Srinagar, Oct. 11 -- Is radicalisation really only a product of religious doctrine? Or does it emerge from a much larger mixture of political conflict, repression, economic inequality, foreign intervention, identity, humiliation and the frustration of people who believe that peaceful change is no longer possible?

Religion can certainly become a powerful vehicle for radicalisation. Extremist organisations can use religious language to justify violence, recruit followers and create a strong sense of identity and purpose. But to explain radicalisation only through religion is to risk missing the conditions in which extremist ideas become attractive.

Radicalisation is rarely a sudden transformation. It is often a process. A person may begin...