The question is why did religion, a harbinger of peace and fraternity, come to acquire such a stance? For centuries, religious knowledge was passed down from a teacher to a learner through a focused and ardent learning process. However, contemporary technology has enabled the broad dissemination of knowledge at the click of a button. The main challenge is the inability of amateur information sharers to separate the relevant from the jungle of irrelevant information available.

The earlier scholars used to devote themselves to the study of scriptures and literature for a lifetime to comprehend it and then pass it on. In the present age of rampant social media, the internet allows people to share information as they like. There is no moral responsibility regarding what is getting disseminated and what impact it will have. While this change has created hitherto unknown opportunities, it comes with challenges, which must be addressed.

The freedom of expression allows freedom to everyone, including the religious zealots, fundamentalists, bystanders, or anyone else who wants to introduce a narrative or rhetoric. In the context of fundamentalism, such freedom allows a section of radicals to create an impression that only a specific clique of believers can recognize and repair societal flaws. Religious zealots present themselves as doers of God’s will, who, like Plato’s philosopher-king, have emerged from the darkness, and can see the truth in light. These fanatics are committed to constructing a religiopolitical system that presupposes the supremacy of clerics, while simultaneously promising a future in which dissent would be both superfluous and illegitimate. 

The democratization of information has brought to the fore a key aspect relating to information processing by unlearned proponents. These individuals quote without doing background work or delving deeper to understand the details. For knowledge to achieve the desired aim, it must be understood first and then disseminated. 

When information is quoted as rhetoric and reacted upon without analysis, no positive result can come from it. Those who engage in such an exchange are supporting the systemic spread of antagonism in society. And when this goes on unattended, it manifests in action – either in the form of public beating, or assault, or terror attacks. This is because these rhetoric perpetrators have provided unqualified information to those who would misuse it without analyzing further. In other words, all such incidents are essentially linked to the collapse of a well-guided knowledge dissemination process. 

The dissemination of information that has happened so far cannot be undone. However, we can still ensure opportunities to share the correct interpretation of religion. I once met a person who worked for a corporation during the day, and in his free time in the evening, he would engage in countering the negative propaganda on social media. As a result, he would often end up in futile debates and consequent frustration. This interaction made me realize what was lacking in today’s youth was the practice of engaging in deep and serious academic exchange. As a result, they fail to develop a firm foundation and continue to engross themselves in an aimless process of data rebuttal. This direction is not sustainable for our youth. As the face of tomorrow, the upcoming generation’s mindset must be built so that they obtain knowledge not to outsmart someone in an argument, but to grow intellectually. This would allow them to develop and appreciate an understanding of perspectives and divergent views. This is the only way the growing challenge of fundamentalism can be addressed. Only when we give a positive direction, will it help channelize the energy of our youth today, to build a future for tomorrow.