Don’t let terrorists win

The infrastructure of terror is generally based on false beliefs but rage is always the trigger. For example, one person may be well disposed to communism in terms of ideology, but if you put a gun in his hand and provoke him into attacking the so-called “ruling classes,” that can turn him into a terrorist.
It is the same with radicalism in the Muslim world. Communities holding radical beliefs have been around for hundreds of years. However, radicalism has never made its presence so strongly felt as in these last few decades. The sole reason for this, which turns the radical mindset into terror, is “rage.”
People who are currently using radical terror as a pretext for opposition to Muslims seem to have forgotten that hatred is the starting point for terror. Donald Trump, one of the Republican contenders for the US presidency, may perhaps not calculate how his dangerous talk against Muslims may intensify the kind of hatred that leads the way to radicalism. He may not reflect that these words, spoken out of anger against radicalism and for the purpose of securing the votes of people who share that anger may result in a terrible scourge befalling him and all Americans. In declaring war on radicalism, he may be unaware that he is marketing a disaster, “rage” in other words, that will further nourish radicalism.
Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security advisor for President Obama, is correct when he says, “Mr. Trump’s rhetoric was feeding the propaganda line of Daesh that the US was at war with Islam.”
We need to heed these words of Mohammad Bazzi, a journalist:
“Trump’s latest antics play perfectly into Daesh’s hands, confirming the group’s message that the West is an evil, hostile land where Muslims are unsafe and where they will be persecuted simply for being Muslim… One reason why Daesh and other jihadist groups have had greater success in recruiting Muslims living in Europe, as opposed to the United States, is that Muslim communities tend to be more alienated there than in America. But thanks to Trump and other demagogues… a new backlash against Muslims will breed a greater sense of resentment.”
The error in question is also evident in Tajikistan these days. Last week in Tajikistan, we were amazed to see reports of how 13,000 men had their beards forcibly shaved off during a campaign against “hostility to national culture,” while 2,000 Muslim women were ‘prevailed upon’ to cease wearing the headscarf. The Tajik regime has vowed to “prevent radicalization of society” and “strive for the preservation of the secular order.” As a matter of fact, secularism as we know it is a concept based on popular freedom and human rights, and in that sense, a major component of democracy. But how much secularism can be obtained by the use of such force?
Tajikistan is a poor country with a 99 percent Muslim population. The threat of radicalism has shown its face there despite all the measures being taken. According to unofficial figures, there are more than 2,000 Tajiks fighting alongside radical groups in Syria. These include high-ranking Tajik police chiefs. One reason for the panic in the country was a former police chief saying “We will return to bring Shariah to Tajikistan” in a Daesh video. Let us also remember that Tajikistan shares a 1,344-km border with Afghanistan. That includes areas under Taliban control. The country is therefore in a region where radical terror can easily take roots.
The Tajik regime is unaware that in blaming various parties, the border with Afghanistan and, even worse, Islam, for radical terror it is itself engaging in provocation. Such prohibitions have always elicited negative responses in such countries and have encouraged some Muslims who would normally be living in peace to adopt the path of the radicals.
Expressions of rage for Muslims, oppression and restrictions in fact provide some people with the spark they are looking for. It must not be forgotten that terrible uprisings are started by angry people who think no other means are left to them. When the anger cannot be taken under control, no legal measure or immunity will be able to block such rage. Tajikistan must not stand in the vanguard of such anger.
The greatest error being made in the fight against radicalism worldwide is seeking to put an end to this scourge by inciting rage. All publishing and broadcasting media and the Internet are in the leadership’s hands in these countries. It will be a very easy matter to eradicate the foundations of radical thinking through the use of these means, love, education and information, and by providing scientific evidence. The people capable of doing that are obvious, and assistance must be sought if necessary. The anger being triggered will serve no other purpose than to recruit more people for radical groups and giving them exactly the climate they desire.
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The writer has authored more than 300 books translated into 73 languages on politics, religion and science. He tweets @harun_yahya.