to engage more and more with like-minded democracies such as India, in furtherance of its agenda.

India must use G7 and similar multilateral bodies, including World Trade Organisation (WTO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and G20 to maximise its national interests. Although at the same time, it has increasingly become difficult to arrive at a consensus in these multilateral forums. Hence, there is a need to engage countries bilaterally and in smaller groups as well. This effort may only bear fruit if accompanied with necessary domestic reforms.

Detailed Report

Dr. Rao introduced the topic of the Monday morning meeting by underlining the values and attributes at the core of G7, particularly in the context of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. She also spoke about the group’s most recent meeting in June 2022 and the 28-page communiqué released by the participating leaders, which primarily focused on China and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) programme to counter the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Following the brief introduction, the chair gave the floor to Mr. Gautam.

The speaker initially delved into G7’s historical context, i.e., its emergence in response to the 1970s economic crisis and its evolution as a multilateral forum to address global challenges. He also delineated the grouping’s operational framework and its overlapping work with organisations, including the WTO, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and G20.

Mr. Gautam further addressed G7’s meeting in Elmau, Germany organised between 26 to 28 June 2022 and laid out the empirical data concerning the inter-governmental forum’s share of the global gross domestic product (GDP) between 1975 and 2020. He mentioned that its highest share of the GDP was visible during the Clinton Presidency. He also examined how there exists an overlap between G7 and G20’s membership.

Moving further, the speaker elaborated on issues that have been of vital significance to G7 leaders, primarily taxation of e-commerce multi-national corporations, global infrastructure, global financial stress, and trade and supply chains. In that context, he looked at how the member states have responded to these challenges, the implications for India, and how the latter can move forward regarding these matters of vital concern. Finally, he flagged a few key issues specific to India, including how it requires more data-driven analysis on economic issues, the continuation of a balanced budget, and more reforms to attract global capital. In addition, India’s strength in its domestic economy may help it negotiate better internationally.

The speaker underscored the pros and cons of the PGII vis-à-vis the BRI. He also discussed economic distress in developing countries due to COVID lockdowns, the Ukraine war, increasing energy prices, and finally increasing interest rates in the US. While discussing that, he highlighted increasing inflation and interest rates, and the threat of recession in the G7 countries, limiting their bandwidth for international intervention for the next 2-3 years.

The speaker highlighted the need for capacity building in negotiating trade deals and effective use of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), trade, and industrial policy to attract international investment and become part of the global supply chain. In addition, the speaker raised other issues of primary importance centred around energy and food security, climate change, and sustainable development.

After the speaker brought his presentation to a close, the chair thanked him for his insightful remarks and opened the floor to questions and comments from the audience.

The question-and-answer session highlighted diverse perspectives rooted in a detailed analysis of the issue discussed during the meeting. Some of the crucial themes highlighted during the session are as follows: –

• The importance of exploring G7’s ties with the global south and the challenges emanating from this relationship.
• The need to examine the role of BRICS in economic and infrastructural development.
• The need to strengthen WTO’s dispute settlement mechanisms.
• The wave of protectionist trends is blowing worldwide.
• Each country is looking to preserve and promote individualistic interests.
• The COVID-19 pandemic, the United States of America’s unilateral withdrawal from Afghanistan despite a multilateral international coalition force in the country, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict are culpable for weakening the various multilateral platforms.
• The adverse impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the Rupee-Dollar valuation, acute oil shortage, and food crisis worldwide.
• The World Bank’s June 2022 report and economic repercussions that are awaiting the world.
• The challenges of stagflation, i.e., the combined output of slow economic growth, steady unemployment, and inflation.
• The growing restiveness among the Indian youth due to the financial crisis.
• The need to cap the price of Russian oil exports and its implications for India.
• The obligation of Indian leaders to re-negotiate “smarter FTAs.”
• A comparative analysis of the BRI and ‘Build Back Better World Initiative’ announced in 2021 and how the latter has been subsumed in PGII and is focused on providing infrastructural and developmental aid for middle and low-income countries.
• The politicisation of oil production has been a visible trend, particularly in the past year.
• The European continent is experiencing a dichotomy regarding the issue of energy security.
• G7’s cooperation with China concerning change, despite the military and political conflict between the two actors.

This report was prepared by Ms. Saman Ayesha Kidwai, Research Analyst, Counter-Terrorism Centre, MP-IDSA.

A media delegation from the Maldives, accompanied by Mr. Karan Yadav, First Secretary, Embassy of India, Male, visited the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) on 27 May 2022, to have an interaction with the Institute. Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy, Director General, MP-IDSA; Maj. Gen. (Dr). Bipin Bakshi (Retd.), Deputy Director General, MP-IDSA; Cmde. Abhay Kumar Singh (Retd.), Research Fellow; Col. Vivek Chadha (Retd.), Research Fellow; Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik, Research Fellow; Dr. Adil Rasheed, Research Fellow; and Dr. Gulbin Sultana, Associate Fellow, enriched the discussion with their remarks and questions.

Executive Summary

The interactive discussion primarily centered around the following issues– India’s neighbourhood policy under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the historical and contemporary ties between India and the Maldives, and the increasing and predatory Chinese presence in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the littoral states.

Detailed Report

The event ensued with the Director General’s introductory remarks, welcoming the media delegation to the institute, where he recalled his most recent visit to their country in March 2020. He also mentioned the joint webinar organised by MP-IDSA in conjunction with the South East Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism, Kuala Lumpur, that had taken place earlier that morning, titled “Countering the Threat of Radicalisation in India and Malaysia.” He also laid out a detailed outline of MP-IDSA’s objectives, mandate, research agenda and its existing infrastructure that facilitates research in diverse areas.

The Director General discussed the initiative he took during his stint at the National Security Council Secretariat, where exercise “Dosti,” between the coast guards of India and the Maldives was expanded to include Sri Lanka. He underlined that under Prime Minister Modi, India’s “Neighbourhood First Policy” has gained prominence, and its commitment to Maldives has remained intact. India’s policy towards Maldives is based on historic socio-cultural ties that the two countries have shared. It does not have a predatory attitude in its assistance as displayed by some other countries.

Additionally, he emphasised how growth and prosperity have moved beyond the Asia-Pacific region to include South Asia and South-East Asia. Today, Bangladesh and, particularly the Maldives, are outperforming India in certain specific sectors. Due to its high standard of living and per capita income being higher than other countries in South Asia, the Maldives has done exceedingly well. Furthermore, it is at the confluence of vital sea channels through which a vast amount of global trade traverses. However, its dependence on tourism to generate revenue and its scattered geography have emerged as two crucial challenges for the island nation. Repatriation and rehabilitation of terrorist fighters returning from conflict zones, confronting foreign influences, and radicalisation are also some of the notable challenges it faces.

The Director General even underscored how major powers such as the United States of America, France, and the United Kingdom, have maintained their presence in the Indo-Pacific region in several ways, including through their military presence. Today, Russians are also displaying renewed interest and are engaged in bilateral and trilateral exercises. He also emphasised that the current President of the United Nations General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, will significantly contribute to the international body due to his vast expertise and experience.

The following points emerged from the floor during discussion.

One of the central themes, specifically regarding growing Chinese influence, was taken up, and it was discussed whether or not that is a factor in determining the scale of India’s involvement in the region. It was concluded that India has always been focused on neighbourhood growth and prosperity irrespective of China's activities. Prime Minister Modi’s policy of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” reflects this. At the same time, one must understand that China’s rise is linked to its vast investments and is guided by its growing strategic interest. Its presence in the South Asian region contradicts its historical positioning and has only occurred over the past two decades. Therefore, China must be transparent about its investment and should not create a dependency-based relationship akin to Sri Lanka.

While India has reservations about Chinese actions, it does whatever it can to support its neighbours to chart an alternative path, including extending lines of credit without any strings attached. It has built a hospital in Malé and is currently involved in 45 projects in the country, largely micro projects, in contrast to China which is only involved in grander projects like the airport and port development. Another difference between the Indian and Chinese involvement is that while the former promotes inclusive and holistic growth, the latter can be characterised as predatory, aggressive, and fomenting divisiveness. Moreover, instead of cooperation with other countries, China has chosen the path of isolation.

In the western Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Chinese boats engage in illegal fishing in most months of the year. Therefore, the joint statement made by the QUAD partners in their recent summit even appealed to spread maritime awareness and halt illegal fishing, which has several ecological implications, including oil spills.

Moreover, China’s rise in the IOR has to be understood by the factors driving its strategy. Overarching trade interests, access to Africa as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, and ambition to mine crucial resources like Cobalt embedded in the sea bed, for which it has taken acreage down south, require its presence in and control of the oceanic spheres. Maritime piracy has allowed it to establish its naval domination and follow a neo-colonial approach. It is necessary to realise that it wants to de-link from the global supply chains and create dependency of the international community on the Chinese supply chains through such initiatives, thereby shaping the world in their likeness.

Transnational issues such as Islamist terrorism were also discussed. While this could be a challenge for India, it can become an existential threat for countries like Maldives due to the latter’s homogenous structure. As has been seen in the past, it becomes easier for non-state actors to stage a coup.

The participants also took up the matter of “India Out” campaign, directed against India. It was concluded that it is a highly politicised campaign and does not reflect popular sentiment. The Maldivians are unconcerned with who invests in the developmental sectors as long as it benefits them. However, it is critical to analyse where such propaganda is originating from and who is funding such activities. It was also noted that India has no interest in maintaining a military presence in the island nation. Any such presence visible has always been at the behest of the Maldivian government, including in 1988, when the Indian Armed Forces thwarted a coup led by Abdullah Luthufi against the then President Abdul Gayoom. Indians came to his aid faster than the Americans, whose nearest military base, Diego Garcia, is located 1000 kilometres away, in far closer proximity.

The session concluded with the possibility of future exchanges and a visit of the Indian delegation to the island country in the foreseeable future.

Report prepared by Ms. Saman Ayesha Kidwai, Research Analyst, Counter-Terrorism Centre.

The joint webinar on radicalisation in India and Malaysia was held on 27 May 2022 and was organised by MP-IDSA and SEARCCT, Malaysia. The Director-General MP-IDSA, Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy and Director-General SEARCCT, Ambassador Dato’ Ganeson Sivagurunathan delivered the opening remarks and chaired respective sessions of the programme. During the first session, Dr. Ahmad El-Muhammady Bin Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady spoke on “Radicalisation in Malaysia.” He was succeeded by Mr. Supt Loo Chee Lum who spoke on “Capacity Building Programmes,” and Ms. Pa Arul Malar Palaniveloo who talked about “Youth & P/CVE - Counter Messaging, Social Media and Outreach.” During the second session, Shri Pradeep Gautam delivered his remarks on “The Threat of Religious Ideological Extremism in the Indian Subcontinent,” followed by Dr. Adil Rasheed who spoke on “India’s Counter Radicalisation: Measures and Programmes,” and Ms. Shruti Pandalai who spoke on “Combating Radicalisation in the Social Media: The Indian Experience.” India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Shri B.N. Reddy also gave his comments which was followed by an interactive Q&A session. The webinar was concluded with closing remarks from the Deputy Director-General at MP-IDSA, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi (Retd.), and Deputy Director-General at SEARCCT, Ambassador Khairi Omar.

Executive Summary:

The session was helpful in bringing forth the issue of radicalisation and its impact from an inter-regional perspective. The speakers shared their insights on the nature of radicalisation in India and Malaysia which would be vital in developing counter strategies that address these specific areas. Despite robust programs in both countries on counter terrorism and counter radicalisation, it was agreed that regular updating with the evolving discourse is essential, and corresponding training of the personnel is therefore necessary. The issue of online radicalisation and role of technology both as a challenge and as a tool to fight radicalisation was elaborated upon. It was agreed that novel ways of reaching to the public by extremist groups will necessitate innovative ways by the governments in countering such narratives. Therefore, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) will be an evolving methodology that grows in response to the tactics adopted by the extremist and radical groups.

Detailed Report:

Ambassador Chinoy began the session with his opening remarks and underscored the good relations between India and Malaysia, along with their shared concern over terrorism which has also impacted economic growth. He spoke of the increasing threat of terror groups’ access to Weapons of Mass Destruction and how that has worried governments. After the success of Taliban in Afghanistan, terrorist groups across the world have been emboldened. Ambassador Chinoy outlined the efforts India has made on working on legislation to curb terrorism, border management and elaborated on the impetus given to appropriate training of its law enforcement personnel to tackle such terrorist threats. India has also engaged with multilateral institutions and the UN to create frameworks on curbing terrorism, including pushing for a comprehensive global convention on terrorism.

Ambassador Sivagurunathan welcomed the speakers and participants, and highlighted issues of violent extremism in his address. Speaking on the shared interests of India and Malaysia on countering violent extremism, he hoped the two countries could find useful ways of working together to solve this problem. He outlined his nation’s experience, crediting law enforcement agencies working tirelessly to resolve the issues of terrorism and radicalisation with considerable investment of time and resources. Emphasising that it is important to collaborate on these issues with like-minded partners from across the borders, he   stressed that within the country too help from the private sector should be sought to disseminate counter narratives of the government.

In the first session featuring Malaysian speakers, Dr. El-Muhammady began his presentation and familiarised the audience with internalisation of radical ideas and its impact. He underlined that an individual may internalise these ideas but problems arise when they translate it into violent actions. In his talk, he emphasised that terrorism may be related to the cultural and religious framework in a society. In Malaysia, the criteria to view terrorism has been defined by the law, mainstream Islamic values, and universal values. Since Malaysian society is multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious, it has led to more vulnerabilities. A highly diverse population which consists of indigenous bhoomiputras, Indians, Chinese and non-Malaysians who follow different religions is a ground for extremist groups to propagate their ideology and violence. With globalisation, the influx of foreign ideas and values has also led to increase in radicalisation. Social media is the newest platform for widespread dissemination of radical ideas, which is often not monitored by enforcement authorities, due to problems of locating the source. Malaysia has faced the challenge of radicalisation since colonial times and the communist insurgency. The long term strategy therefore should be developing public awareness and outreach apart from kinetic approaches like detention. Radicalisation is a subtle phenomenon which can keep growing beneath the surface. It requires being vigilant on a more comprehensive level he argued.

Mr. Loo Chee Lum familiarised the audiences with SEARCCT’s capacity building programmes to counter terrorism. He highlighted that they adopt a multi-faceted approach through various training conferences, workshops, and forums. He outlined the many webinars conducted by the institute even during the COVID-19 Pandemic, including with the Australian High Commission and with Sarawak Information Systems. These programs are focused on engaging different stakeholders to curb terrorism and radicalisation in the society.

Ms. Palaniveloo spoke about the Digital Strategic Communications Division at SEARCCT. She outlined how the division develops youth campaigns focusing on creating content like video campaigns which aim at engaging the young people in society. These generally include influencers and inspirational examples from society. The team also talks to detainees as well as people in rehabilitation to understand different perspectives that they include in the content they create. She highlighted the special attention given to rural areas in the campaigns which are designed to ensure relatability of people in specific areas. They do this by including colloquial phrases of the local language which appeal to this audience. The division lays special stress not only on how technology plays a role in spread of radicalisation, but also how it can be used to fight radicalisation. COVID-19 has compelled many things to go online, which means that extremist groups have also increased their activity online and therefore require quicker responses she argued.

The second session featured speakers from the Indian side. Shri Gautam’s presentation focused on the Indian subcontinent, which he argued is faced with multiple challenges of radicalisation but there are some commonalities. Radicalisation in Maldives is increasingly becoming a concern as Salafi influence has been increasing. The funding and education in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has been the major factor for this increased radicalisation. In India, there has been left wing extremism and right wing mobilisation but the proportion of persons involved in these activities is very small, he argued. He elaborated upon how: Ahl-e-Hadis, Deobandis, Barelvis, Jamaat-e-Islami are some prominent ideological groups in India, of which some sections have been known to propagate extremist ideas.

Dr. Rasheed during his talk highlighted that Indian Muslims follow a number of Islamic schools of thought. The threat of radicalisation, therefore, is also of different types. Apart from Salafi Jihadism which has been recognised around the world as an extremist ideology, there has been consistent threat from Pakistan based extremist terror groups operating in India such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. A third type is the indigenous terror groups but their impact should not be underestimated. He made the case that the difference in language used by all these groups is an important distinction in the kind of access they gain among Indian public. While ISIS based propaganda is global and often in English, it may have limited reach among Indian masses but Pakistan based radical groups use Urdu language and social media. He outlined how indigenous groups use vernacular languages and stress on a communal angle in their propaganda. The Indian Government has given certain leeway to state governments in devising and running their own counter-radicalisation programs. He inferred that Western programs in that context do not work in India, as Indian Muslims are not racially different from the mainstream population, unlike the case in the West, where they mostly seek to assimilate immigrant and refugee populations. Maharashtra’s de-radicalisation program has received praise and Mumbai police has been able to de-radicalise hundreds of citizens. Such programs have also been quite successful in Kerala. The Jihadist threat in the eastern and southern Indian regions such as in states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively, can be tracked to radicalisation originating from Southeast Asia. Thus, India’s cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, to counter this threat is important.

Ms. Pandalai during her presentation, spoke about the information ecosystem in India and how radical groups may use the grey areas to their advantage and challenges for government agencies in India. She argued that there are more than 400 million social media users in India who are vulnerable to fake news, as their primary source of news consumption may be from unverified sources including applications like WhatsApp. Given the scale of socioeconomic challenges in India, technology can both empower and create law and order challenges, proving to be a double-edged sword in this context. She outlined how India has to grapple with the multiple challenges of communally stoked law and order issues, online radicalisation and cross-border terrorism, all amplified by social media and demonstrated that in many cases these are not mutually exclusive. For instance, fake news and disinformation in social media has caused many incidences of violence in India. In 2016, ISIS had directly used social media to target Indian Muslims by exploiting issues of Kashmir, nostalgia of the Mughal era, and the Babri Masjid demolition. The worrisome fact is that according to the National Investigation Agency, educated youth are getting drawn to this kind of propaganda, which may even lead to lone wolf attacks. The case of Burhan Wani in Kashmir is a classic example of the impact of social media and how it can recruit young men into activities of radicalisation. Ms. Pandalai outlined responses from the Indian Government including the rich experiences of the military in Kashmir which has been running de-radicalisation programs for many decades and has involved local population and clergy successfully. However, she argued that challenges remain as internet shutdown as response to social media triggered crises has caused problems for local communities and more needs to be done to bridge the trust deficit between social media platforms and government agencies. There is also a need for more sensitisation at the ground level to build confidence among local citizens and involve them in these outreach activities which use social media as a tool for engagement. Exchanging best practices with partner countries is the way ahead in improving our counter-radicalisation programs.

After the sessions were concluded, the floor was opened for questions and answers. In response to a query, Dr. El-Muhammady told the audiences that the Malaysian Government was initially reluctant to accept the Malaysian foreign fighters who had gone to fight alongside ISIS in Syria, but given legal obligations and ethical considerations, it decided to later accept them in a phased manner. This has been done through inter-agency cooperation at an international level, and a number of returnees have been accepted. A three-level assessment of the returnees is mandatory, involving security and psychological analysis, to determine if they maybe a threat to Malaysian society. The individual may be prosecuted or rehabilitated depending upon the result. On the issue of women and their role in online radicalisation, he said that there has been an increase in participation of women, notably those propagating ISIS content online. To counter this problem, the Malaysian Government has included more women in its counter-radicalisation programs like Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Dr. Rasheed, to a query about counter narratives, told the audience that it may not be possible to assess in empirical terms how counter narratives are affecting the population. But given the huge amount of resources extremist groups invest in spreading radicalisation, it is imperative that effort to create and sustain counter-narratives is maintained. He also added that the Indian population does not resonate much with the Bangladeshi school of Islamic thought but there is formidable threat from Pakistan based radical groups.

Shri B.N. Reddy, H. E. High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, joined the conversation and  expressed his pleasure at the successful conduct of the session and hoped there would be more discussions in the future between MP-IDSA and SEARCCT. He expressed gratitude to both the Institutes working to promote de-radicalisation efforts.

Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bakshi (Retd.) offered closing remarks for the session. He underlined that foreign influences have caused disharmony among ethnicities and diverse communities of both the countries, which had peacefully co-existed before globalisation. It is important to prevent vulnerable sections of our population from falling prey to the radicalisation propaganda. The security apparatus in both countries have evolved unique counter strategies to deal with this problem. He shared his personal experience of being in the National Security Guard where he was involved in capacity building measures. He emphasised that international cooperation to counter radicalisation is very important given the trans-national nature of this threat. He also stressed that terror financing in particular must receive more attention as an area of study. He thanked the Director-Generals and Speakers from both the Institutes for their comments and the Participants for their contribution to the discussion. He expressed gratitude to the High Commissioner, Ms. Nair, Mr. Vardhan, Centre for Southeast Asia and Oceania at MP-IDSA, SEARCCT Malaysia and the technical team in putting the event together. Ambassador Omar in his closing remarks expressed that efforts in understanding radicalisation and developing counter strategy and counter narratives are crucial to maintaining peace and security in our societies. He added that the policy of engaging more people in this activity of countering extremist propaganda can be very useful and it can help build confidence among the people for each government’s efforts in tackling this problem.

The report was prepared by Mr. Akash Sahu, Research Analyst, Centre for Southeast Asia and Oceania, MP-IDSA.