Religious Extremism and Online Radicalization in Pakistan
How to Counter the Trend?
Abstract
In the present media age, the phenomenon of violent extremism is one of the major challenges confronting Pakistan’s internal and external security. Cyber radicalization and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) has become a daunting task around the globe because of the changing nature of conflicts. This study explores the literature on online radicalization, extremism, its trends and challenges with special reference to Pakistan. The study investigates how social media helps militant groups in spreading hate and radical thoughts to propagate extremist ideologies. The study also probes the measures adopted by Pakistan to counter cyber extremism and radicalization. The study concludes that due to the fact that terrorist organizations are a constant driver of violent extremism and are linked to hostile foreign agencies, Pakistan faces significant social and economic losses as a result. Therefore, there is a need for an effective policy to counter radical ideas disseminated through the Internet.
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