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Religious extremism means the holding of extreme religious views by the followers of a particular religion or sect against other religion or sects. In this sense religious extremism means deep love for one’s own religious sect and dislike or hatred for others. it amounts to idealizing one’s own belief,religion,sect or class at the cost of others beliefs,religions,sects or classes. The reasons for the existence of religious intolerance are quite a few. Firstly ignorance and lack of knowledge and of modern education lead many youth and young woman to the blind alleys of backwardness and inaction.

 The minds of these young people are almost closed to modern ideas and developments, when nothing new enters the mind the germs of old ideas grow out of size into disease germs. These diseased ideas heavy and negatively powerful come into immediate conflict with scientific thought and reason. The old fashioned class tries to overcome the forward looking people with threat and force. When the forward looking refuses to backtrack or reverse their thought. The old fashioned start fighting and turn killing or damaging property. This is the clash of old and new minds out dated and modern ways and wrong and correct religious understanding.

So was TV viewing and the keeping of pictures banned in Afghanistan earlier. it will not be possible to progress with the western or advanced nations if we agree with religious extremists and outlaw or ban the preparation and the use of pictures and drawings say in the sciences, arts and architecture. Secondly religious extremist grows or develops in an atmosphere of hatred, distrust and enmity. One religious class or sect hates another simply because there is a different of beliefs or ideas between them. One religious group distrusts another because they distrust or doubt each others intentions. Sadly and regrettably some Sunni and Shia extremists developed intense hatred against each other and started killing and destroying property.

There have been many killings in our imambarahs and mosques. the muharram disturbances are the result of this hatred. the use of  force against Christians in their churches and educational institutions was sometimes visible in different forms. Thirdly perhaps the worst form of religious extremism is reflected in terrorist acts across the country. religious extremists easily organize themselves into armed groups and bands and provide military training for terrorist acts and guerrilla warfare.

Even if this activity is for pure “jehad” or holy war it needs approval of the government. if it is for the purpose of killing the followers of  other religions or for destroying their property it is intolerable. further there can be national religious extremism that can cause religious wars between one nation or country and another. Such wars were common in olden times when the crusades were fought between the Christians and Muslims. The fights between the two religious communities among the christens that is the roman Catholics and protestants and among the Muslim sects and groups side by side caused tremendous human suffering.

 By Iram Shahzadi