Ulemas have crucial role to play in countering radicalisation: NSA Ajit Doval

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 29

Noting that cross-border and ISIS-inspired terrorism continued to pose a threat to humanity, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval today said ulemas had a “vital role” to play in countering radicalisation and extremism by propagating progressive ideas and thoughts.

In his opening remarks at a dialogue between the Indonesian and Indian delegation of ulemas and leaders of other faiths, Doval said the cooperation of the Islamic clerics and the civil society was essential in countering the threat from ISIS-inspired individual terror cells and returnees from theatres like Syria and Afghanistan.

The NSA thanked Indonesian minister Mohammad Mahfud MD for bringing a high-level ulema delegation to India. “Both our countries have been victims of terrorism and separatism,” he said.

Doval said the aim of the discussion was to bring together Indian and Indonesian ulemas and scholars to promote “tolerance, harmony and peaceful co-existence”. He also stressed that the civil society needed to develop a common narrative on de-radicalisation. He insisted that in a democracy, “there was no place for hate speech, prejudice, propaganda, demonisation, violence, conflict and misuse of religion for narrow ends”.

Drawing attention towards youths who were becoming the “primary target” of radicalisation, Doval said if their energies were nurtured in the right direction, they could become “harbingers of change”. He also stressed on the need to counter disinformation and propaganda that could “impede peaceful co-existence” among the followers of different faiths.

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