Pakistan: What's fueling radicalization of young men?

The attacks on Christian minorities in the town of Jaranwala, in Pakistan's Punjab province, last month by mobs of angry Muslim men shattered many lives and put the spotlight once again on Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws.   

The violence erupted when torn pages of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, were found near a Christian settlement with allegedly blasphemous content written on the pages.  

Allegations of blasphemy frequently incite violent mobs in the Muslim-majority nation. 

But victims, rights activists and social scientists say the participation of so many boys and young men in the attacks was shocking and unusual. 

"Boys as young as 14 were part of the mobs that were attacking and burning down churches. My own house was looted, and two goats, a laptop and jewelry were also stolen," Asif Mahmood, a 44-year-old Christian man from the Essa Nagri area of Jaranwala, told DW.  

He said more than 50% of the attackers were youth, including teenage boys.  

A local policeman acknowledged the presence of youth among the mobs as well.  

"Yes, it is true that many boys and youths took part in the vandalism carried out against Christian properties and houses on August 16," said the official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.   

The level of hatred was so high that even other Christian areas, where no alleged blasphemy incidents had occurred, were also targeted by the fanatical mobs, Mahmood said. 

He added that he could not forget the hateful slogans chanted by the attacking mob. 

A lack of empathy and remorse 

During some attacks, the young attackers could be seen smiling and laughing as they pillaged the properties of minorities.  

Mental health experts said those engaging in such acts are assessed for a condition known as "Conduct Disorders."  

It is characterized by a lack of or absence of empathy and remorse, said Zaofishan Qureshi, a psychotherapist based in Islamabad. 

"It involves a sadistic satisfaction as a result of breaking rules, harming humans or animals and destruction of property and belongings of other people," she told DW.  

Basheer Hussain Shah, a psychologist and social activist from Islamabad, told DW that it's not the first time this happened.  

Young men participated in the lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot, a town in Punjab, in December 2021 over allegations of blasphemy. They also took part in other attacks on minorities, Shah said, adding that their numbers had grown dramatically in recent weeks and months.  

Psychological factors 

Qureshi said there are several underlying psychological factors prompting young men to become part of a mob.  

On a cognitive level, it's called "black-and-white thinking," which is prevalent in early adolescence, she underlined.

The psychotherapist added that young men are not psychologically matured enough and lack sufficient life experience to see the grey areas around justice.  

"It's easy to convince this age group on very black-and-white grounds of taking the law into their own hands," she said.  

"Furthermore, being part of a mob provides anonymity and freedom from individual accountability, which often leads to unfortunate levels of violent expressions in teenagers." 

What's the role of extremist religious outfits? 

Many blame religious parties like the Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan, a far-right Islamist outfit that fiercely defends the country's blasphemy law, for contributing to youth radicalization.  

"The TLP holds weekly gatherings, monthly religious events and anniversaries of different saints which attract a large number of youths and boys. They use these platforms to radicalize and brainwash youths to be used against minorities," Shah said.  

The extremist outfit also has a strong presence on social media.

"Millions of people have listened to the fiery speeches of the late TLP chief Khadim Rizvi and current head Saad Rizvi," Shah said. "The content they post on X and Facebook indicate that they are also exploiting these platforms to radicalize youths. Religious parties know that youth have muscles to fight, which we have witnessed many times, so, they use these muscles to threaten law enforcement."

Zohra Yusuf, a former head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a non-profit, believes it is an extremely worrying phenomenon that may have greater ramifications for the country than anybody could imagine.  

"It is unfortunate that young minds are being trained to be intolerant of religious minorities. It is simple in Pakistan to get a mob together. All it takes is a mosque announcement," she told DW. 

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru