Salient Principles for De-radicalization of Youth: A Study from Religious Perspective

Abstract

During the last decades, there was an increased intolerance among followers of different religions, as evident by the number of reported attacks, thereby causing tragedies on all continents. Violent extremism knows no boundaries and affects every segment of society.  Young people are at higher risk in the situation of violence. Young persons are the main targets of recruitment strategies and fall victim to extremist violence. Purpose of this article is to determine guiding principles for de-radicalization strategy of youth from religious perspective.

There is no single solution for combating this issue. Strict security measures can only temporarily suppress which are not sufficient to cover the underlying conditions that breed violent extremism and drive youth to join extremist groups. We need soft power, such as education and religious teachings to reduce the trend. As religion is a full way of life so it also covers the role of education, geo-politics, demography, economy, media, social factors and religious practices, understanding and interpretation. First portion of the article discusses the factors contributing to the radicalization in our society. The second portion elaborates different factors which can be used as guiding principles for de-radicalization with religion as principle determinant. It is clear that formal education and awareness about religious principles of life plays a vital role in the eradication of radicalization. In the past decade, strategies for countering terrorism has shifted from using hard security measures to a more multi sector and development approach