In recent times, terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida, Boko Haram and Islamic State have reshaped our perception of Violent Extremism (1) (VE) as well as it initiated the debate about how to tackle with this emerging threat. Also, their message of intolerance – cultural, religious and social – has just had dire outcomes for whole world. Indeed, by holding main territory and incorporating the social media as a key tool for (real-time) communication of their appalling crimes, they mere dare to test our shared value system; human dignity, justice, religious harmony and peace.

Therefore, it won’t be enough to just counter VE rather we strongly need to avert it. And it calls for the ‘Soft Power’ (2) to put off risks driven by twisted version of culture and religion. Remember always violent extremists are either made or fuelled by unjust, malfunction and prejudice society but they are not borne for sure by carrying its genes. Neither any society/worldview nor any religious community can accommodate it. However, under the path of ‘Radicalization’ they try to get it registered as an enviable and legitimate means of action by other groups retaining the same ideology and working within society under the guise of its culture or religion. Its noteworthy that these groups take in both; ideologically-motivated home-grown violent extremists (HVE) and international terrorist organizations (ITO).

Hence, appealing process of de-radicalization must be begun with the immediate provision of basic human rights and off course the rule of law, with comprehensive dialogue across all boundary-lines of targeted society, and indeed by empowering youth on priority basis, and by taking all these kinds of initiatives as early as feasible, on the benches of schools.

Not surprisingly, under developed countries are more likely to be affected by VE because of their poor socio-economic conditions, lack of education, and rigid religious belief system. Although, there is no single pathway for VE but there are multiple institutional, deep sort of psychological and grave socio-economic factors that direct the vulnerable people towards VE.