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Violent Extremism and World Strategies to Fight It: Lessons Learned
Maj. Awni Shati M. Etaywe
Introduction
Extremism and terrorism have recently aggravated throughout the Middle East,
especially in light of the implications of the Iraqi and Syrian crises which fueled
unprecedented violence, forced displacement, killings and destruction to the extent that
extremism and terrorism have become inseparable after taking serious religious, political,
social, psychological and security turning point that is detrimental to the peace and
security. This damage is what has united the world in apprehensions, fears and
challenges, especially when a terrorist incident has become possible any time
everywhere.
The international community has been addressing extremism and terrorism within
visions that contribute to removing uncertainty and elucidating misunderstanding of
millions of people around the world in the aftermath of the events of September 11. In
light of contradicting and classing concepts, views and ideologies, the world today comes
together politically and morally to fight against extremism and terrorism, considering the
need to tell apart between being Arab and Muslim and being extremist and terrorist
despite having some Arabs and Muslims who are used as a tool by extremists and
terrorists. This differentiation is what Jordan has sought in its initiatives, including the
Amman Message, which has been introduced by Jordan as being an integral part of the
international efforts to fight extremism and terrorism, and Jordan itself has been
subjected to criminal incidents against hotels in Amman and against other facilities in
Aqaba.
Despite the seriousness of both extremism and terrorism, we find that the
terrorism has received much more research and study than extremism, perhaps due to the
perceived physical results of the terrorism. Unlike terrorists, these results usually appear
late among the extremists. In view of this, we find a lot of definitions for terrorism, while
little has been done with regard to the definition of extremism. However, being a
prerequisite to terrorism, extremism always come to the fore within the global concerns,
especially after being exercised today by highly organized and capable groups, and thus,
making facing extremism an urgent and difficult task.
In light of world‟s failure to introduce a frame of reference for the definition of
extremism, the British government has defined extremism as "vocal or active opposition
to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty
and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs" (Kundnani, 2015).
Others, like MacDonald and Casciani (2014), see extremism from a socio-political view,
which is “the fight against pluralism, the suppression of dissent, and closing the door of
the exchange of ideas, and the tendency to deal with all opposition as illegitimate”.
Therefore, having a reference definition of extremism would guide the efforts to fight it.
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Moreover, learning from the experiences of others‟ fight against extremism would serve
the humanity, and it is the purpose of this article as well.
Forms of extremism
Despite its inconsistency with religion and decent morals, extremism is there in
different form, most importantly:
Cognitive extremism: It is linked to the idea andknowledge. The cognitive
extremist considers his idea the absolute constant, canceling the function of
his/her mind in contemplation and reflection, as well as denying the opposing
views.
Emotional extremism: It is associated with an overwhelming drive towards a
certain direction thoughtlessly, thereby damaging himself or others with anger
and negative emotions.
Behavioral extremism: It is overstated unacceptable behaviors that become
an end which should be repeated and compel others to abide by them forcibly.
Drivers of extremism
There are key drivers and motives for extremism. They chiefly include the following:
Psychiatric disorders: Under this category comes neurotic disorder such as
anxiety and depression. Through such disorder, extremism becomes a way to
move from the narrow circle of anxiety by transferring the individual conflict
from oneself to others‟ whereby the conflict becomes between oneself and the
wider society, and thus the conflict becomes less painful for the extremist.
Biological and educational drivers: This can be concluded in the way of
depriving the individual of safe care in the years of his childhood, resulting in a
disorder in the relationship between the child and his/her community, including
the relationship with those with authority. This can also be felt as a result of
educating young people according to a seditious doctrine that vent hatred against
others, resulting in blowing up all the foundations of peaceful coexistence and
good neighborliness.
Socio-economic drivers: This includes issues such as poverty, unemployment
and corruption and the resultant social problems such as begging, homelessness
and family disintegration.
Political drivers: This driver is obvious in cases of conflicts of interest, where
extremism is a tool in the hands of the political system to intimidate it opponents.
For example, the Murambatsvina operation (remove the filth) was waged by the
Zimbabwean President (Robert Mugabe) against his opponents who had not voted
for him in the 2005 elections, which led to the displacement of more than 700,000
of Harare and Bulawayo's population. In this example, a politician has applied the
approach of Lenin, which entails "intimidation as a tool for social cleaning."
Ethnic and racial drivers: This becomes highlighted when a certain group
considers themselves the supreme ruler over others, and thus leading to a clash
between the people of different ethnicities.
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Psychological and cognitive factors, e.g.
negative feeling of deportation
Exposure to ideas and speaches
that justify violent
extremism
Social interaction, and personal ties with radicals and
extremist
A combination of agendas: The interests of actors may drive actors to capitalize
on any of the previously mentioned drivers, and tap on the cases of oppression
and injustice exercised against a class of society with the purpose of achieving
actors‟ interests and agendas, even through a "proxy war".
The height of extremism: Violent extremism
It is the height of extremism for an extremist ideology to turn from the idea to a
violent conduct and assault on property, lives or freedoms by using tools that may
come to the formation of armed organizations in support of the original. Such
formations maypractice against other such practices as oppression, kidnapping,
hostage-taking, political assassinations and sectarian violence. In brief, „violent
extremists‟ has been used by nations, including the United States to refer to
individuals who support or commit ideologically-motivated violence to further their
political goals.
According to the 2014-report of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE), there are structural conditions that fuel ideologically-motivated
extremists, as shown in the model below:
Taken from Marc Sageman‟s (2004) Model
According to the model, the potential threat of violent extremism increases
whenever an interaction and overlapping occur between the psychological and
cognitive conditions with the interpersonal and social ties, and leaving the door
open for ideas and speeches to fuel the same extreme thought.
The risks of violent extremism, and world strategies to fight It
Countries all over the world applied different strategies to fighting extremism,
particularly the violent extremism, after actors around the world realized that the
military and security option is not adequate to win against extremism. Despite the
need to follow the security option sometimes, it must be applied along with other
measures that altogether must achieve three things concurrently, namely:
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Disengagement and terminating existing conflicts in communities.
Eradicating extremism in ways that lead extremists to give up their ideas
and violent tactics.
Protecting the moderates from extremism by considering and meeting the
needs of the community and its members (Chariloin and Bourrat, 2014).
Failure to address the deep conflicts between the authorities and groups of people
often generates chaos and a breeding ground for extremist. The risk increases when the
military is divided and has multiple loyalties, as in the case of Yemen. Moreover, failure
of some of the applied alternatives in a number of countries’ attempt to eradicate
extremism can be ascribed to the nature of the choices that are (not) agreed to be
applied by the actors in those countries. In this context, several countries have adopted
different choices to fight against extremism. However, those choices can be reviewed and
used as experiences and lessons from which we can learn to build a holistic approach to
fight extremism. These choices include the following:
Launching national initiatives: This option allows you to re-integrate and
educate some individuals that slipped into extremist group‟s circles, and thus give
hand to those individuals to return to their former moderate society. This give-
hand option can be fruitful after the targeted individuals are being subjected to
specialized programs, and this is what has been exercised with some individuals
in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Algeria.
Creating community-partnerships: The creation of a partnership with the
citizens and the heads of clans and tribes inhabiting the border areas is likely to
support passing the information about the activities of extremist groups or even
individuals inside the society and on border. This option was adopted in Tunisia
and Saudi Arabia.
The use of force and security option: Despite the need for military power to face
violent extremism, all actors must agree on the limits of using it in order to ensure
its value and effectiveness in dealing with extremist groups, especially when this
option is accompanied by such actions as demolition of houses and the removal of
the villages.
The existence of an intellectual and specialized consulting forum: This is a
necessary step to promote concerted efforts and make constructive proposals to
fight extremism, as in the establishment of the European network against
extremism in 2011 to strengthen response to extremism. This European forum has
submitted a document that was afterward adopted by the European Union, and it
pinpointed some areas that the member states should address, including for
example:
To develop holistic national strategies to combat extremism.
To establish centers for the study and monitoring forms of violent
extremism.
To develop appropriate training for those working in the field of fighting
extremism.
To financially support projects that use modern means of communication
so as to launch anti extremism propaganda.
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To encourage the youth to think critically.
To promote European and non-European countries intra and inter
cooperation.
To develop programs to enable members of extremist groups to renounce
violence and their ideologies.
To address the economic and social motives, and to fight intolerance and
discrimination.
Creating a framework of general and special/guided government actions:
This option was followed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) that felt having general as well as special/guided actions to fight
extremism is a must, and should include the following:
General actions Special/Guided actions
Address the conditions that
prepare for terrorism
Counter the spread of ideas and
speeches that consider terrorism
legitimate
Prosecute the inciter of extremism
Help individuals who are pro-
extremism, and communicate with
people who are at risk to slide toward
extremism
To agree on a frame of reference to the definition of extremism: It is necessary
to agree on a solid definition of extremism whereby the formulation of needed
strategies to fight it becomes more practical on the basis of respect for the basic
values of nations and peoples, in line with the Universal Declaration of respect for
cultural diversity which was adopted by UNESCO in 2001 and stressed by Islam
as well. An agreement on a reference definition for extremism will strengthen the
country‟s pursuit to hold bilateral and regional agreements designed to fight
extremism at a wider spectrum. This will also help formulate a unified vision for
criminalizing extreme behaviors, identify viable practical tools, introduce a
mandate to gather intelligence information, describe and prosecute extremists,
allocate demanded resources, and to identify the competent authorities and give
them the mandate needed to respond.
Intellectual Security: Intellectual security is associated with „reason‟ as choice
generator and decision maker that can tell apart between extremes, and being
entrusted with the analysis and capable of distinguishing. In light of the
importance of „reason‟, all parties have realized the need to protect the mind from
deviation and immoderation that may drive human and organizations to use
violence to persuade or subdue others. This option has received the interest of
different countries such as Saudi Arabia. On the same line of thought, achieving
intellectual security at the country level has become a priority to countries all over
the world. Intellectual security can be achieved through implementing such action
as the following:
To qualify scholars, preachers, imams and concerned institutions to win the
war of ideologies.
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To distinguish between moderation and adherence to religion on the one hand,
and extremism and ideological deviation on the other hand.
To elucidate the meaning of good citizenship and that religion is not the
antithesis of patriotism, but the two go hand in hand, considering that religion
preaches love of the homeland and defending its soil.
To deal with youth social and economic challenges, and thus protect them
from exotic thoughts, through the provision of employment and education
opportunities, and improve their incomes.
To develop the educational systems and improve outcomes thereof, and
qualify teachers in order to fight against extremist ideology.
To develop the family and its role in immunizing the young people from any
delinquency, deviation and extremism.
To direct all types of the media to renounce extremism and ideological
deviation, and to update citizens with what is going on around them and the
impact of developments on society.
Cooperative and coordinated border management: This would ensure the
creation of buffer zones along the border with neighboring countries, and thus
hinder the movement of extremist groups and their supply. This option is evident
in the Tunisian-Algerian experience.
Holding regional alliances: An example of using this choice is evident in the
Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with building international
partnerships and coordination with the UN Security Council to confront
extremism.
Lessons
The stark lesson in light of the shortcomings of many international experiences in
the war against violent extremism is that „the security and military choice is not
decisive in the fight against (violent) extremism. Therefore, there must be a multi-
dimensional and clearly defined integrated holistic strategy with details that
should be executed concurrently to ensure the strengthening of the operational
capability, regional cooperation and action directed toward local communities,
according to a non-exclusionary policies or practices that ensure mutual
cooperation among government institutions and various agencies to guarantee the
unity of efforts.
The existence of a nationally united professional army and security services is
critical to prevent the division of nations.
Failure to find a just solution to the Palestinian conflict as well as the ongoing
conflicts in the Middle East does fuel extremism and gives rogue actors an excuse
to outlaw on the pretext of the pursuit of justice.
Extremism is cross-border phenomenon for being linked to thought. Hence,
addressing intellectual extremism is a prerequisite for the elimination of (violent)
behavioral extremism, and it requires consensus on a reference definition of
extremism that ensure the protection of the fundamental values and identity of
societies.
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Intra-regional alliances and international cooperation strengthen the capacity of
countries in the fight against extremism, and cracking down on the movement of
extremists.
To achieve intellectual security is a priority that requires the employment of
competencies and specialized personnel, including example-religious scholars
(and clerics), sociologists and psychologists to facilitate the “war of
ideologies/ideas” strategy.
It is necessary to have a point of professional monitoring, research and early
detection and treatment of cases of intellectual, emotional and cognitive
extremism before it turns into (violent) behavioral extremism. This requires
cooperation with experts and specialists, and creating partnerships with
institutions such as the European network against extremism and the Organization
of the Islamic Conference.
The unity and respect for the right of citizenship based on respect for liberties and
human rights, sanctity of blood, countering racial and partisan voice, and focusing
on the humanitarian collective values and commonalities constitute a solid
foundation for confronting extremism.
The cessation of hostile statements against Islam and other faiths is a matter of
respect for diversity and freedom of religion, and thus help diminish the drivers
for extremism.
The reality of the family is the result of public actions and programs, the system
of education, and the culture of the media practice at the national level. The better
the selection of their inputs along with measurable short, medium and long-term
goals and indicators, the more positive the results on individuals‟ social structures
will become.
The introduction of creative economic solutions and development projects in the
era of globalization and privatization, especially in remote and border areas, in
cooperation with tribal leaders is likely to reinforce efforts to fight poverty and
unemployment, and thus closes any door for possible cooperation between the
inhabitants of those areas and extremist groups on the pretext of satisfying their
basic needs.
Enacting laws that frame the implementation of a holistic national level
approach/strategy to allow building capacity and expertise, and law enforcement
against violent extremists, whilst leaving the door open to national initiatives that
allow intellectual extremists to go back to their moderate social structure, does
facilitate the fight against forms of extremism.
Conclusion
In light of the intensification of the conflict of interests, and the desire to expand
at the expense of other nations and people, fueled by sectarian divisions, absence of
respect for human rights, social justice and good governance, the absence of holistic
strategies and approach to face violent extremism has imposed on the Middle East
particularly and the world in general a historic moment to establish a holistic approach.
This approach should integrate all efforts at the military, economic, cultural, social and
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intellectual levels into one national level strategy that address the form and
motives/drivers of extremism.
References
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