We shall prevent the Taliban from recruiting Afghan youth into terrorist camps by initiating recruitment into an alternative youth cultural movement based on the true values and vision of the religion of Islam.

In 2007, Saudi diplomacy was aimed at promoting reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza, but it proved unsuccessful; as did attempts to forge lasting peace in Lebanon.  Therefore, the chances that the Saudis will play a major role in bringing stability to Afghanistan are very low.

Evidently it was Riyadh's Muslim legal scholars, or the Ulema, that pushed the Saudi-Taliban connection; building up grass root support for the Taliban.  In return, the Taliban showed their respect for the Saudi Royal Family and the Ulema, by copying Wahhabi practices such as the introduction of the religious police.  Subsequently, momentum soared against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, to oust the infidel.  An open call was given to Muslims all over the world to come to Afghan's rescue.  The Saudis paid for religious indoctrination and recruitment through the Mosques and Madrasahs.

Today, the form and shape of Islamic fundamentalist doctrine has changed to some extent, but the purpose remains the same.  Now, the Islamic militants have passed the legacy of infidel over to America and the West.  The financing for opposition to the coalition's operations in Afghanistan may not be coming from Saudi Arabia, but indeed there are enough well-off sympathizers, and opium cultivation, to finance the extremists; in suicide bombings, beheadings and public persecution.  This is all done in the name of Islam; using Islam as a ruthless ideological weapon, instead of a faith, to justify their atrocities to the Islamic world.

The question that remains is; how are we to defuse this 35-year-old flawed Islamic movement that is thrusting forward like a runaway train?  The simple militaristic answer is to "destroy fire with fire."  However, to find a real solution to the problem, we need to move beyond a one dimensional approach to this problem.  

Obviously we have learned that countering terrorism requires coordinated multilateral (multidimensional) efforts that go well beyond operations to just capture or kill terrorist leaders.  We must introduce a new matrix to the struggle, a compelling construct that deprives our enemy of the ability to resonate with audiences around the world; prohibiting them from expanding and energizing their ranks.  We must appropriate their "center of gravity" - their source of strength - by forcefully contesting their ideas at the same time that we prohibit their ability to spread them; while offering undeniable truths of our own that are based on historical facts.

Al Qaida and the Taliban propagate a message that combines disturbing religious perversions along with tales of a "Clash of Civilizations". Muslims around the world are told, by an impressive media infrastructure run by the terrorists, that it is their individual religious duty to join the terrorists and take up arms in defense of Islam against the West.  Military force alone will never beat this narrative and, in some cases, simply make the problem worse.  As long as this narrative can be effectively propagated, it will draw in new converts to the terrorist's radical ideology.  Going on the offensive against terrorists requires attacking their center of gravity, and their narrative.

Policies that make use of all instruments, not just military, are therefore in high demand; and best practices and lessons learned must be identified and adopted.  Governments are searching for ways to fight extremism and radicalization in innovative ways.

To generate a sense of context, we will be referring to Fatwas, which are Islamic formal legal opinions issued by recognized religious legal authorities.  In this case the recognized religious authorities are Islamic seminaries of Al-Azhar of Cairo, Dar Ul-Uloom of Deoband-India, Umm al-Qura University Saudi Arabia and many more worldwide. 

Most religious establishments are critical assets in this war against radical ideology.  Senior religious and legal figures should issue public condemnations of terrorism in both moral and religious terms, and prohibit youth worldwide from traveling into terrorist hubs to engage in Jihad.  The Council of Senior Ulema should launch official Fatwas that act as guides to Muslims against the Fatwas issued by terrorist groups.  This move is an attempt to ensure that Fatwas issued by authorized scholars are given prominence; and to avoid Fatwa chaos and confusion when unqualified Muslims issue Fatwas that clash with the true interpretation of Islamic Shari'ah.

This will be a great achievement, and it can be arranged by forming a congregation of Council of Senior Ulema (Great Imams) in some secular and secure Islamic state where all can issue Fatwas that publicly disapprove of the anti-Islamic acts of beheading, school blazing, suicide and martyr operations carried out in the name of religion; in the name of Islam.

The execution of such an approach must be an endeavor of the Moslem communities only and routinely repeated once a year.  These Fatwas must be channeled throughout the media to a worldwide audience.  This would make a huge difference in millions of people's view of Islam.  This should be initiated immediately in order to curb the recruitment of youth into the terrorist camps, specifically in the Pakistan's tribal areas, and in Afghanistan.  Once this is achieved, the next step is to establish rehabilitation centers through Islamic seminary branches from Al-Azhar, Dar Ul-Uloom or any other well-known Islamic religious institutions in the vicinities of the terrorist operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  By doing this, recruitment into terror camps can be diverted into newly established Islamic institutions. 

If the terrorist or extremist were to condemn these newly established Islamic institutions by hurting or killing the students, scholars and teachers, it will backfire like a booby trap for them in the eyes of public opinion, and in the end the Taliban will lose support and influence not only in Afghanistan but throughout the Muslim world.  Their true nature would be revealed to all when they are seen attacking true believers in the Islamic faith; they will then be labeled as infidels and unbelievers... (This is our ultimate goal). 

This approach may even draw some early hardcore terrorists, because in the eyes of a terrorist, his choices in the religion of Islam are to decide whether he should fight and just die or be enlightened and live with true exposure to Islam.  If the outcome calls for him to relinquish the flawed philosophy, then he will have achieved a true Islamic education with an awakening taught by well-known scholars dressed in Arab garments (Kafiyyeh) instead of the Mullahs who are spreading anti west sentiments and have no formal education.  The said branch of theological seminaries should posses' accommodations, dormitories and food facilities with some monthly pocket allowances for the newly recruited students.  This approach will not only peel away the outer layers of fanaticism expeditiously, but it would also overhaul the true principles of Islamic beliefs in the hands of the authorized and genuine scholars.

Full caution must be taken that the financing of such an endeavor cannot be seen as coming directly from a non-Moslem state, otherwise the consequence of such a mistake could jeopardized and derail the whole project.           

In conclusion, we cannot defeat terrorism by force alone, it is important to realize the need for measures to maximize the effort to combat the ideology of radical extremism.  A key task will be to identify some type of instruments or reconciliations such as using Fatwas that could work successfully against radicalization, and coordinate their activities in a comprehensive strategy.  The key to success in this war of ideas is to deliver the right message using authentic sources. Therefore, greater civic engagement of Muslim scholars and communities will further the said effort.
 

 Finally, it is also imperative to take into consideration the fact that we must also give voice to the fight for a just solution to major regional conflicts, or we may have great difficulty curbing the ideological appeal of Al-Qaeda and other extremists.

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Children of Afghanistan 

 

Afghanistan's Greatest Treasure

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