It is often said that the kingmaker wields far greater power than the king himself. It was no different when it came to then 13-year-old Gauher Aftab’s Islamic studies teacher, a regal man with a flowing beard who donned a pristine white salwar kameez and black waistcoat, whose riveting narratives of his battle as a Mujahideen fighter in Afghanistan held the class in complete thrall. To 13-year-old Aftab, the route to eternal bliss had never seemed more enticing than in those crucial moments in class where the apparent crusader sounded his clarion call to young, impressionable minds, urging them to fight their enemies. Little did he know it then, but young Aftab was slowly yet surely on the path to being radicalised. Soon, the youngster was completely under the teacher’s spell, for, the former had appealed to the latter’s sense of honour and masculinity. It took him a mere month to go up to the teacher and ask him how he could propagate the cause of jihad. “You could donate money, or, buy a bullet that could wreak havoc on those who are against us,” was the candid response.
However, a tryst with destiny put paid to Aftab’s plans of being a jihadi — on the day he was to leave home to a training camp, his grandmother fell gravely ill and naturally, the youngster had to postpone his trip. “Somehow, I kept putting off my visit to my teacher’s house, and consequently, the camp. By the time my summer vacation ended, I had shelved my plans of leaving for jihad completely,” says Aftab, now well into his 30s. Today, through his venture CFX Comics Private Limited, he advocates the protection of youth from being indoctrinated by religious forces. It is a creative agency which has been at the forefront of developing content to address issues such as violent extremism.
The start
“Owing to my experiences of almost being radicalised, the December 2014 attack on the Army School in Peshawar was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. There was an immediate need to spread awareness, and the best way to start was by appealing to young, impressionable minds,” explains Aftab. “My friends — Mustafa Hasnain and Yahya Ehsan — and I started three series of comics. The first, Paasban, translates to “the guardian”. Next came Haidar , a series about Paasban’s military heroes, and the third, Khiladi — about an under-19 cricket team. Our series have a social message — either upfront or subliminal — within the content.”
Aftab elaborates on how being a debate coach and having prior experience in publishing, for schools, helped. “When the three of us got together — the other two had experience in advertising and illustration — it only seemed natural for us to ideate about producing an animated series to get students thinking critically about what drives them into religious radicalisation,” he adds.
Aftab wrote the series while Yahya did the artwork. When they had three issues ready, they approached legendary poet and Urdu screenwriter Amjad Islam Amjad. “He was impressed with my comic and offered to do the Urdu adaptation,” recalls Aftab. “This added value to our profile, and donors who had previously rejected us returned. Soon, we had printed many copies of our series — 5,000 for school kids, and 5,000 more for college-goers.”
The efficacy of the comics, according to Aftab, lies in how they make kids question the absolute authority enjoyed by people who promote violent, extremist narratives. “It is not about trying to shove a message down readers’ throats. Rather, it is about allowing them to discover what is transpiring, and draw their own conclusions,” he says earnestly.
Progress
Soon, the team decided to make their comics available through an app. Aftab expounds how they realised from their research that the words ‘jihad’ and ‘mujaheed’ prominently figured in feedback. “These were two strong concepts we had to adequately incorporate in our medium, and Paasban wasn’t enough to convey the message. We thus launched Haider, a second series, in September 2015. It revolves around young military heroes who discuss what jihad, nationalism, and patriotism really mean. It makes you cogitate about whether it is merely a toxic thought process where one wants to harm others, or if it is about fighting for values that are right.
Consequently, they decided to give kids role models and involve them in productive activities. “That is why, in Khiladi , we chose cricket to talk to youngsters, especially boys, about the values that mould good humans and help build character. This is starkly different from what the typical radicaliser would impress upon them,” adds Aftab.
Now, CFX Comics produces more blended content including motion comics — with animated effects, background music, sound effects, and voiceover, says Aftab, forestalling potential questions. “In short, it is a rich media package without the costly animation,” he clarifies.
Themes
A primary feature of the comics, across all three series, is that characters do not have superpowers — there is nothing inherently special about them. “It isn’t supernatural, it is natural for a person to be virtuous, strong, and motivated to be able to push back against evil. Through our comics, we want people to engage in problems,” opines Aftab.
He believes that often, citizens don’t feel like they have a stake in problem-solving. Even in scenarios where people are politically motivated, it is more as a demonstrator who is attempting to disrupt normalcy in order to get things done. “Our series’ characters get out there and work. They don’t wait for others to take charge,” affirms Aftab. “That’s what we want kids to do.” One instance of this is delineated in Paasban through Saad, a character, who tries to get his radicalised friends back. He is not violent in the face of violence. Instead, he makes them think.”
Aftab also opines that they were lucky they didn’t come out with the series before the Peshawar attack because there was still lingering doubt about how deeply extremism had penetrated society. “We all tried to push it under the carpet. But the incident was a seminal moment in Pakistani society where everyone questioned themselves about where they were headed. Soon, people began doing their bit to counter such tendencies. So, when we started off, the moral support we garnered outweighed the backlash and criticism we faced. I did get threatened for my work, but I also had people appreciating my efforts.”
He believes that no extremist is beyond one’s reach, and if one perseveres, he or she can be successful in reclaiming them. “We need to go out there and win them back for, they can be reclaimed, much like Saad’s friends,” he says resolutely.
