Of falsehoods and the rise of 'Islamic' terrorism

The English dictionary defines terrorism as the ‘unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aim’.  In the current geo-political context terrorism has become synonymous with violent extremism, nay, Islamic fundamentalism.

The manner of definition and understanding differs but currently the phrase violent extremism is interchangeably used to mean terrorism.  Unfortunately, the religion of Islam has gotten itself in the mix of all these. There is no doubt that groups of people who were born Muslim sometimes use the Islamic religion as a tool to further their cause by radicalising the youth through brain-washing and indoctrinating them with extreme views of other people’s cultures, rights and freedoms.

In fact, the abiding message from the 9/11 attacks is that of a group of 19 mostly Arab men professing Islam flew planes into buildings in a terrorist attack.No doubt, that gave rise to rise in Islamophobia. As a Muslim, chances that you would be singled out for a security check at ports of entry and major installations became the norm rather than the exception.

And so by default or design there seems to be an attempt - particularly from Western intelligence community- to perpetuate the thinking that Islam and terrorism mean the same thing. In some parts of the World it might be true, but many of the groups that subscribe to what is now considered as violent extremist groups in fact have a localised agenda.

These attacks

Kenya is a case in point. In East Africa, Kenya is probably the worst affected by violent extremism. But then, it would be foolhardy to make the assumption that all these attacks bear an Islamist-oriented agenda. Actually, the issues that have led to the increase in the number of young people joining Al Shabaab militants are diverse.

Most of the young people from the coastal parts of Kenya which form the bedrock of Al-Shabaab even in Somalia have another agenda altogether other than spreading Islamic fundamentalism.Their grievances revolve around poverty and land issues or what is generally perceived as historical injustices.

There is a feeling among the youngsters in this region that someone is rich at their expense. They see hope in Islamic fundamentalism. A decade ago, the Mombasa Republic Council (MRC) was formed with the objectives of reclaiming the large tracts of land that have supposedly been taken away from non-locals.

After the governments came down hard on them, they quickly switched the narrative and proposed secession even coming with the slogan; Pwani si Kenya. Once again the government’s effort to subdue the Pwani Si Kenya groups meant the restless unemployed youth of the Coast – with nothing to live for and little to lose- had to find another avenue to vent their anger. So naturally when the dreaded Al-Shabaab group came calling, they found a group that was more than willing to join them and even cause havoc in their own country.

Get radicalized

The attack on Mpeketoni, Lamu County where at least 60 people died had the hallmarks of local dynamics at play. And the State was quick to point out the tribal angle. The likelihood that those with grievances like those at the Coast and other groups of communities who feel underserved and marginalized will get radicalized is very high. Indeed, the root causes of this form of radicalization have nothing to do with religion.

The crux of the matter revolves around the reality of the haves and have-nots. Sometimes, enmity is passed on to the next generation. It becomes a way of life. That explains why communities that have lived side by side for many centuries still remain so even when the alternative is better and less hectic. Hostilities are created that make it very hard for peace to be achieved.

Recently in West Pokot an elder told me that children who are born either among the Turkana or amongst the Pokot are taught from childhood that the Pokot or Turkana are their enemies. Some are scared to sleep by being told that members of the other ethnic group will raid them if they slept. This is radicalization by any other definition. That is why I am convinced that the definition of violent extremism should - at least in Kenya - include all forms of radicalization like ethnic profiling and scare-mongering. As in the case with the youth at the Coast, it is easy for people with a global ideology to recruit from communities that are radicalized based on their passion for their tribes or clans.

From the above, it should follow that it be made necessary for the definition of terrorism and violent extremism to be changed to fit the new realities. That way, radicalization will not be seen as limited to Islamic extremism but from a broader perspective.

 

Mr Guleid is the Executive Director of the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC)