Radical Islamism and Jihad
Pakistan: The rape of young minds
By Ghazi Salahuddin
Aug 02, 2009
When you look into the eyes of a growing boy, perhaps a teenager, what do you see? Ideally, of course, you should get a glimpse of hope and ambition and an impatience for becoming an adult. I am referring to eyes because I am reminded of that quote that "the eyes are the windows to the soul". And I have found that this quote is also attributed to a psychiatrist, Harry Stak Sullivan, who used it as a description of how some schizophrenics experience communication.
Anyhow, my point of reference here is the Pakistani youth. I have for long been interested in talking to them and there have been many formal interactions, in colleges and universities. One question, which has reverberated in these encounters is: what does it mean to be young in Pakistan at this time? Naturally, the intention is to persuade the young to carefully examine their own thoughts and feelings about the reality of their existence.
At the outset, I have identified a 'boy' though in the educational institutions where I have met the young, girls are often more numerous, with more resplendent eyes. I did so because I need to talk about boys I have never met. I have not looked into their eyes – and this, I confess, is my failing as a journalist. But if I do get an opportunity to look into their eyes, what would I decipher? A wilderness of some kind? An inferno of passion that would make you shudder?
Well, the frightening reality is that it would be difficult to locate any glimmer of hope and aspiration in the eyes of a majority of our young people. Considering the demographic dominance of the young in our population, this is a very disturbing situation. Every year, we have these multitudes of young people passing through their matric or intermediate or graduation exams and we know that the skills they have are inadequate and opportunities rather scarce and we also know that as young people they have their passions and a longing for the fulfilment of their dreams.
Anyhow, my point of reference here is the Pakistani youth. I have for long been interested in talking to them and there have been many formal interactions, in colleges and universities. One question, which has reverberated in these encounters is: what does it mean to be young in Pakistan at this time? Naturally, the intention is to persuade the young to carefully examine their own thoughts and feelings about the reality of their existence.
At the outset, I have identified a 'boy' though in the educational institutions where I have met the young, girls are often more numerous, with more resplendent eyes. I did so because I need to talk about boys I have never met. I have not looked into their eyes – and this, I confess, is my failing as a journalist. But if I do get an opportunity to look into their eyes, what would I decipher? A wilderness of some kind? An inferno of passion that would make you shudder?
Well, the frightening reality is that it would be difficult to locate any glimmer of hope and aspiration in the eyes of a majority of our young people. Considering the demographic dominance of the young in our population, this is a very disturbing situation. Every year, we have these multitudes of young people passing through their matric or intermediate or graduation exams and we know that the skills they have are inadequate and opportunities rather scarce and we also know that as young people they have their passions and a longing for the fulfilment of their dreams.
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3:49 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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