The Social Legitimation of Extremism
Yemen Times oped
Most of these religious schools and universities have curricula that promote religious fanaticism and such institutions which produce fundamentalists are being supported by the state big guys.
Our schools and mosques in general teach curricula that legalize the killing of non-Muslims and consider them infidels; these curricula present the Western people and their civilization as immoral and whatever they produce in terms of technology as false and fantasy for the people there have lost their spirituality and their life is therefore fruitless and they will all go to hell. Muslims, however, are presented as the torch bearers of the truth and morality; we are all virtuous and non-Muslims are bad.
Judge Hamud al-Hitar and his fellow clerics have been conducting dialogues with a handful of extremist prisoners, convincing them to be loyal to the rulers by not carrying out attacks inside Yemen. By the end of the day, some of these people went away from jails and went back to their hostile ideology. The judge who is now the minister of endowment and religious guidance had better address the mosque sermons that promote hostility through praying to God to turn all non-Muslims and their wives spoils for Muslims. It is a disgusting religious discourse that portrays the Christians and Jews as enemies orchestrating all the trouble we are going through, neglecting the substantial reasons behind our problems.
Such curricula and sermons spitting out hostility and hatred should stop for such a language painted with religious holiness finds its easy way to the hearts of frustrated youngsters. Such a hostile religious rhetoric in this way turns into a day to day culture and a way of life. It is difficult to imagine how life will look when extremism that leads to terrorism becomes a culture for many of the people.
All in all, security action is not enough to address terrorism. Any serious steps in tackling the question of extremism and terrorism should start from reforming such curricula and mosque sermons that stand as the momentum of our plight with terrorism.
