Karl Marx, who propounded Marxism, might have been right, seeing the way religion is being used to brainwash the masses. The recent suicide attack by a young Kashmiri youth vindicates the Marxian dictum that religion is the opium of people. Religion for Marx was the sigh of the oppressed, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of the soulless conditions. So, he advocated the abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of people and wanted them to get real happiness by negating religion. The young man, who is the prime suspect in the Pulwama case, is found saying in a video created only minutes before the dastardly act that he will find a place in heaven for carrying out this operation. It certainly is the height of gullibility, but that is besides the point. The degree of conviction that is the qualifying feature of this and all such members of various terrorist outfits is the real matter of concern. There can be little doubt that some smart mischievous characters are exploiting this vulnerability of young impressionable minds to turn them into human bombs. But the point that Marx seemed to have missed is that it is not just religion that can be the opiate. Had that been the case, how could we explain the same degree of conviction of the young members of various Naxal outfits or for that matter the extreme dedication of the young members of those willing to die for the Tamil Elam in Sri Lanka not very long ago? There is a need to think on these issues.

How are the perpetrators of these mischievous paradigms able to motivate people, rather indoctrinate them with ideas of this kind that they lose all sense of reasoning? True religion is the easiest of the traps, given the belief system of a large majority that don’t apply reason to the question of religion. But the same cannot hold true in the cases of other forms of extremism. Ultra-Left, for instance, is a case is point. They, in fact, are irreligious people and follow Marx to an extent that would even surprise Marx. It is not religion that seems to be the reason. It is embedded far deeper in the human psyche, the desire to live beyond life, the desire to die for a cause that will make you eternal, to use a management jargon — self-actualise — which in one motivation theory is the highest need. But gullibility is, of course, a necessary condition in order that someone buys these kinked ideologies. But how does this gullibility grow? Take the case of the Pulwama youth. He was earlier a moderate and adhered to the Barelvi school of thought, that is nearer to Sufism, and does not propagate violence. What made him change so that he became a Jaish cadre? An intriguing question we must answer. The answer may hold clue to the growth of all extremist outfits that have been cleverly able to attract youth to be an instrument in the achievement of their devious designs. The psychology of such young people must be probed deeply. Though no conclusive research is there, socio-economic factors definitely have a powerful influence in making them vulnerable to the indoctrination of radical outfits. It certainly has to be a case of low self-esteem and poor ability to adapt to adverse socio-economic conditions that makes the young veritable instruments of destruction.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com