Radicalization, Terrorism and Community Engagement in India-II

It is significant to look into the background of the accused persons involved in terror attacks and specific events at national and international levels. The plight of the Palestinians, Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, the American invasion of Iraq, American incursion in Afghanistan, Danish cartoon controversy etc., at the international level and internally, incidents like communal riots across Maharashtra in the summer of 1984 and brutal anti-Muslim violence in 1986, demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, Gujarat riots in 2002 and rejection of visas by United States Embassy to qualified Muslims may be so-called grievances among the Muslim youth. Logically, personal concerns frequently drive radicalization at the national level and annoyance with international events. Indian Government has to counter the path pursued by these educated terrorists through dialogue and open ideological discourse. 

Constructive dialogue can be useful and promote authentic and genuine understanding of one’s faith while understanding and respecting others' faith. Dialogue is vital in a diverse and multi-religious society like India. Such an attempt could be achieved by seeking the help of prominent social activists. Also, the Indian government may utilize the services of famous film stars like Amir Khan, who have a dimension of social justice and secular persons working for communal harmony, like Asgar Ali Engineer, Centre for Society and Secularism Studies, etc., to reach out to Muslim communities. 

To give a clear and coherent interpretation of religion and to challenge extremist ideologies, institutions at the intellectual level are advantageous. Darul Ulum Deoband and the Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Hind are publicly challenging the extremist religious ideology through fatwas, publications and rallies. Darul Ulum Deoband and the Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Hind have clearly and strongly condemned the ‘jihadism’ of Muslim extremists and militants. The national anti-terror fatwa of Deoband and Jamiat in 2008 sent a very clear message to Muslim masses in India not to support directly or indirectly such killings by invoking religious doctrine much misunderstood and corrupted in the political sphere. Deoband, a critical Islamic institution, has always played an important role in Indian Islam, reflected in issuing a series of sensible and sagacious fatwas. To respect the sentiments of Hindus in connection with a controversy that arose about cow slaughter, especially on Baqar Eid day when Muslims sacrifice animals, Deoband issued a fatwa that Muslims don't need to sacrifice cows and Muslims must avoid sacrificing cows on the day of Eid ul Adha. Similarly, when Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanded that Darul Ulum declare India Darul Aman, Maulana Mahmood Madani declared India Darul Aman. In response to such appraisals, the Indian government ought to initiate activities by strengthening the role of such institutions and leaders, which would bring harmony between Hindus and Muslims and avoid homegrown terrorism. 

Indian government must initiate a promising CEP to reintegrate the cadres of outfits like IM and SIMI, which are breeding homegrown terrorists, into mainstream Indian society. Indian government should focus on some important areas, which are usually suspicious places like Araria, Azamgarh, Bhatkal, Chennai, Madhubani, Old Delhi, Old Hyderabad, Pune, Sitamarhi and Udupi. In such places or hideouts of terrorists, the Indian government should introduce a ‘surrender and rehabilitation policy’, and it must undertake a plan to counsel the detainees and family members of detainees and also assist in rehabilitating these families. The formation of such policies will help to construct a close cooperation between the Indian government and the Muslim community in countering terrorism. It would establish a working relationship between security personnel and the Muslim community. Such a community engagement exercise assists in receiving intelligence information to check out the inclination and affinity of homegrown terrorism. The government must make use of the secular, patriotic and intelligent Muslim youth, and some of the educated activists from IM and SIMI who have been captured and arrested have to be convinced that they can be used as human intelligence (HUMINT) to penetrate terrorist outfits. They can be planted in the terrorist organization to gather reliable and accurate information on terror activities. 

The ‘surrender and rehabilitation policy’ and involving Muslims in HUMINT is very difficult. According to the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the jihadists belong to Sunni Muslims, owing allegiance to Wahhabi and Salafi ideologies. For that reason, IB has very limited access to the Muslim community. Despite best efforts, it has not been possible to attract Muslim candidates to the progressive level of the IB. However, the activities of the Indian government are supposed to be planned to win the “hearts and minds” in such a way as to influence their beliefs, behaviour, attitudes and opinions en route for the success of the task undertaken by security agencies implicated in the war on terrorism. Indian Muslim society, in such circumstances, can play a crucial role by providing a platform to raise religious, economic and political grievances and to facilitate debate and dialogue.

Indian Muslims are the target audience of homegrown terrorists. Spreading fear in them by killing the Hindus through bomb blasts to exploit fear by making conflicts between Hindus and Muslims is the fundamental nature of homegrown terrorism. However, not only Hindus but also Muslims were victims in many blasts; they are often some of the best-positioned actors to counter homegrown terrorism and their role in this respect. Indian government should consider the importance of the victims of the Muslim community and their role in countering violent homegrown terrorism through a CEP in empowering victims and survivors of terrorism belonging to the Muslim community.

India can benefit greatly from a CEP, which can play a central role in numerous ways through its work in conflict transformation and working on economic and social development programmes. It is the precise moment to take drastic steps immediately to integrate and handle the fear of terrorism and reduce its adverse consequences by promoting resilience and a fear management approach to counter-terrorism. The extremism or homegrown terrorism has not engulfed India as it has in some other countries like Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.