RESEARCH CAN HELP IN TACKLING RADICALS

Following is the test of my article that appeared in The Tribune, dated 15.7.2016

Opinion » Comment

Posted at: Jul 15, 2016, 12:02 AM; last updated: Jul 15, 2016, 1:36 AM (IST) Research can help in tackling radicalsSomesh Goyal

Initiating academic research on counter-terrorism will enable a comprehensive vision rather than a blinkered security point of view. 

Somesh Goyal

THE  recent wave of violence and arrest of large number of IS sympathisers  in the subcontinent show that Muslim youth across all strata of society and level of education are getting drawn to the dangerous path of jihad and Islamic terrorism. Some of them are in their teens, from affluent backgrounds educated in premium liberal schools and colleges are being swayed primarily by the net and televangelists. They abandon normal life and join either the ranks of terrorist outfits operating locally or the IS.

The Bangladesh massacre at the Holey Artisan Bakery in the hip Gulshan area and the subsequent attack at the Idgah by the youth shocked the world and brought the focus on causes of radicalisation. 

The myth that poverty and lack of education among the Muslim youth makes them susceptible to radicalisation seems to be evaporating as smart, city-bred and educated youth from all the continents fall prey to radicalisation and join the cadres of terrorist groups. More than economic reasons, it is the exposure to jihadi literature freely available on the net and social media and distorted and nuanced commentary and speeches creating fears of persecution and need for a befitting response in the service of Allah, that radicalises the youth. They are further guided by a local field operative to the training facilities and so-called battlefields. 

Radicalisation has captured the imagination of security experts all over the globe. Police forces have been able to intercept potential recruits, arrest recruiters and block social media sites and pages with varying degrees of success. In most countries, Intelligence agencies are devoting resources to the study of this phenomenon. The Intelligence organisations and government institutions in India are known to be tight-fisted about their databases and analysis. Nothing much is allowed to spill into the public domain. In the name of security, most of the data is classified too. Whatever data on terrorism is available is through the South Asian Terrorism Portal, a non-government initiative. 

Research by intelligence agencies suffer from over reliance on the security aspect than the understanding of the problem to find holistic answers. Alex P. Schmid  a research fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) and Director of Terrorism Research initiative (TRI) hit the nail on the head when he said: “Clearly the gap between academic research and counter-terrorism intelligence needs to be narrowed. Intelligence agencies and law-enforcement agencies often have too many data but lack time and as well as the analytical skills available in academia to exploit this heap of unprocessed raw data. The problem to get security clearances makes it, however, difficult for researchers to work with primary sources. Most governments keep their in-house information close to their chest.”

We must realise that radicalisation and terrorism is here to stay in the subcontinent and in other parts of the world as well. Perceived discrimination, persecution, hate mongering and economic, social and political disparities will continue to provide fertile ground to terrorist organisations for radicalisation and recruitment of the youth. The government can consider funding research by academia in this field.

We have several good institutes and universities where promising young scholars can be motivated to undertake research and come up with their understanding of the issue which may provide a different perspective than the official version. The conclusions of the studies may even be critical of the security forces' and government's policies and strategies to deal with the problem. But these will help frame better policies and strategies. A Burhan Wani can be killed but what about the thought that produces such radicals? The Indian State needs to invest in decoding the matrix underlying the jihadi mind which is possible only when quality research in this area is initiated and sustained over a long period.

The writer is Director General of Police, Prisons & Correctional Services, Himachal Pradesh. The views expressed are personal

The article can also be read online at:
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/research-can-help-in-tackling-radicals/266049.html