Susceptibility to Radicalization: A Case Study of Young Women in District Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan1

Syed Sami Raza, Ghazala Rafi & Hassan Shah

Abstract
Dera Ismail Khan (D.I.Khan) has been a peaceful district for long time until
the War on Terror began in 2001. Peaceful co-existence of diverse ethnic and
religious communities was first harmed by both sectarianism and terrorism.
As a result youth were among the most affected member of the society. We
carried out a survey in the district to gather empirical evidence regarding
youth‘s susceptibility to radicalization. We noticed an interesting aspect of
this radicalization i.e., that young women were relatively more radicalized
than young men. In this article we present the empirical evidence that
demonstrates that young women in D.I. Khan are more susceptible or
vulnerable to radicalization than young men. We also throw light on the
socio-political conditions that make women susceptible to radicalization.

Keywords: Susceptibility, Radicalization, Young, Women, Dera Ismail Khan