Zaman, Robert and Mohammadi, Abdul Ahad (2014) Trends in Student Radicalization across University Campuses in Afghanistan. Project report. Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, Kabul, Afghanistan (KAR id:47807)
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Abstract
This study aims to examine the trends in student radicalization across eight university campuses
in Afghanistan. We conclude from our survey of student and staff views and an analysis of the
character of protests across campuses that the extent of student radicalization varies. In
particular, we come to three noteworthy findings. First, most university students are more
concerned over prospects of post-graduation follow-on careers than ideological ambition.
Second, while we find that most students and lecturers denounce radical views and violence, a
relatively more aggressive response to both the policies of the Afghan government and the armed
international intervention exhibited by students from universities in Kabul, Qandahar and
Nangarhar suggests differentiated patterns across university campuses, with these campuses
suggestive of a stronger tendency toward radicalized views. Finally, as an institution, the
university does not play a strong role in the radicalization of its students. Rather, a charged
political climate and the readily available opportunity to mobilize quickly enable students to
stand in protest rather easily. However, findings also suggest that it is this same easy access to
mobilize in protest that seems to attract a number of external groups as evident by the black,
white and green flags representative of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and the militant wing of Hezb-e-
Islami Hekmatyar. Moreover, it is these protests that seem to encourage polarization and
consequential division on campus which increasingly resemble the practice of takfir. Referring
to the practice of excommunication wherein one Muslim declares that another Muslim has
abandoned Islam, takfir is in direct competition with the more tolerant teachings common to the
characteristically liberal curriculum of public universities. While protest in and of itself is a
characteristic common to progressive democracies, evidence suggests that some student protests
do call for division along sectarian lines or the suppression of women’s rights, both of which
stand in contradiction to democratic principles and pose a threat to stability. With more than
sixty-three percent of the Afghan population under the age of twenty-four, left unchecked such
influence has the likelihood and potential to expand with substantial consequences for
development and security in Afghanistan. As Afghanistan moves into a new phase of its era of
state-building, a special focus on meeting the needs of its youth and in particular of Afghan
university students is indispensable in meeting and maintaining lasting stability and prosperity.
This study is the first part of an ongoing series of papers dedicated to examining the trends in
radicalization across the various sectors throughout Afghanistan. Launched in late 2013, we plan
follow-on studies to complement the series, including examinations of the trends in
radicalization in madrassas across Afghanistan and within the Afghan security forces.
Item Type: | Reports and Papers (Project report) |
---|---|
Uncontrolled keywords: | radicalization, Afghanistan, takfir, ideology, conflict |
Subjects: |
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BP Islam. Bahai Faith. Theosophy, etc J Political Science > JC Political theory |
Divisions: | Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations |
Funders: | Organisations -1 not found. |
Depositing User: | Robert Zaman |
Date Deposited: | 28 Mar 2015 09:25 UTC |
Last Modified: | 08 Dec 2022 21:15 UTC |
Resource URI: | https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/47807 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
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