Even though there have been scattered reports of Daesh activities in Afghanistan over the last few months, the recent attack in Jalalabad, allegedly claimed by Islamic State, has raised concerns. Speculations are rife over the legitimacy of the groups presence in the country. However, Paiwandgah Citizen Journalists were of the collective opinion that Daesh was nothing but old Taliban now operating under new identities.

The situation also questions the role of religious leaders in combating extremist ideologies and rise in insurgency. Paiwandgah Citizen Journalists emphasized on the need for Mullahs and Ullemas, who have a considerable influence over the masses, to impart messages of peace and growth.

Read their responses below:

These insurgents sometimes influence the Mullahs and misuse their weaknesses. They try to legitimise their activities by using Mullahs. I live in Mazar Sharif and Mullahs here have a 4-5 minute speech after prayers. They talk about peace, security and religious issues and urge the people for peace and friendship. - Abdul Bashir Sarwari from Balkh.

Mullahs in provinces should be prosecuted by central government. They should have been prepared for such terrorist groups and they should have educated the people on how to avert such terrorist attacks. But unfortunately Mullahs can’t condemn Taliban or Daesh because they are scared for their own lives. They will be killed for condemning these groups. Mullahs in Sheberghan city talk about national unity and national solidarity but can’t openly condemn Taliban or Daesh. - Ahmad Farid from Jowzjan.

The government, particularly Ministry of Haj should initiate a new plan at local mosques to create awareness among people. The people should also cooperate with government to eliminate bad propaganda and terrorist attacks. Unfortunately the Mullah these days provide misleading information about Jihad and destroy the country. Fortunately, the media has played a big role in changing people’s thoughts. In our area, the Mullah is a young boy who recently graduated in Islamic Studies. He is an intellectual and talks about human rights, women rights and national solidarity – ideas that are new for me. This helps build confidence among the people to stand up against extremist ideologies. – Farhad Behroz from Kapisa.

Government should identify religious elders in provinces so that extremists do not misuse their names. Some of Mullahs in Takhar talks against the government and its legitimacy, but government does not questions them. - Mohammad Akmal Munis form Takhar.

Government should encourage the Mullahs to condemn such attacks. But unfortunately these Mullahs talk against the government because of personal interest or perhaps for the fear of their life. - Ahmadullah Khpelwak from Kunduz.

There are many people who try to work for peace and it is still ongoing. These people are working to create public awareness among local citizens. High peace provincial office is also trying to work for the peace and make people aware of the bad impacts of insurgency. But they have not been too successful. Youth and civil society members are somehow successful in public awareness. -Ahmad Seyar Ghafori from Nangrahar.

Mullas and religious leaders are also the same in nature; they also work for the powerful people, whether it is the Taliban, Daesh or the government.- Rafiqullah Masoom from Kunar province.

In provinces like Paktika, the Ulema and tribal elders are not able to raise their voice against Taliban, Daesh, or Al-Qaida. They will be in big trouble if they do so. - Muhammad Rauf Mukhlis from Paktika.

The Ulema has a great role in preventing insurgency and extremism. If they really want to eradicate terrorism, they can do it. But situation does not allow them to go ahead and work. More often, they are scared to speak up. There are so many tribal elders and Ulema who can bring change. And if not change the situation, they can at least convince some of the fighters to withdraw and return to a normal life. Now, the direction of conflict is not clear; tribal elders may go and talk to the Taliban for peace, or they may convince some of the fighters to join the peace process. But there may even be fighters who could attack these tribal elder. - Jamil Waqar from Ghazni

There are so many people in Kandahar, including religious leaders, who are working against extremists. They stand against those who shed blood of the Afghans. But they are doing this under cover and discreetly. There is no one who do this openly. – Parwana from Kandahar.

Ulema has a strong role to play, because this war has a religious perspective. They, as the religious experts, can create awareness against wrongful interpretations of the religion. Taliban is active in our area, and of course there are Daesh members, because they are from the same pool of people. Peace was the desire of our elders, but they forced us into an uprising. People rose against Taliban, but our government did not pay attention to our efforts. - Mahbooba Afghan from Ghazni.

If we give the authority to the old faces to work for peace, I am not sure it will have positive impact. Such an important role can only be played by the youth, because. The youth who are involved in war, must be stopped from doing this. Government should develop a new policy, and bring new faces into the peace process. - Majid Zharand from Ghazni.

If Ulema create awareness among people about extremism, it will definitely have a positive impact, but most of the Ulema in Afghanistan do not talk about such issues, because they fear for their lives. – Muhammad Sadiq Rishtini from Kandahar.

Ulema can play a vital role in preventing extremist ideology, but we all know that there are some problems in the government. Our good Ulema cannot compete with others who are supporting Taliban. There are some powerful men who are committing cruelty. They are involved in corruption which prevents peace efforts. These problems have paved the way for Taliban and other insurgent groups to motivate some religious leaders and Ulema to give fitwas and to prevent peace efforts. Government officials are not implementing law, and are not popular among the local people in far flung areas. Ulema tells these local people to defend their homes and families and to fight with the government. These Ulema are campaigning against the government and encouraging the idea of hate against the government. - Nimatullah Meenapal from Uruzgan.