Pakistan, Oct. 8 -- For years, Pakistan's tribal belt has been scarred by violence, fear, and the false promises of extremists who claim to fight in the name of religion. Yet today, a different voice is rising from these same communities, a spirit of unity and defiance. From jirgas in Lower Wana to national platforms, people are declaring with remarkable clarity that terrorists posing as religious warriors are nothing more than Khawarij: outcasts from the social and religious fabric of Islam, condemned by history and rejected in the present.

This ideological shift is pivotal. The long-standing extremist tactic of hiding behind religious rhetoric is failing as the mask slips, revealing communities, scholars, and security forces across tri...