Salah Al-Sayer

Is it enough that clergymen, religious experts and other religious men warn of terrorism in order to fight it? Is it enough that these people sermonize the public in mosques and through other media about how clement and tolerant Islam is?  Is it enough that they keep arguing that terrorist groups of various Islamic doctrines do not actually represent true Islam and that describing others as non-believers, terrifying and assaulting innocent people is not part of Islam? Is it enough, at a time when 'violence sheikhs' are instigating youth to join terrorists' dens and die in the process for them, that our sheikhs follow such simple procedures to restrain the terrorism 'tsunami'?

Drying up terrorism resources in such a monotonous and naive manner, or even blaming the 'tumult sheikhs' for spreading terrorism is but an attempt to simplify a very complicated issue, because 'terrorism sheikhs' do not have magic lanterns through which genies come out to spread their ideas amongst people. They have communicated with the society and managed to impact individuals through methods and media such as mosque pulpits, satellite TV channels, radio, newspapers, schools, co-ops, charities and youth camps right under the governments' noses and within the jurisdiction of governments that had turned a blind eye for long and greatly contributed in turning Arab communities from a state of clemency into one of hate!

Such ugly and terrifying changes happened right before Arab governments that had neglected the importance of spreading the culture of enlightenment, which paved the way for extremists to spread their own obscurantist ideas. A sheikh promoting violence and tumult would never be able to brainwash a well-aware and balanced young man enjoying patriotic awareness - one who had learned the significance of respecting women from his father, learned how to reject hatred and respect others from his mother, learned about clemency, values and respecting the law at school, got used to listening to music and appreciate arts and take part in scout camps without being left alone by the state or his family to fall victim to terror camps organized by radical organizations! - Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa

By Salah Al-Sayer