Sensitising people about militancy
SOME government ministries, departments and agencies have an inherent potential to be useful in the task of creating awareness among the people against militancy. They need to be self-activated given their contact with the people to be playing their due role here. For, in the ultimate analysis, it is at the community level that extremist agenda feeding on exploitation of religion are best countered, fought off. People's awareness of ways and threats of militancy, their vigilance over these and cooperation with law-enforcement agencies provide the most effective safeguards against attempted extremist inroads into a society.
That is why, quite appropriately, we think, the high-powered government committee on militancy resistance and prevention turned to the Department of Films and Publications (DFP) and the Education Ministry for activating their constituents in building an awareness campaign against militancy. Evidently, the DFP has a huge potential outreach to people waiting to be utilised through booklets, audio-visual presentations, documentaries, short films and advertisements to get the right messages across. If they have any constraints in fulfilling the task they ought to let the home ministry committee know about them in a bid to remedy the situation. Indeed, in the area of mass communication, a lot more can and should be done to develop this. To be sure, the role of the media, both print and electronic, needs to be complemented.
It is equally important that teachers and students of schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions come forward in strengthening the awareness building processes in whatever way they can. Some out-of-classroom efforts, organised on a voluntary basis, can contribute immensely to social mobilisation and resultant public sensitisation against extremism and violence.
Simultaneously, it would be highly useful if the imams of mosques use their considerable influence over society in combating extremism.
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