International Conference On Terrorist Rehabilitation

PANEL DISCUSSION V
Session III
Pakistani Jihadist Mindset
the mullah gradually rose in prominence. With the influence
of the Arabs and the Deobandi sect, the mullah became
predominant in Pakistan at that time.
With the events of September 11 and the fall of the Taliban
in Afghanistan, thousands of fighters have crossed the
border from Pakistan to Afghanistan and returned to their
hometown after the jihad in Afghanistan, where they spoke
about the atrocities of war.
Dr. Sohail Abbas, psychologist and the author of Probing
the Jihadi Mindset, began his presentation by describing
the development of a glorified jihadist mindset from 1979
onwards in Pakistan. The mindset began to develop when
General Zia-ul-Haq used Islam to mobilize state power.
At that point in time, there was a substantial amount of
money being invested, coupled with the involvement of a
large number of people, giving rise to a jihadist industry.
Zia’s rule enhanced religious forces and curbed liberals.
Jihadists were proud of fighting the second superpower
in the world—the Soviet Union. To give incentive to the
religious motivation of these fighters, a number of books
were published in this regard. This slowly gave rise to the
Deobandi sect and led to a corresponding increase in
what Dr. Abbas termed as mosque religion as opposed to
a shrine religion.
The former is a more masculine, chauvinistic process while
the latter refers mainly to Sufi Islam, which involves the
collective family going to the shrine and praying. With the
rise of mosque culture and with more people gathering
collectively in mosques in both urban and rural settings,
Dr. Abbas detailed the profile of the jihadi by explaining
the various aspects of it, such as the personal, family,
educational and psychological motivation for jihad and
its attitudes.
On the present problem of rehabilitation, Dr. Abbas revealed
that there are a small number of suicide bombers under
detention. He felt that it would be beneficial to study them
extensively in order to initiate meaningful rehabilitation
programmes. The idea of a regular rehabilitation centre
was also proposed, with reference to keeping detainees
for a few weeks during which the entire family should
be involved to receive counselling and guidance as well.
It was also proposed that the government should keep
them at least in touch with a police station in their region
for six months.
While charting Pakistan’s future course, Dr. Abbas explained
that a large number of Pakistanis are relatively moderate.
However, extremists are more active on the scene and
can create more waves to attract youngsters looking for
action. At the same time, the majority of Muslims lack
strong leadership while the minority has leadership and
is in close contact with their followers.
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THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TERRORIST REHABILITATION