Combatting Religious Extremism in Pakistan from the Youth Perspective

The rise of Islam, which emerged as a panacea for the world problems is seen as a problem itself by the west today. The reason for this blame is the rise of extremism and Islam phobia in the western societies. This has serious implicat-ions for personal, communal, national and international security. The involve-ment of youth in extremist exertions is very high. They are being more action-oriented, easy to be influenced by radical ideologies and as an agent for thrus-ting social change.  Keeping in consideration the role of youth in adopting to or combatting extremism, it is imperative to find the perception of this important population about the problem under investigation. The research study was conducted in six universities in the federal capital Islamabad to reach to the youth’s population. The research was guided by research questions that aimed at exploring students’ perception about extremism and its various dimensions. The researcher collected data through an open-ended questionnaire from 1840 students to seek an in-depth understanding of the problem. In order to increase credibility in the findings, the researcher conducted focused group interview with 12 young faculty members. The data from the questionnaires were conver-ted into percentages based on common themes. The interview data set were thematically analyzed to understand the causes of extremism and its suggested solutions. Recommendations were suggested to tackle the menace of extremism in Pakistan.  

The Effects of Syberbullying on Students Academic Achievement and Their Behavior at Higher Secondary Level

The purpose of the research was to find the effects of cyber bullying on students‟ academic achievement on their behavior. The objectives of the research were (1)To know about the level of cyber bullying in the students of higher secondary schools of Punjab.(2)To explore the possible effects of cyber bullying on student‟s behavior and academic achievement in the students of higher secondary schools of Punjab.(3)To find differences of effects of cyber bullying on students‟ academic achievement and behavior in terms of demographic variable in the student‟s s of higher secondary schools of Punjab.(4)To finds differences of effects of cyber bullying on the student‟s academic achievement and students‟ behavior in terms of their age.(5)To find differences of effects of cyber bullying on the student‟s academic achievement and student‟s behavior in terms of their class.(6)To find differences in the effects of cyber bullying on the student‟s academic achievement and students‟ behavior in terms of their area/location.(7)To find differences in the effects of cyber bullying on the student‟s academic achievement and students‟ behavior in terms of their parents‟ monthly income. Research was mix method . Multistage random sampling method was used Total 2160 students and 48 teachers from 6 districts were selected as sample .A questionnaire and Semi structured interview was developed by the researcher .Questionnaire and Semi structured interview was piloted Cronbach‟s alpha coefficient of reliability was 0.72, 0.70 and 0.73 . The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics result shows that Cyber bullying has more effects on students‟ academic achievement as compared to their behavior. There are no significant effects of cyber bullying on students‟ academic achievement and on their behavior in terms of their gender, area/location and class, their behavior in terms of their age and parents‟ income. The qualitative data obtained from teachers concludes that students are well aware of cyber bullying. Cyber bullying equally affects boys and girls of public sector higher secondary schools.