Militant Religious Extremism in Pakistan: Reasons and Security Threats

Authors

  • Dr. Saqib Khan Warriach Assistant Professor, GCU, Lahore
  • Dr. Muhammad Mumtaz Ali Khan Head of Law Department, National College of Business Administration & Economics
  • Imran Alam Assistant Professor, PULC, Lahore

Keywords:

Religious extremism, security threats, power politics

Abstract

This paper studies the reasons and security threats of militant religious extremism in Pakistan It finds that reasons of militant religious extremism are complex and usually a combination of factors, rather than a single factor. The use of ideology and religion is very common in the politics of Pakistan. The ideological and political factors charted the course of extremism whereas the psychological and social factors expedite it. Many professors, scholars and intellectuals, who were interviewed for that purposes, observed that the main reasons of the phenomenon were political and some others were of the view that politico-religious motives, causes and objectives are connected to each other. Some religious scholars, traders and merchants have the opinion that foreign intervention, like USA, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Indian factor, is responsible. The self-interpretation of the religious teachings by religious elite is radicalized under the influence of various militant groups. These groups are putting the severe threats on the internal and external security of the Pakistan.

Published

2018-12-31

How to Cite

Dr. Saqib Khan Warriach, Dr. Muhammad Mumtaz Ali Khan, and Imran Alam. 2018. “Militant Religious Extremism in Pakistan: Reasons and Security Threats ”. Al-Qamar 1 (2):21-38. https://alqamarjournal.com/index.php/alqamar/article/view/247.