NewsThe Nexus of Neo-liberalism and Rising Extremism: PCID and Human Development Network Conducts RTD

 

Ms. Sanam Anderlini, co-founder and Executive Director of ICAN, started her lecture by discussing the importance of respecting pluralism, and the current trend of states receding from the provision of health, education, effective security and justice at local levels. According to her, this vacuum of social services is then filled by religious or criminal groups.

Ms. Sanam then zoomed in the effect of neo-liberalism to education, health, and security. In terms of education, the cutback in arts, cultural, and civic education contributed to the rise and dependence to religious education, which is most of the time, exclusionary. The absence of critical thinking in times of the democratization of information and the narrative that submission is power (co-opting feminist narratives) are also key issues in education. The reduction of community policing, corrupt and predatory law enforcement practices, vigilantism, private policing, and the militarization of societies are some of the security issues aggravated by neo-liberalism.

The forum also discussed different forms of extremism, like the Buddhist extremism in Sri-Lanka and Myanmar, and White Supremacists; which clarifies the issue that extremism, driven by all kinds of faith and ethno-nationalism,  is not only prevalent in Muslim communities.

The importance of using a gendered lens was also discussed by Ms. Sanam, as men are further driven into extremism by the stereotypical roles of being pro-creators and warrior-providers. She also suggested finding positive role models for men, especially in conflict areas plagued by corruption and immorality.

Lastly, Ms. Melinda Holmes of ICAN mentioned that there is a growing body of evidence in the realms of Human Rights, Economy, and International Policy that shows that neo-liberalism contributes to the rise of violent extremism. She suggested looking for better models of policy-making, while Ms. Sanam suggested that everyone should agree on the destination, and work together and through every problem.