Humanity and International Security - Essay Example

Humanity and International Security By + Introduction Terrorism acts have been committed worldwide by individuals from various political and religious backgrounds. Different groups who associate themselves with a given religion either Christianity, Jewish or Islam have used terrorism as a tool of setting forth their beliefs and agendas. None of these groups represent the true religion teachings and these attacks are not justifiable by any religion and their acts of terror are heavily condemned by these religions including Islam as put down in the Quran and the final statement (Suskind, 2008). On April 7th 2013, days before the creation of the new Al-Qaeda entity, a group associated with Al-Qaeda posted an online video. In the video Al- Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, addresses the worldwide Jihadist community insisting on the unity of Muslim population and institution of a caliphate as a religious obligation. In the video, Al-Zawahiri emphases in detail on Syria, inspiring Syrian insurgents to unite together and warns them against regional and global collusion. He also insists that rebel armies must ensure their Jihadist activities result in an Islamic state in the country as this is first stride in the creation of this worldwide Caliphate (Willis, 2013). As regards of the unity of Muslims, he states in his speech that division of Muslims is the main reason of their backwardness and defeat. He asserts that the outcome of the Arab revolutions is a key opportunity for the “Muslim nation” that must not be squandered. Terrorism occurs when ideological enthusiasm meets operational feasibility. The methodology used in developing political, social or religious views by the terrorist groups determines the interface between the group and its aimed audience. Ideology is very important to terrorists. Firstly, Ideologies are the foundation principles of these terrorist groups. Ideology provides a motive and structure of their actions. Secondly, ideology provides justifications of terrorist activities. Ideology is also a tool of mass mobilization. This is evidenced by the large number of recruits due to association of the terror groups with Islamic duty. Ideology can also be used to generate public support in the form of supporters who help in mobilizing funds, sympathizers and logistical assistance. Ideologies also do expose a community to values of violence and drastic analysis of religion as is the case with Muslim communities in regions such as Somalia (Baker, 2011). Religious terrorism can be revolutionary, genocide or communal. Some religious terrorists are inspired by defence motives while others are motivated by the drive to ensure predominance of their faith. Dangers Posed to Humanity and International Security by Extremist Religious Ideologies Religious extremism is the total opposition to rational thinking in issues relating to religious teachings. In the current world, roles and responsibilities of individuals, families, communities and nations are mixed up. The right and wrong are mixed and it is hard to differentiate them in a neutral way. The religion and reasons for living are misunderstood. Every place in the world is red-hot with the flames of injustice, racial disparities, economic inequality, persecution of religion and ethnicity among other issues affecting the society (Price, 2011). Political Instability and Social Inequality Extreme religious views lead to division of individuals on basis of their faith. The consequence of these divisions is the inequality in the way people are treated in society. This leads to tensions among different groups and the disintegration of a state is inevitable if appropriate measures are not taken to bridge the inequality gap. The minority group cannot rule in a country where the majority have different beliefs even if the beliefs by a majority are against the basic religious teachings regardless of the religion. Democracy is interfered with in such a scenario and social justice becomes a catastrophe (Baker, 2011). The constitution of the land becomes susceptible to violations as people will no longer feel equal. It is therefore worth noting that freedom from dictatorship is not enough to achieving democracy as religious extremism can easily thwart democratic aspirations of a nation. Terrorism The main by-product of ideological extremism is terrorism which is the primary national security threat for many countries all over the world. Bombings of religious centres and churches are made due to the different beliefs and faith in religions by individuals. Religious extremism is also used as a tool of expressing and suppressing of anti-imperialist feelings in a country (Price, 2011). Terror groups tend to thrive more in countries where the civil government favours a given religion over other religions. The discriminated sects become strongly motivated to overthrow the government and despise the opposite religion. This leads can lead to terrorism which claims the life of many innocent individuals. Role and rights of women in society Religious extremism tends to directly target women. These ideologies create boundaries between men and women. Religious structures are such that the participation of women in fields such as education is restricted. Men use their economic dominance to set discriminatory regulations and social restrictions. Women face an uphill battle in protecting their rights even when equality provisions are in place. Clash of civilization Huntington argues that ending ideological battles between liberal democrats and communism will only but lead to future occurrence of conflicts along borders between civilizations at a small level. In the bigger picture, he oversees occurrence of conflict between nations from different civilizations for the control of international institutes and for military and economic power. Huntington views this mix of politics as normal since nations are new phenomena in a world where most conflicts have been dominated by civilization differences. He argued for western civilization which advocated for policies which he considered positive for the whole world unlike other civilizations which do not put emphasis on human rights. However, this extreme difference in policy priority between the western civilization and other civilization is likely to bring about a backlash. Huntington suggests that the west should be given more power to counter any threats from non-western civilization blocks. He suggests military superiority as one of the ways of ensuring other civilizations are integrated into the western civilization circle (Huntington, 1996). However, Huntington does not look at the potential danger of granting the west a lot of power. Superiority in power will most likely lead to dictatorial behaviour which will limit democracy. In the end we shall have two extreme groups in the world, the pro-west and the anti-west as not everyone will subscribe to the western civilization. This means that any move to globalize a given civilization will just but create a vicious cycle of extremism. Clash of Fundamentalism Tariq Ali has been prominent in anti-war movements and his book “The Clash of Fundamentalisms” gives vents to his anti-imperialism. In his book, Ali explains how the U.S have used the 9/11 tragedy to pursue far-right Republican Agenda. The book attacks Bush and Blair’s justification for the war on Iraq which is seen as a retaliatory move by the U.S after the 9/11 tragedy. He mockingly declares the talk of weapons of mass destruction as a fairy tale meant to frighten the citizens at home. Central to this book is the analysis of Islam, its associated myths, origins, culture, divisions and history and what Islamist politics represent in the modern era. In raising these issues Ali aims at stimulating debate with or without Muslim. Tariq launches a scathing attack towards all establishment religions, taking to task Islamic leaders who pursue neo-liberal economic policies while adopting the most reactionary interpretation of Islam to defend their own power and wealth (Ali, 2002) However, a non-retaliatory measure by the governments affected by terrorism would mean submission to terrorism. There should be no window for tolerating terrorist behaviour and the culprits should be dealt with an equal force of their own actions. The fight against terrorism should not be cowed by any individual or group hiding behind religion. Challenging Extremist Ideologies Extremist groups have security implications. Curbing the increase in extremism requires a major reform of development policies and integration of programs that are aimed at reducing extremist violent activities. It is necessary to first understand the favourable conditions for extremism. The most vulnerable group in terms of recruitment should also be brought on board (Willis, 2013). There needs should be addressed to reduce the number of future recruits. Closing the gap between the poor and the rich can be used to achieve equality. Women empowerment should be supported to fight against unfair treatment of women in society. Infusing Rights Based Approach to Religious Texts A lot of efforts should be directed towards identifying the similarities between Islamic teachings and values of human rights and freedoms. This is aimed at associating Islamic religion with humanitarian values and in the process deal with many extremist myths about Islamic religion. This may involve engagement of Clerics and Muslim leaders to raise awareness among the public. Development and Security The first step will be to identify the impact of religious extremism on security and development. The related authority should then focus on more than just military solutions but also include development agendas in de-radicalization efforts. The government should also reform the existing development policies and focus its efforts on the most affected areas and individuals who are prone to joining extremist groups (Suskind, 2008). Society and Education The education curricula of countries should include peace education and the importance of human rights and freedom (Baker, 2011). Human rights groups should be involved in strategic planning to support efforts in promoting equality. The government’s policies should aim at achieving cohesion and peaceful existence among members of society regardless of their religious views and beliefs. The effects of extremism on children and women should also be identified with aim of highlighting the roles families in fighting extremism and promoting reconciliation in a community. Media and Dialogue The media should be frontrunners in raising awareness about religious views and interpretations with aim of providing a platform for more discussions as well as exploring networks to end extremism. The media should be held accountable for perpetuating extremism and hate speech. The media should help in promoting respectful freedom of speech. The government should also make use of different communications channels to reach out to the youths who are the most vulnerable victims of spreading extremism. There should be encouragement of public debates to engage the general public on issues that deal with extremism. There should also be a trans-national media strategy coordination to share solutions and experiences among countries. Direct Management There should be a direct management of the affected regions and sectors of society. Motivators of extremist activities such as desire for political inclusivity should be well understood and tackled both from a domestic point of view and at an international stage. Comprehensive policy formulation and implementation is necessary to curb extremism and sustain peace and security. Conclusion From the above discussions it can be noted that religious extremism is an issue of international security concern and there is need for international coordination among countries in order to achieve peace. Governments need to dedicate more resources towards the fight against terrorism as well as implement strategic policies. Citizens should also be sensitized that the war against extremism actually starts with them. References Ali, T. (2002). The clash of fundamentalisms: crusades, jihads and modernity. London: Verso. Baker, D. 2011. The convert: a tale of exile and extremism. Minneapolis, Minn.: Graywolf Press. Huntington, S. P. 1996. The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. New York: Simon & Schuster. Price, D. M., & Morris, J. W. 2011. Understanding and responding to causes of violent extremism. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Suskind, R. 2008. The way of the world: a story of truth and hope in an age of extremism. New York: Harper. Willis, L. 2013. Extremism. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Read More