Samina Yasmeen, The University of Western Australia Tensions between former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and the current coalition government are coming to a head. Khan made a speech in the northern city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad on Sunday, August … Continue reading What’s the dispute between Imran Khan and the Pakistan government about?
Elaine Unterhalter, UCL In August 2021 the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, and since then secondary education for girls in the country has been banned. However, there have been reports of clandestine girls’ schools operating despite the ban. Teenage girls … Continue reading The history of secret education for girls in Afghanistan – and its use as a political symbol
Mathew Guest, Durham University This autumn’s Brazilian presidential election offers a glimpse of how 21st century populist leaders are using religion to enthuse their support base. The incumbent, right-wing firebrand Jair Bolsonaro, rose to power in 2018 with support from … Continue reading Brazil: how populist politicians use religion to help them win
Haroro J. Ingram, George Washington University; Amira Jadoon, United States Military Academy West Point, and Andrew Mines, George Washington University An overnight raid conducted by U.S. special forces in Syria has resulted in the death of the leader of the … Continue reading Islamic State leader killed in US raid – where does this leave the terrorist group?
Mental health and terrorism: more people flagged to authorities have ‘mixed, unstable, unclear’ views than Islamist ideologies Barry Richards, Bournemouth University It is often difficult to make sense of violence, particularly in the wake of a terrorist attack. So it’s perhaps … Continue reading Mental Health and Terrorism
Simon McCarthy-Jones, Trinity College Dublin Adele’s new album, 30, is finally available. Last month, hundreds of millions of us streamed its first single, Easy On Me. This song evokes feelings not easily put into words. But we can probably agree … Continue reading Adele 30: the psychology of why sad songs make us feel good
In honor of Veteran’s Day, we are publishing our new ICSVE research report about supporting the U.S. military in preventing and eliminating extremism among its ranks. We are thankful to and want to honor all of our service members who have … Continue reading The Challenge of Extremism in the Military Is Not Going Away Without a New Perspective
Alasdair Booth, Loughborough University The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are treating the attack that killed Conservative MP Sir David Amess on October 15 as terrorism. A 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene of Amess’ death – Belfairs … Continue reading Sir David Amess, Jo Cox and the knotty problem of local constituency security
Only three days after Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan informed the nation that the ‘peace talks’ with the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) were about to enter a “comprehensive” phase, the TTP has announced that it will not be extending the ceasefire. Considering how much time and effort the good minister spends defending terrorists before the people they routinely kill, they really ought to be more considerate towards him. He says that Islamabad is a safe city, and they bomb the capital within a week. He claims that the peace talks are about to enter the next level, and they decide against … Continue reading Taliban Ceasefire Over!
Pakistan: a culture of intolerance By Sajjad Ashraf Pakistan’s impoverished and peaceful Christian community has endured mob rampages, blasphemy charges, and was largely spared the ravages of suicide bombings, till last month. Suicide bombings on September 22 at Peshawar’s All-Saints Church, which is designed like a mosque to reflect inter-faith harmony, killed 83 worshippers and injured more than 125, bringing to focus how the danger minorities face in the militancy raging across Pakistan. With almost a bomb a day since Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government took over in June, the church was indeed a soft target. Since independence in 1947 … Continue reading Pakistan: a culture of intolerance
Mohammed Abbasi 