WASHINGTON: Terrorists are targeting educational institutions because they are against knowledge and critical thinking, says US Special Representative for Muslims, Shaarik H. Zafar.

Mr Zafar, a Karachi-born Muslim, is responsible for arranging Secretary of State John Kerry’s engagement with Muslim communities around the world on issues of mutual interest.

In an interview with Dawn, he addressed the issue of terrorism from the perspective of a person who has been tasked to convince the Muslims that America is not their enemy.

Talking about last week’s terrorist attack at a university in Charsadda, he said there was a purpose behind this madness and it was to discourage knowledge and critical thinking.

These elements attack schools where Pakistan is building a new generation of talent. “I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Knowledge, intellect, critical thinking, these are things terrorists are against,” he said.

Mr Zafar believes that there’s no single silver bullet for fighting terrorism. Instead, he offered a multi-faceted approach, which includes both military and socio-economic components.

Drying out the financial resources that terrorists use for funding their activities was also important, he said.

Another important measure, he said, would be to prevent Muslims and others living in the West from joining jihadi groups.

“There is this myth of a so-called caliphate, when in reality foreign fighters are often cannon fodder. This is a critical component,” he said.

“We also need to address the humanitarian crisis: the men, women, and children that are starving and fleeing (from places like Syria).”

Another important part of the strategy to counter terrorism, he said, was to realise that the military option alone would not work. “We’re not going to bomb our way out of this situation; it takes preventing radicalisation from happening in the first place,” he said. “The last category is the hardest, but frankly the most important: be preventative.”

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2016