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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100604T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100604T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210108
CREATED:20231223T221707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T104317Z
UID:63651-1275629400-1275629400@idsa.in
SUMMARY:Radical Islam in the West & South Asia post-26/11: An Exploratory Study
DESCRIPTION:Chairperson: Prof. Kalim BahadurDiscussants: Brig.(retd.) Rahul Bhonsle and Prof. Anwar Alam \n \nOn June 4\, 2010 Mr. Alok Mukhopadhyay\, an Associate Fellow at IDSA presented his paper titled: “Radical Islam in the West & South Asia post – 26/11: An Exploratory Study.” He started the seminar by summarizing the main points of his paper\, which were divided in four sections. The presentation was divided into sections titled: 1) Radical Islam rising in the US\, 2) Rise and Fall of ‘Londonistan’\, 3) Jihad Jane: New faces of Radical Islam in the West\, and 4) Hyphenated identity or Hyper-Identity.  \nIn the section titled ‘radical Islam rising in the US’ it was noted that the nature of radicalism in the US was remarkably different from that in Europe. Fewer numbers and a higher level of prosperity of Muslim immigrants in the US has meant that Islamic Activism is much less in the US\, in comparison to Europe which has a longer association with Muslim immigrants who came to Europe for blue collared jobs. The Rise and Fall of ‘Londonistan’\, which is an uncomplimentary sobriquet given to radical Islamic activities in London and its mythical tolerance of these activities was mentioned to illuminate the fact that UK has been under a ‘severe’ terrorist threat since January 2010.   \n‘Jihad Jane: New faces of Radical Islam in the West’ in essence argues that many converts to Islam in the West have been radicalized and have been involved in militant activities\, posing a new angle to Islamic radicalism which now seems to be influencing even converts who come from varied backgrounds. Hyphenated identity or Hyper-Identity\, which refers to the plurality in the identity of the migrant youth population (examples\, Pakistani-American\, Turkish-German\, etc.) has been an issue of concern lately. They are seen to be vulnerable to radicalization because of their inability to integrate into Western society for various reasons including prejudice and hence are facing an identity crisis. Mr. Mukhopadhyay pointed out that in the US Muslims becoming terrorists could be better explained by individual pathology than by rising Islamic militancy due to group dissatisfaction.  \nIt is believed that Europe has experienced relative success compared to the US in checking the proliferation of radicalism among sections of the Muslim youth by focusing more on monitoring and prediction of radical behavior which leads to early prevention of attacks. On the other hand\, inadequate information about terrorist networks\, especially in the Af-Pak region\, has led the US to resort to drone attacks which has also led to collateral damage which in turn has increased America’s unpopularity among the Muslim community and has further fueled radical ideologies. The burgeoning international profile of India as an important country and Indians traveling all over the world for business and education has increased the risk of some young Indians being recruited by terrorist networks in many Western cities. The June 2007 terrorist incident in Glasgow was indeed a watershed moment when a young Indian professional was found to be a terrorist. Therefore Mr. Alok Mukhopadhyay stated that security and intelligence cooperation between Western countries and India would benefit India given aforementioned risks and the unstable security situation in South Asia\, especially in the Af-Pak region.  \nIn the discussion that followed Mr. Mukhopadhyay’s presentation\, many issues were discussed. The importance of transnational efforts to de-radicalize was emphasized by pointing out distinct differences in the way the US and Europe have been tackling radicalization. It was suggested that the US has a more nebulous policy towards de-radicalization unlike Europe. It was also suggested that this may be the case because of the relatively recent origins of radicalization within the US. It was noted that India’s de-radicalization policy has been fairly successful and that Western countries could study India’s de-radicalization methods to strengthen their own de-radicalization efforts. Although Pakistan has emerged as the hot bed for Islamic radicalization\, it was noted that no visible steps of de-radicalization had been taken in Pakistan.  \nIt was also suggested that the term ‘radical Islam’ was problematic and a suitable alternative had to be found. Though there was a general consensus about the problematic nature of the term and the need to re-evaluate the terminology\, the lack of a ready alternative led some participants to conclude that people had to compromise with the existing terminology until scholars come up with an acceptable terminology in the future.  \nIn the discussion it was suggested that America’s role in promoting extremism is an important feature that helps explain\, at least to a degree\, the existence of what has come to be known as Islamic extremism. Their support for the Mujahideen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is well known and documented. It was implied that Islamic extremism is a phenomenon which has developed into what it is today partly because of US support for extremism in the past decades. It was also stated during the discussion that there was a need to scrutinize\, if not challenge\, the extremist interpretations of Islam by the Islamic community worldwide. If the extremist groups could be theologically ‘defeated’\, eradicating extremism from the minds of the affected sections of the people would become much easier.  \nFinally\, it was mentioned that integration becomes difficult and fault lines become wider during times of economic downturn when fewer resources have to be shared. This leads to a ‘clash of civilization’ scenario where one community is seen as encroaching upon the resources and culture of the host community. As an off shoot effect\, many (not all) young Muslims have voluntarily decided to wear the hijab and burkha\, or have decided to sport beards to assert their identities. On a brighter note\, it was perhaps implied that economic recovery in the future may help ease the tensions between the migrant and host communities. Although an economic boom by itself would not help bridge differences\, it may very well provide a fertile ground for the same.  \nReport prepared by Prashant S. Hosur\, Research Assistant\, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses\, New Delhi
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/radical-islam-in-the-west-south-asia-post-26-11-an-exploratory-study
CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100611T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100611T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210108
CREATED:20231223T221707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130247Z
UID:63650-1276234200-1276234200@idsa.in
SUMMARY:From Islamization to Talibanization: Pakistan's drift towards 'Lebanonisation'
DESCRIPTION:Chairperson: Prof. Satish KumarDiscussants: Shri A. K. Verma and Prof. Savita Pande \n \nPaper Summary\nThe creation of Pakistan was a unique human-political experiment\, in which an effort was made to create an Islamic\, but sectarian-secular state in which state and religion were to co-exist side-by-side and the socio-political interaction of its subjects was not to be affected by their differing sectarian Islamic identities\, beliefs\, practices and commitments. It was the Barelvis of North India and the Muslim Leaguers of Central India\, East Bengal and West Punjab who spearheaded the movement for creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent. Later\, they were joined by the Deobandis\, to create a truly Islamic Pakistan in which the Islamic Law – the Shariat – would be supreme. The 1956 Constitution of Pakistan declared Pakistan to be an “Islamic Republic”. \nIn the 1970s\, the concept of Pan-Islamism encouraged by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was instrumental in building a close linkage between Pakistan’s radical Deobandis and the Saudi Wahabis. This increased cooperation had major implications for the growth of radical Islam in Pakistan in particular and in the entire region as a whole in the next decade. Radicalism received a further boost as the madarssas run by Deobandi groups like the Jammat-e-Islami (JI) and other radical Islamic right groups began to be used to brainwash and indoctrinate the youth. The next phase in radicalization of Pakistani Islam under Deobandi influence came during General Zia-ul Haq’s period. General Zia contended that since Pakistan was created in the name of Islam\, it should be supreme in the country.  \nIn the late 1970s\, the Soviet entry into Afghanistan enabled Pakistan to play the great game of espionage and subversion in Afghanistan. Pakistani Islamic parties could also operationalise a wider plan for launching global Islamic activism under Pakistani leadership.  By the end of 1980\, not only massive US military and economic aid was flowing into Pakistan for the Pakistanis and the mujahideen\, also\, over 1 million Afghan refugees entered Pakistan. They became the recruiting ground for the Afghan Islamic mujahideen groups and their Pakistani Deobandi/Wahabi supporters.  \nIn the 1990s\, a group of 200 theological students from Pakistani Deobandi Islamic seminaries – the Taliban (Students) – mysteriously emerged and entered Kandahar from Pakistan. With clear Pakistani official directions and overt and covert assistance\, they took over arms and other local assets of Afghan warlords\, including those of Gulbudin Hikmatyar. Soon\, except for the northern parts of Afghanistan\, the Taliban brought almost the entire country under its control. They began to implement strictest Shariat as per the Deobandi interpretation. Afghanistan was declared by the Taliban as “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” in 1996 after the capture of Kabul.  \nDuring post 9/11 period\, Pakistan had to end its open support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. It was also forced to get more deeply involved with US operations against Taliban/Al-Qaeda in return for easing of US sanctions and receiving massive economic and military assistance from it. However\, these measures were either merely cosmetic\, or were not taken to their logical end and remained half-hearted\, designed to please western audiences. \nAfter the fall of Taliban in late 2001\, Pakistani militants siding with them came back home to further the experiment of introducing Islamic order as per Deobandi/Wahabi precepts in the tribal hinterland of Swat and other areas of FATA. Pakistani government’s inadequacy in dealing with the Taliban became apparent in April 2009 as President Asif Ali Zardari sanctified an agreement (also known as the Swat deal) through an ordinance imposing Shariat in the Swat Valley and the surrounding areas effectively empowering the Taliban and other groups. This followed the passage of a unanimous resolution on the subject by the Pakistani Parliament.   \nAccording to the author\, the core of the problem lies in the lack of public debate within Pakistan over issues regarding how to deal with the present danger from radical Islam. He\, however\, believes that it would still be difficult to Talibanize the whole Pakistani society. The Taliban are likely to encounter stiff resistance from the Barelvis (constituting more than 50 per cent of Pakistani Muslims)\, the Shias (constituting roughly 30 per cent)\, Muhajirs and the ethnic Sindhis.  \nThe Pakistan Army and the ISI now appear to be plumping for exploiting the mass-based evangelical movement of Tabligh Jamaat (TJ) to ideologically take on the Taliban and their allies. However\, if TJ begins to undercut Taliban’s ideological base\, the latter may take recourse to targeting TJ leaders and cadres as it has done with Barelvis and others. That would either dissipate TJ influence as an ideological counter to the Taliban\, or force it to arm itself for self-defence. If that happens\, it could be the actual beginning of ‘Lebanonization’ of Pakistan. Under this situation\, the country could get carved up in various pockets of militarised ethno-sectarian influences and as a consequence the reach and the role of the Government and its institutions may be truncated\, creating a Lebanon-like situation. \nPK Upadhyay concluded the paper by stating that Pakistan can still overcome this serious existential challenge. For that it has to totally transform itself from what it has become in the past sixty years since independence. It has to make the tough choice of either picking up the secularist trail of Jinnah or choosing to go the Lebanese way. \nDiscussion and Suggestions\n\nThe paper does not offer a clear idea regarding where Pakistan might be headed in the future.\nFuture impact of Islamic radicalization of Pakistan on India should be analysed.\nThe paper also needs to analyse the following questions: Can Pakistani military continue to remain united as radicalization spreads? Is Pakistani military likely to radicalize as well? If either of these two possibilities occur\, what will happen to the state of Pakistan? Can the US stabilize Pakistani state? What will be the geo-political impact of such scenarios on India?\nWhat are the author’s own perception regarding the three main words in the title of the paper — i.e.\, islamization\, talibanization and Lebanonization?\nThe paper should be contextualized in terms of how Islam works in Pakistan.\nThe debate over Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban need to be analysed.\nWhat are the possibilities of jihadi groups acquiring nuclear weapons?\nIs it in India’s interest to speed up Pakistan’s drift towards Lebanonization?\nWhat is the role of madrassas in spreading terror?\nWhat is Pakistan’s counterinsurgency approach to dealing with jihadis? \nIf fundamental changes are to occur in Pakistan\, what should be the policy India needs to adopt in the next 10-15 years? \nAs majority of Pakistanis belong to Barelvi group who follow moderate Islam\, Talibanization of Pakistan cannot succeed.\nPakistanization of al-Qaeda can be discussed in the paper.       \nPakistan was initially a Muslim state and not an Islamic state. \nRole of drug money\, small arms smuggling in radicalization needs to be studied.\nThe problem in Pakistan at present lies in CIA’s decision to ask ISI to deal with the mujahedeen. \nPakistan’s role in jihad is in tune with jihadi instincts within its people and military personnel. \nThe threat that looms ahead of Pakistan is of fragmentation.\nThe civil war in Pakistan is led by Pushtoons with Salafi ideas. \n\nReport prepared by Pranamita Baruah\, Research Assistant\, IDSA.
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/from-islamization-to-talibanization-pakistans-drift-towards-lebanonisation
CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR,EVENT REPORT
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100618T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100618T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210108
CREATED:20231224T104317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T050155Z
UID:64165-1276839000-1276839000@idsa.in
SUMMARY:Perceptions of India’s Neighbourhood Policy in Bangladesh
DESCRIPTION:Chairperson: Shri Rajiv SikriDiscussants: Amb. Veena Sikri and Prof. Partho S Ghose
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/perceptions-of-indias-neighbourhood-policy-in-bangladesh
CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100625T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100625T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210108
CREATED:20231224T104217Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T050048Z
UID:64164-1277443800-1277443800@idsa.in
SUMMARY:The Emerging Nuclear Security Regime: Challenges Ahead
DESCRIPTION:Chairperson: Ambassador R Rajagopalan\nDiscussants: Shri R Ramachandran and Dr V Siddhartha
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/the-emerging-nuclear-security-regime-challenges-ahead
CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR
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