‘More engagement is needed to confront terrorism’

AMMAN — Muslims should spearhead efforts on different fronts to fight extremism and terrorism whose overwhelming majority of victims are Muslims themselves, opinion leaders and officials said Monday.

Entire Muslim communities with their political parties, academic institutions, think tanks, government and others are required to coordinate efforts to fight extremist ideologies, which seek to tarnish the image of Islam, they said.

"There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. There is one Islam which is a faith of moderation, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance of others, and there is extremism and terrorism, which are completely against Islam and Islamic teachings," Hassan Kureira, head of preaching and guidance department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, told The Jordan Times Monday.

Muslims and Islam are the majority of the victims of extremist and terrorist groups that seek to represent themselves as implementing Islamic teaching and seeking to preserve Islam, the experts said.

"The entire community should stand up to face extremism and terrorism. It starts with schools, universities, mosques and cultural institutions. Education authorities have a key role to play. We need coordinated efforts by all stakeholders nowadays more than any time before, especially with the rise of extremists and terrorists groups in the region," the cleric added.

Those extremists groups also harm Muslims living in Western societies.

"Muslims should not wait for others to start such efforts. They should take the lead to fight extremism and terrorism," added the awqaf official.

Musa Shteiwi, director of the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies, said ongoing efforts are not enough and there is need for more engagement by all stakeholders across the Arab and Muslim world to eradicate extremist ideologies.

“Media, political parties and civil society institutions, along with governments should all be in the same boat when it comes to fighting terrorism and extremism,” he said over the phone Monday.

“At present, there is an ideological conflict and fighting terrorism should be at the top of Muslims’ priorities,” Shteiwi added.

At the meeting with chief editors of daily newspapers Sunday, His Majesty King Abdullah said the fight against radicalism and terrorism will be a long-term effort which should be spearheaded by Muslim and Arab countries and supported by the international community, describing this endeavour as a third world war by other means.

The Monarch called on Arab and Muslim countries to come together and unify efforts to wage this war, which he said in the short-run should focus on the military aspect, in the medium on security and in the long-term on the ideological effort.

This multi-pronged war has to be fought simultaneously on multiple fronts with the collaboration of all Arabs and Muslims as they are the first concerned with fighting those who misrepresent them and distort their religion and as the main targets and victims of radicalism and terrorism, the King said during the meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace.

In his column commenting on the meeting, Mohammad Al Tal, Ad Dustour’s chief editor, said His Majesty’s vision and approach to defend Islam was clear and firm.

King Abdullah detailed to what degree the terrorist organisations and radical groups such as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are tarnishing the image of Islam, said Tal, adding that the King highlighted the great importance of fighting terrorism of all forms.

The King stressed that defending Islam is a holy mission for all Muslims especially the major Islamic institutions such as the Egypt-based Al Azhar, said Tal.

“With their crimes, terrorists seek to create a deep gap between the Islamic and the Western worlds and this harms the entire Ummah,” he said.

“Muslims in the West are victims of terrorism as well,” said Tal.