ROLE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN PROVOKING RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

The present research is a qualitative analysis of the role of prevalent communication technologies in provoking and propagating religious extremism. ICT is a dynamic and extremely powerful source of information on public communication system. The emergence and widespread adoption of ICT has significantly influenced the lifestyles of religious people as well. It is affecting the religious practices and ethics in the form of hate speech, spread of misconceptions regarding religious notions, extremist views and brain washing through media. The study was conducted in Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, and a sample of 60 respondents was drawn. The data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews. The results showed that ICT is used as a tool for provoking religious extremism and conflicting views are channelized through it as it is used as a major channel for learning religious knowledge and information.