Ayesha Syed, a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at Ibn Haldun University, presented a paper at the interdisciplinary conference titled “Digging Wells While Houses Burn”, held in person at the University of Cambridge, UK, on 23–24 April 2026.
Syed’s paper, titled “‘Hate’ in the Name of ‘Love’: Safeguarding the Honour of the Prophet (PBUH) and Violent Extremism in Pakistan”, examined the relationship between religious sensitivities, social belonging, violent extremism, and exclusionary ideologies in the context of Pakistan.
The conference brought together distinguished scholars from different countries to discuss the role of academia in peace-building amid current global crises. It explored the complex intersections between scholarly engagements with religion and religion-infused supremacist ideologies and politics.
Within this framework, participants reflected on how academic work, as well as the university space more broadly, can contribute to preventing the reproduction of violent patterns of exclusion and erasure. Syed’s presentation offered a sociological contribution to these discussions by addressing the links between religion, violence, and social polarization.
