Pakistan's Leading Faith-based Activists Speak with US Policymakers

On Friday, April 27, 2012, WORDE hosted a roundtable discussion for policymakers on sectarianism and its security implications for Pakistan’s future with two of the country’s leading faith-based activists.

The conversation was led by Peer Mudassir Shah, founder of the Islamabad-based Center for Innovative Resource Collaboration and Learning (CIRCLe) and Naila Dayal, chairperson of the Christian Progressive Movement in Pakistan. WORDE President Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi moderated the roundtable, which drew representatives form organizations and agencies including the United States Institute of Peace, the Heritage Foundation, RAND Corporation, the Atlantic Council, USAID, the State Department and the Department of Defense.

The event centered on the influence of sectarian-based conflict on militant movements in Pakistan. Ms. Dayal and Mr. Shah emphasized the critical role of civil society and political parties in countering these trends through the promotion of religious freedom, social harmony and the protection of minority groups in Pakistan.

The candid dialogue addressed several issues and trends including the Pakistani media’s coverage of sectarian violence and minorities, the ability of U.S. policymakers to distinguish between moderate and hard-line members of Pakistani civil society, broader sectarian trends in South Asia and the Middle East, and the need for genuine political representation for vulnerable minority groups.

“Since Christian representatives in Pakistan’s parliament are nominated and not elected, they don’t work to represent their communities,” noted Ms. Dayal.

Ms. Dayal and Mr. Shah discussed their efforts to promote an inclusive vision of a Pakistani identity, recounting their experiences in 2010, when CIRCLe and the CPM partnered to organize a National Flag Day march in support of the Pakistani military’s counterinsurgency operations in Swat – the march drew 25,000 supporters.

Mr. Shah, who leads CIRCLe’ efforts to mobilize Pakistan’s moderate Muslim communities for peacebuilding initiatives, also stressed the importance of civil society partnerships between the United States and Pakistan to provide media and communications training, and to build the institutional capacity of faith-based organizations to promote religious freedom.

“Good partners on the ground are critical. I want to reach out to you and build mutual relationships based on trust and a common understanding of the problems which affect both of us,” Mr. Shah stated, noting the critical role of organizations such as WORDE in bridging these gaps.

This event is part of WORDE’s broader initiative to explore the capacity of Pakistan’s civil society to counter extremism. For questions or comments about this event, please contact Mehreen Farooq(Mehreen@worde.org).

WORDE is seeking a part-time research fellow to assist in research and report writing for our projects related to Afghanistan/Pakistan, radical Islamism and countering violent extremism both domestically and abroad.

This is a paid position for a short-term contract, starting immediately. The research fellow’s main responsibility is to provide assistance with the following: a) conducting background research and drafting report summaries b) compiling research and drafting comprehensive reports and c) assistance in carrying out research on Afghanistan and Pakistan’s civil society level efforts to counter extremism.

WORDE is looking for a self-motivated individual with an honest work ethic and time management skills to work from home, with the option to conduct research in our Gaithersburg, MD office as well. The applicant should be available to work for approximately 10 – 15 hours per week. Applicants should have strong research and writing skills, as well be able to work under strict deadlines.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience and skills in web content search, data collection, and editing
• Computer proficiency, particularly with MS Word and MS Excel programs
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Great interpersonal skills, friendly and courteous
• Graduate student or young professional with a BA degree
• Interest in Afghanistan, Pakistan and research experience in the issues of homegrown violent extremism, radical Islamism and counter-terrorism
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Proficiency in Urdu, Dari or Pashtu would be preferred but not required

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

• Work from home with option to work at our Gaithersburg location:
19650 Clubhouse Road, Suite 204, Montgomery Village, MD 20886
• Flexible work schedule with a minimum commitment: 10-15 hours per week
• Weekly 1-hour meetings may be required to discuss planning, activities and progress
• Compensation: Salary will be commensurate with experience.
• This positionis available immediately.

To APPLY:

Please submit the following as soon as possible – applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until positions are filled:
• A cover letter (including your availability and start/end dates)
• Writing sample (preferably a literature review from an academic paper, or a policy-oriented report (3 – 5 pages).
• Resume (includemost recent cumulative GPA).

Please email Mehreen Farooq (Mehreen@worde.org) with the documents requested as attachments.

The eighth edition of “Our WORDE” includes information about our latest initiatives in government outreach, countering homegrown violent extremism, and engaging religious scholars throughout the world to promote peace and social cohesion.

WORDE Participates in FBI Efforts to Review Training Materials on Islam; FBI Director Mueller addresses Community Concerns

In light of the recent FBI controversy over their training seminars on Islam, WORDE President, Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi joined a dynamic group of academics, community leaders, and civil society leaders to provide the FBI recommendations to improve their curriculum for counterterrorism agents.

The FBI combed through over 150,000 pages of training material, a small fraction, approximately 700 pages, were determined to be either 1) factual errors, 2) in poor taste, 3) stereotypical, or 4) lacked precision. These materials have since been removed and FBI Director Robert Mueller personally met with Muslim community members to confirm that the FBI has undertaken all of the remedial steps necessary to prevent this problem from happening again.

Mirahmadi is honored to be part of this important review process and noted, “The Muslim American community has a responsibility to provide our law enforcement officials with resources and cultural competency training to better protect our communities.” Earlier in September, WORDE provided the FBI a reading list with dozens of books recommended to provide a balanced curriculum on Islam.

In her recent Huffington Post article, “Our Nation’s Religious Quandary,” Mirahmadi states, “Our efforts to remain politically correct should not prevent law enforcement agents from receiving valuable information in the fight against terrorism.”

Film Screening of Layalina’s Award Winning Film, “Life After Death”

On February 8, 2012 following the screening of the documentary, “Life After Death,” WORDE President Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi was invited to participate in a discussion alongside Dan Sutherland, Chief, Countering Violent Extremism Group of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

According to Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, documentaries like “Life After Death” are important because they relay the stories of people impacted by violent extremists. “This film in particular shares with us touching stories of human experiences – of suffering, acceptance and forgiveness – that transcend religion. It is a reminder for all those who share common values of peace, mutual acceptance, and social cohesion, that we can no longer remain silent. It is up to us to fight bigotry, intolerance and to denounce violent extremism committed in God’s name.”

Click here to read more and view event pictures.

WORDE Fellow Mehreen Farooq Presents at USIP

On January 19, 2012, the U.S. Institute of Peace, in collaboration with the Institute of Inclusive Security, hosted a panel of experts to examine the ways in which diverse civil society actors, including youth and women, as well as the media, religion and business communities, confront real conflicts with collaborative problem-solving approaches. WORDE Research Fellow, Mehreen Farooq discussed the critical role of traditional Muslim networks in countering extremism in Pakistan and some of the challenges they face.

According to Farooq, “Up till now, civil society’s response to terrorism has largely been reactionary. For example, when major shrines are bombed, there is a spike in civil society activity to condemn terrorism. While this is a step in the right direction, there needs to be a more proactive, sustained effort. This means promoting religious freedom and peace, and opportunities for diversity of thought to flourish in a democratic manner.”

Click here to read more and view event pictures.

The Project for Islamic Cooperation for a Peaceful Future in Afghanistan

In partnership with the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University, WORDE co-sponsored a conference in Istanbul that brought together over 80 religious scholars from Afghanistan and Muslim leaders from around the world to strengthen the potential for religious leaders to pave Afghanistan’s peaceful future. Participants included Sheikh Mustafa Cagrici, the Mufti of Istanbul, Dr. Usamah Al Abd, President of Al-Azhar Universit, the Grand Mufti of Jordan, Sheikh Dr. Mustafa Ceric, and Dr. Abdul Kareem Khasawneh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Jordan.

Following the December 2011 conference, a continuous means of access and communication will be established whereby the Afghans can seek ongoing guidance from international mainstream Muslim communities to promote moderation, tolerance, peace and inter-ethnic cooperation.

Click here to read more and view event pictures.

The seventh edition of “Our WORDE” includes information about our latest initiatives: from the launch of a fatwa against domestic violence, to joining the Global Forum for Counter-Radicalization, and discussing how Americans can confront radical Islamism across college campuses.

WORDE Launches a Fatwa against Domestic Violence

On July 29, 2011, WORDE hosted Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America discuss Islamic values in family affairs and to launch, “A Fatwa against Domestic Violence,” co-authored with Dr. Homayra Ziad, Assistant Professor of Religion at Trinity College, Hartford CT. This is the latest fatwa issued by Shaykh Kabbani, who has also written a landmark fatwa on the principles of jihad, which was translated into Arabic and distributed by the US military in Iraq.

The panelists included Irfana Anwar, who consults Muslim women organizations such as Karamah, Peaceful Families Project, and Muslim Advocates Against Domestic Violence. Shaykh Kabbani and Dr. Ziad discussed historical and contemporary issues surrounding domestic violence in Muslim communities, and Anwar provided the community practical perspectives from the field.

WORDE President on College Campus Tour to Discuss
“How America Should Confront Radical Islamism”

In October, WORDE President Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi conducted a Southern California college campus tour series to address “How America Should Confront Radical Islamism.”

Her speaking engagements included the Center for Middle East Development at UCLA, the Religious Studies Program at UC Irvine’s Center for the Study of Democracy, the Political Science and Religious Studies Departments at California State University, Northridge (video available).

Taking a break from the campus circuit, Dr. Mirahmadi appeared on the  Dennis Prager Show to discuss the differences between mainstream Islam and radical Islamist ideologies. Dr. Mirahmadi’s final lecture was delivered to the students and faculty of her alma mater, UCLA’s Gould School of Law and the Office of Religious Life.

WORDE Presents at the Global Forum for Counter Radicalization

WORDE Specialists presented at the inaugural conference of the Global Forum for Counter Radicalization (GFCR) this October in Paris. The GFCR is a new platform for designing and implementing concrete, innovative and effective initiatives to counter radicalization and extremism.

European and American practitioners and experts in the fields of deradicalization, non-violent conflict resolution, psychology, and law enforcement participated in the conference. In their presentations, WORDE Specialists Farooq and Ziad highlighted how faith-based institutions can be used to prevent violent extremism in Muslim communities. Following the conference, they were interviewed by several French media outlets including Marie Claire.

WORDE Hosts Youth Events at the International Cultural Center

WORDE recently established the International Cultural Center (ICC), a community center for the greater Washington DC area. It is a safe environment where youth can discuss challenging issues and get involved in community service events.

Local youth have participated in a range of ICC activities including the State Department’s “2011 Hours against Hate Campaign,” making hundreds of sandwiches for local homeless shelters, donating gift baskets to local abused women’s shelters, and facilitating a forum on the effects of 9-11 on young Muslims.

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This is part four of a series contributed by WORDE researchers, as they traveled through 35 cities and villages in Pakistan – from FATA to interior Sindh – to understand how civil society is countering extremism.

In a moderate madrassa on the border of Pakistan’s rugged Khyber Agency, an imam demonstrated a new computer program to teach religious studies. This CD-ROM has been distributed to madrassas across Pakistan by a foreign source to promote radical Salafi ideologies that are linked to militant organizations. Crouching over one of the five PCs in his computer lab, the imam opened the program to show us how extremists are trying to infiltrate moderate institutions. The first e-lesson he selected instructed students to hate those who did not conform to strict Salafi belief system.

Elsewhere, in major universities across Pakistan’s bustling cities, extremists are winning recruits by embedding Islamist narratives into their lectures. A professor in Lahore explained how she witnessed several students attend such lectures and change their behavior overnight. “The first sign of radicalization was in their dress code,” she explained. “Within weeks they assumed the role of moral police for the student body and began advocating for Taliban-style Shariah law.”

Facing increasing unemployment and political disillusionment, youth are by far the most important demographic for Taliban recruiters. This is a particularly disturbing trend considering that an estimated 102 million Pakistanis, or 59% of the population, are under the age of 24. Without outlets to channel their energy, this age bracket can easily become Pakistan’s most lethal powder keg.

To stem youth radicalization in Pakistan, both secular schools and moderate madrassas have had to seek innovative solutions. In July 2009, a youth NGO called Barghad hosted the “All Pakistan Student Leaders Conference” to address how students can openly challenge extremist influence on college campuses. Remarkably, even in the frontier provinces, the epicenter of the conflict, students are turning out in high numbers to promote peace. In 2010, when the Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO) held a “Peace Walk” to protest gun violence at Peshawar University, 500 students participated. Building off such initiatives, the Young Parliamentarian caucus in the National Assembly is organizing a series of college debates to engage students on sensitive issues such as terrorism. The caucus is led by Member of the National Assembly Dr. Donya Aziz, whose bill criminalizing violence against women was recently passed with the support of religious scholars.

Minhaj ul Quran, one of Pakistan’s largest religious school networks, created the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Forum to promote a tolerant worldview. Each year, Minhaj’s Muslim students celebrate Christmas with Lahore’s Christian community. Many madrassas also encourage students to participate in anti-terror rallies. After Lahore’s landmark Sufi shrine, Data Darbar, was bombed in 2010, students at the nearby Jamia Nizamia Rizvia participated in demonstrations denouncing all forms of terrorism. Dr. Raghib Naeemi, the son of Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi, who was murdered by extremists for speaking out against the Taliban, told us that he gave his students a day off to participate in “Save Pakistan” rallies.

According to Reza Shah Khan, the Executive Director of SPADO, “Many Pakistani youth have immense potential to lead counter-extremism programs because they have high skill sets on par with students in the West. The challenge is that they lack the platforms to achieve and utilize their potential.” To address this, SPADO created the “Youth for Peace Network” which involves thousands of young Pakistanis in participating in peacebuilding programs and public awareness campaigns. Other civil society leaders and activists are training youth in civic engagement and in organizing peace initiatives.

At Bahria University in Islamabad, we met with Professor Ali Jafari, who pioneered a course on leadership and social responsibility. Every semester he challenges students to hit the streets and create sustainable community development projects in at-risk areas, from building schools to creating job opportunities. Students use video-logs to document “before-and-after changes” in the communities.

National crises — natural and manmade — have also been an impetus for mobilizing youth. After the constitution was suspended in 2007, pro-democracy youth movements came together to form the urban activist network, Pakistan Youth Alliance (PYA). Today PYA organizes rallies and peace vigils, and gets students to roll up their sleeves to participate in humanitarian relief. Last August, PYA arranged a street theater performance in the Swat valley at a notorious street corner where the Taliban would hang corpses when they controlled the area. The performance was designed to encourage youth to speak out against extremist ideologies.

Meanwhile, in the deserts of Sindh Province, we spoke with young women activists who are part of the NGO network Web For Human Development. We met in their office in Makli, minutes away from the world’s largest ancient necropolis, with miles of magnificent sandstone monuments. Here, young activists provide rural schools with workshops on Government 101, human rights, and peace building.

Youth across Pakistan are applying these types of skills, using the media, blogosphere, arts, and public rallies to challenge jihadism and extremist world views.

Pakistan’s new media is rapidly becoming a space to mainstream controversial issues from terrorism to homosexuality and there are concerted efforts to bring youth into these discourses.  Nationwide, the Open Minds Project trains students in dozens of schools and madrassas in journalism and conflict reporting. Their students have appeared on national news shows. In the frontier regions, the Center for Research and Security Studies invites students to share their stories of conflict affected areas on radio stations broadcasting in Kohat, Abbottabad, and Peshawar.

Taking examples from the Arab Spring, Pakistani youth are also using social media forums such as Twitter and Facebook to promote peace initiatives. Online petitions like www.amanittehad.com, which has over 15,000 signatories, urge Pakistanis to foster pluralism. Similarly, Facebook pages like “A call to youth to bring peace in Karachi” mobilized students from major universities in the city to participate in a march against targeted killings in August 2011 when political violence was at its height.

According to Dean Salima Hashmi at Beaconhouse National University, art is another powerful medium for countering extremism. She took her class to the streets of Lahore, to disseminate messages of peace through chalk art graffiti. Other students developed slogans and designed tee-shirts. “For many,” Dr. Hashmi explained, “this was the first time they got involved in public activism.”  Art has also been used by NGOs like Pakistan Rising to rehabilitate youth affected by the war in Swat after the Taliban offensive ended last year. Even the government has recognized art as a powerful tool. Last August, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called upon leading Pakistani artists for a “Dialogue with the Prime Minister” to help build a national counter-extremism strategy.

On national television, the show Coke Studio has captivated Pakistan by introducing a new mechanism for peace-promotion. We met with the lead singer of the women’s rock band “Zeb and Haniya” who described that every week on prime-time TV, Pakistan’s top musicians perform new music on themes such as tolerance and diversity. Additionally, by combining pop music with traditional poetry, there has been a resurgence of interest amongst youth in Sufi culture, which has championed these values for over a millennium.

While these programs provide great models, they need to be expanded and integrated in order to successfully push back against the tide of radicalization.  In particular, universities, moderate madrassas and civil society organizations should network and pool their human capital. Additionally, the Government of Pakistan should be brought on to generate public service initiatives for the youth.

Naturally, one of the biggest obstacles is funding. There are very few financial resources within Pakistan for non-profits, and most NGOs lack the institutional capacity to tap into international sources. For Pakistan’s next generation to coordinate a country-wide movement against extremism, youth require substantial training in capacity building, social mobilization, and leadership development. Fortunately, there is an immense opportunity for international organizations and private institutions to partner with Pakistani organizations to provide this training. At the end of the day, this collaboration at the civil society level can help rebuild trust between the US and Pakistan at this critical juncture.

Waleed Ziad and Mehreen Farooq are leading a project to analyze the role of Pakistan’s civil society in countering extremism for the Washington DC-based World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE).

In a special counter-terrorism training seminar in 2010, FBI agents were shown a chart that measures the three Abrahamic faiths and their propensity for violence. Illustrated shooting crescents and stars indicated that Muslims were on the most dangerous upward trajectory. When the training materials were leaked by whistle-blowers to the press last September, the FBI came under heavy criticism for providing its field agents an unbalanced and inaccurate understanding of Islam.

Wired.com’s eye-opening article, “FBI Teaches Agents, ‘Mainstream’ Muslims are Violent, Radical,” asserts that training material on Islam made no effort to differentiate Islam from the violent ideologies espoused by radical Islamists. In the controversial briefings, William Gawthrop, (a counter terrorism expert who still works for the FBI, but is no longer providing training to agents) portrayed mainstream Muslims as “agents of aggression,” that were motivated by Sharia law to wage jihad.

Muslim American organizations and civil liberties groups immediately spoke out and requested that the FBI conduct a full review of their training curriculum. Within days, the FBI hosted a “Community Partner Conference Call” to address these issues. Officials recognized and apologized that anti-Muslim material was being used, and stated that they would immediately reexamine all of their training materials to ensure that they provide a balanced and accurate understanding of Islam.

Weeks later, several of us were invited to FBI Headquarters for a briefing about the review process. Having combed through over 150,000 pages of training material, the FBI determined a small fraction, approximately 700 pages, were either 1) factual errors, 2) in poor taste, 3) stereotypical, or 4) lacked precision and have since been removed.

When the review was completed, and the provocative material removed, Muslim community and interfaith civil liberties groups were invited once again to discuss the findings. This time FBI Director Robert Mueller attended the meeting and confirmed that the FBI has undertaken all of the remedial steps necessary to prevent this problem from happening again. It does not appear, however, that some Muslim advocacy organizations will allow these steps to suffice. Other meeting attendees signed a joint statement calling for continued transparency and oversight into this training process, as well as an advisory committee to review training material going forward.

Having participated in the meetings, I found the FBI’s attention to this debacle quite impressive. They acted swiftly and decisively. Yet, questions still remain about how the Bureau will determine guidelines for identifying experts on Islam and the vetting processes for approving briefings and training materials.

It is also important to consider how the reluctance of some communities to acknowledge the roots of radicalization and educate law enforcement about the extreme interpretations of Islam used by terrorists has contributed to this problem.

The real big question, however, is given America’s trepidation to mix church and state, how will federal agencies like the FBI determine the appropriate pedagogical approach to defining Islam?

The controversy over training has also gotten the attention of Congress. Sixteen members of Congress wrote a public letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary Leon Panetta asking for details about “their counter terrorism review process” and what non-governmental organizations or individuals were involved in the review process.

Law enforcement agents and public officials should be educated in a balanced manner. Sen. Lieberman put it best when he said:

Proper training about violent Islamist extremism is absolutely essential… Part of this training must be an understanding of the clear and profound difference between Islamist extremism, which is a totalitarian political ideology that is at war with us, and Islam, which is a religion practiced by more than a billion people around the world, including millions of law-abiding and loyal Americans.

Failure to make this distinction as Sen. Lieberman suggests, will result in false generalizations that risk alienating the vast majority of Muslim Americans that reject violent extremism.

At the end of the day, with all of the public scrutiny on this issue, our efforts to remain politically correct should not prevent law enforcement agents from receiving valuable information in the fight against terrorism. Unfortunately, there are signs that this has already happened. Several Agents and analysts voiced strong objections to some of the material being removed without their input or any consideration to the context within which it was presented. Others resent having their training material “pre-screened” by anonymous subject matter experts who require substantive changes to the briefing content.

Finally, it is important to note that the Muslim American community is a critical part of the strategy to thwart acts of terror on American soil but they are also the severest critics of how law enforcement defines the threat. Herein lays the paradox: On one hand, our nation’s greatest enemies are manipulating the religion of Islam to recruit followers into acts of violence. However, if we over-sanitize the training material, and remove any reference to Islam and Muslims, how will we identify the warning signs of that recruitment process? Ultimately we should not have to choose between national security and the respect for civil rights in this country, but achieving the right balance will remain our greatest challenge.

"Life After Death" Screening Interview with WORDE President Hedieh Mirahmadi

On February 8, 2012 the Buxton Initiative hosted a screening of Layalina Productions’ award-winning documentary, “Life After Death,” at the Case Foundation in Washington DC. The beautifully narrated film is about an American family and their journey to understand the healing process of American, Arab, and European terrorism victims.

Meeting with individuals affected by the 11/9 Amman hotel bombings and the 3/11 Madrid train bombings, they find inspiration and courage  from other victims’ compelling messages of suffering, endurance and hope.

Following the screening, WORDE President Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi was invited to participate in a discussion alongside Dan Sutherland, Chief, Countering Violent Extremism Group of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). The discussion focused on the role of Muslim communities in America and efforts to counter terrorism throughout the world.

WORDE Specialist Mehreen Farooq with Mossarat Qadeem at USIP

Civil society actors have an immense role in peacebuilding and resolving local conflicts, especially when the rule of law is ineffective or absent. Where unreliable governance, weak economy and natural catastrophes have devastated and displaced millions of people, the burden of strengthening communities and providing services to local institutions is on civil society actors. With the added complexity of terrorist threats, how are Pakistani civil society actors actively working to counter extremist narratives, reduce violence and foster a culture of peace?

On January 19, 2012, the U.S. Institute of Peace, in collaboration with the Institute of Inclusive Security, hosted a panel of experts to examine the ways in which diverse civil society actors, including youth and women, as well as the media, religion and business communities, confront real conflicts with collaborative problem-solving approaches. The Institute for Inclusive Security has partnered with the Pakistan-based NGO, PAIMAN Trust to implement a project in the tribal areas of Pakistan to empower women to moderate extremism.

According to PAIMAN’s Executive Director Mossarat Qadeem, fear and violence has prevented the 99.5% of Pakistanis who are moderate, from speaking out against the extremists. Her work ranges from engaging students in Peshawar to the mothers of young boys who have been influenced by the Taliban. Ms. Qadeem noted that these youth have experienced a lot of trauma and abuse by the Taliban and require psychological counseling.  Since working in FATA and Peshawar she said, “We have transformed 17 extremist youth who were would-be bombers. They are now leading lives of purpose.”

In her presentation, WORDE Specialist Mehreen Farooq noted that effective programs like PAIMAN’s must be expanded and replicated. She added, “In order to create a truly national movement against the Taliban, ad hoc programs carried out through informal networks should be institutionalized, and implemented throughout the country. Nothing short of an integrated approach will work.” WORDE is currently working on a report for policymakers to provide additional recommendations for strengthening civil society level efforts to counter extremism.

Speakers

Mossarat Qadeem
Executive Director, PAIMAN Alumni Trust, Pakistan

Mehreen Farooq
Research Fellow, World Organization of Research and Development

Miki Jacevic
Chief Training Officer, The Institute for Inclusive Security

Peter Weinberger
Sr. Program Officer, Academy for International Conflict Management
and Peacebuilding, USIP

Qamar-ul Huda, Discussant
Sr. Program Officer, Religion and Peacemaking Center, USIP

Kathleen Kuehnast, Moderator
Director, Gender and Peacebuilding Center, USIP

Event
Pakistani Peacemakers: The Challenges for Civil Society Actors

Event Date
January 19, 2012 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location
U.S. Institute of Peace
2301 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037

General Inquiries
Please contact Brooke Stedman at bstedman@usip.org with any questions about this event.

Media Inquiries
Journalists should contact Allison Sturma at asturma@usip.org in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

WORDE Researchers Travel to Over 35 Cities in Pakistan to Understand Grassroots Efforts to Counter Violent Extremism and Stop Talibanization

WORDE Team Meets with Peace NGOs in Pakistan

WORDE Specialists Mehreen Farooq and Waleed Ziad recently travelled to 35 cities and villages across Pakistan to explore avenues for developing civil society’s capabilities to counter extremism. They met with over 100 organizations, from Peshawar, Swat, and the tribal frontier, to Kashmir, southern Punjab, and Sindh to discover how Pakistanis are using madrassas, mosques, shrines, and public debates to counter radical narratives at the grassroots level. The purpose of the research is to promote US-Pakistan engagement at the civil society level to not only counter violent extremism but to win hearts and minds to ensure long-lasting regional stability.

Presentations

In October 2011, WORDE hosted a community discussion Alternative Channels to Countering the Taliban: The Untold Story of Pakistan’s Civil Society with Farooq and Ziad. Shamoun Maayer, founding member of the American Pakistan Foundation moderated the discussion.

The team has also briefed policymakers in the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), the State Department, USAID, USIP and the Department of Defense’s Strategic Multilayer Assessment Team (SMA) for Afghanistan-Pakistan. The research has also been presented to the Global Forum for Counter Radicalization in Paris, at the Expert Meeting in Brussels on Pakistan and Pakistani Diaspora Communities hosted by the European Commission and the US Mission to the EU, and the RAND Corporation.

Project Media Coverage

In addition to interviews by Voice of America (Serbian, Pashto, and Dari, TV Ashna)  and the Associated Press, the Foreign Policy Magazine’s AfPak Channel is publishing an exclusive four-part series of articles written by Farooq and Ziad. The articles have been cited by Pakistan’s largest daily, Dawn, and reproduced on several popular international blogs.

The Foreign Policy Magazine series includes interviews with former militants, parents of kidnapped children, community activists, jirga members, and religious scholars — highlighting the lessons they’ve learned, and the challenges they face to create a bold social movement to promote peace. In addition to the articles, WORDE will be publishing a report with recommendations for policymakers this Spring.

• The Battle for Pakistan’s Soul, (September 1, 2011), focuses on jihadi recruitment methods throughout militant hotspots in Southern Punjab.

• Pakistan’s Most Powerful Weapon, ( October 21, 2011), explores anti-Taliban public awareness campaigns led by religious networks and community development organizations to spur grassroots efforts to counter violent extremism.

• Evicting the Taliban from Swat, (November 2, 2011), highlights how local communities used civil society organizations, the media, political structures and the military to create a national social movement against the Taliban.

• Out-Recruiting Pakistan’s Extremists, (February 29, 2012), discusses youth efforts to stem radicalization in Pakistan.

To sponsor an event, or for media inquiries, please contact Mehreen Farooq (Mehreen@worde.org).

This is part 3 of a series contributed by WORDE researchers as they traveled to the two main theatres of Pakistan’s war against the Taliban – Swat and the tribal belt – to explore how civil society is countering extremism at the grassroots level.

In Charbagh, a quiet town in Pakistan’s fabled Swat Valley, storefronts perforated by bullet holes are a haunting reminder of how the Taliban insurgency brought militants dangerously close to Islamabad in 2009. Once romanticized as the Switzerland of South Asia, Swat is now heavily guarded by military check posts.

We attended a jirga, or assembly, in the town of Bahrain in Swat to understand how the Taliban came to power and how the locals challenged their reign of terror. According to village elders, the real problem began about twenty years ago, when Sufi Muhammad, the “godfather” of the Swat Taliban, established the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM – The Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Laws). In 2002 he was arrested for leading 10,000 volunteers from Swat and surrounding districts to fight against coalition forces in Afghanistan, and his organization was officially banned. He was released in 2008, by which time his son-in law Maulana Fazlullah had taken up his cause.

Fazlullah, better known as Mawlana Radio for his broadcasts, targeted the uneducated in remote villages who were unable to distinguish religious conservatism from extremism.  He presented himself as a liberator, exploiting age-old tensions between laborers, farmers, and the rich landowning class.  Many Swatis readily bought into his narrative, and were made to believe that the United States and Pakistan were orchestrating a conspiracy to destroy Islam. According to locals, women in the area donated massive amounts of gold from their dowries to support Fazlullah’s purportedly holy cause.

When the Taliban came to power in 2007 they revealed their true colors, embarking on a systematic, violent campaign to wipe out dissent. We were told the stories of countless moderate religious and political leaders who were targeted for speaking out against the Taliban. Revered Sufi leader Pir Samiullah was killed in the town of Matta along with 63 of his followers. He was hung from a tree for four days. In Kabal, Maulana Hamidullah was murdered during his evening prayers after he openly criticized the Taliban in one of his weekly sermons. Hundreds of schools were destroyed. Community leaders who refused to send their children to fight in the jihad were executed. It soon became evident that the Taliban had little to do with Islam.

To counter the Taliban’s violent tactics, community leaders chose peaceful modes of resistance. A major anti-Taliban madrasa in Swat financially supported families of scholars who had been killed, and publically honored their late loved ones as fallen heroes. In Malakand, religious scholars organized a peace jirga and issued a fatwa accusing the Taliban of treachery. In Saidu Sharif, public events were organized in mosques to raise awareness that the Taliban were operating against Islamic law. When the Taliban tried to force the elders of Bahrain to sign a declaration in support of the insurgent group, the elders turned around and challenged the Taliban to a public debate on their beliefs. According to a prominent elder, “There was no doubt we would win the debate, so with the support of the entire town behind us, the Taliban relented and let us return to our mosques in peace.”

In tandem with these local efforts, the people of Swat set out to raise awareness of the crisis at a national and global level. Zubair Torwali, a social activist from Bahrain, wrote a seminal article, “From Swat with No Love,” revealing the plight of Swat in Pakistan’s mainstream media for the first time. Others followed suit, and finally, images of the Taliban flogging a teenage girl sent shockwaves throughout Pakistan.

Torwali and other activists also set up Amankaar Tehrik, or “peace movement,” to mobilize political institutions to counter violent extremism. Bushra Gohar, a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, convened jirgas of Swati activists and public intellectuals to bring awareness of the problem to policymakers in Islamabad. Meanwhile, religious figures from the frontier region of Pakistan briefed other anti-Taliban religious leaders from across Pakistan during the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Conference in Lahore. Together they pledged their support for military operations in Swat.

As the Taliban drew closer to Islamabad in 2009, the Pakistani military also waged a campaign to win “hearts and minds” in the region. Omar Tirmizi, a young army captain who lost his leg fighting in Bajaur explained how his unit gave their rations to villagers to gain their trust. The response was positive. That summer, with enough political capital and public awareness, the military successfully waged its offensive against the Taliban.  A community activist in Swat explained, “Once the military arrived, we all hoisted white flags on top of our houses to signify our support for the state.”

Today, Swat is once again considered safe, and tourists are slowly returning. According to Nasat Iqbal from the government’s Social Welfare Organization, women are playing a major role in promoting education and leading rehabilitation projects. In nearby Malakand, the Jamia Subhaniyya Rizvia is building one of the first religious and vocational schools for women in the tribal belt, with accommodations for up to 200 students. There are other signs that people are gradually rebuilding their lives. Vibrant cultural traditions, which had been prohibited by the Taliban’s puritanical decrees, are once again being celebrated. A week before we arrived in Swat, Mr. Torwali had co-sponsored the Simam Cultural Festival, attended by thousands.

Swat’s success hinged on an integrated approach, which should be replicated at the epicenter of Pakistan’s war against extremism, the tribal belt. There as in Swat, civil society actors, including religious and political leaders, elders, and educators, lead daring resistance efforts against all odds. We visited a flagship madrasa within a network of anti-Taliban educational institutions in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). In the surrounding hills, an infamous Taliban commander is waging one of the bloodiest wars in the region. A local educator explained, “When militants began threatening the schools, hundreds of our teachers publically pledged never to allow extremism to enter our campuses.” His students established lashkars (militias) and even set up a radio station to challenge extremist narratives. However, given the increasing threats from militants and waning support from the government, these endeavors were ultimately short-lived.

Parallel efforts are being waged by Shi’a Muslim community leaders in FATA to reinforce mainstream Islamic principles of religious freedom and pluralism. According to Dr. Javed Hussain, a former member of Parliament from Parachinar (just across the border from Tora Bora), thousands of members of minority groups have been persecuted by the Taliban since 9-11. Just this summer, community activists from his region organized a major press conference at the National Press Club to demand greater media coverage of the targeted killings in FATA. “There was a time,” a local Shi’a leader explained, “when we used to host musical evenings with our Hindu and Sikh neighbors. In the dead of winter, we even housed Christian families in our homes when they didn’t have any heating sources.” Today, at great personal risk, he affords safe passage for those fleeing the region. He added, “Every morning I think of my mother and pray that she doesn’t have to witness the pain of her son passing away.” Despite courageous efforts at the grass-roots level, much more is required to mobilize all of Pakistan behind a full-fledged counterinsurgency operation in the tribal areas.

Without ongoing action to counter radical ideologies and support the efforts of moderates, militants could eventually resurface under a different alias. Let’s not forget that the Swat Taliban have already done this twice in the last two decades. As we were leaving Peshawar, a prominent poster on the road read, “Allah is our God and Jihad is our way!” This is a chilling reminder that military offensives have to be followed by a sustained campaign to counter Talibanization at its roots.

Waleed Ziad and Mehreen Farooq are leading a project to analyze the role of Pakistan’s civil society in countering extremism for the Washington DC-based World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE).

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