Excommunication as a tool of politics
Well good for al-Eryany! Public takfirism (especially in the official media) does indeed feed terror and legitimates fanatical thinking.
Ergo, fatwas are not necessary to justify the Saada war if it is a justified action, as the state does have the right to a monopoly on the use of force. (It would be nice if the state stopped bombing civilians though and got some food in there.) And there is no need to call the Southerners unbelievers or godless. The state’s authority is derived from the people and their consent, in theory.
When the state fatwas the opposition, it adds a cultural legitimacy to the fanatical notion that one Muslim can declare another un-Muslim and deserving of death. Like al-Qaeda does. Its an important topic to be addressed. Pluralism and tolerance are characteristics of Yemeni society, however the state is undermining these characteristics whenever it brings religion into political discourse.
Politician’s taking advantage of religion feeds terror
Almotamar.net – The symposium on religious and political indulgence has on Monday recommended the work for disconnection between what is political and religions or the politician taking advantage of religion, holding the forces that employ the religious dimension the major part of responsibility for antagonism and arousing and feeding hostile tendencies in addition to pushing the intellectual phenomenon of extremism towards the practical phenomenon of terror.
The closing statement of the symposium organized by the Bridges of Cultures Forum, Chaired by Dr Abdulkarim al-Eryany and held over two days, also recommended the reconsideration of some concepts and policies and criteria, that proved their contribution to expansion of the sphere of extremism and driving its parties to terror.
While the participants affirmed that extremism and terror have no religion and no homeland and not to blame a certain homeland and religion for the act of some who are affiliate of them and are in fact faced with rejection by their societies, those participants also called fro revival of dialogue between religions provided that it should take a different title of dialogue among religious references.
Participants in the symposium called on all religious, political, cultural media institutions as well as political parties and civil society organisations, directly and indirectly concerned with the creation of public opinion and owner of the national, regional and international decision, for the necessity of making the values of tolerance and coexistence as the reference for first care in whatever it is planned for and they implement in service of the goals of social peace and human coexistence.
