Saturday, April 04, 2009

Anybody who follows the news on terrorist activities by
The Muslim philosopher Averroes developed tele...Image via Wikipedia
radical Muslims will know for a fact that Muslims are more than likely to be the victims of such attacks.
It's no surprise then that it's in the interests of Muslim nations to curb the "radical" ideology of the proponents of such ideas.


Those of us who feel concerned about the imminent threat of radical Islam tend to verge on hysteria which maybe the wrong way to go. Governments that react in haste only end up encroaching on our much valued freedoms all in the name of fighting the threat to terrorism.
We know how bad hysteria can get when we remember the episode of the innocent guy who was chased and gunned down by police in the subway in London.
Meanwhile, terrorists continue to blow up fellow Muslims in mosques and the only reasonable reaction might possibly be WTF?

In the article that I've placed a hyperlink in the first paragraph above, we can read what the experts (these being experts that I respect) say about how radical Islam is being addressed, we might see a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
I'm so tired of ranting about the threat of radical Islam that I feel energized to think there is a solution to the problem.

One thing is clear already. That without sound deradicalisation efforts, the various detention centres and prisons where a vast number of embittered Muslims are incarcerated worldwide can serve as an immense breeding ground for radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism. Instead, it may be possible to use them as effective epicentres of deradicalisation. Western nations, including Australia, would be well advised to devote a bigger portion of their effort in the war on terror to the battle for hearts and minds, at home among detainees and perhaps by helping finance deradicalisation programs in countries in their regions.

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1 comment:

Jeannie said...

I read an interesting book recently- Three cups of Tea - about an American guy would builds schools in the middle east. While his effort was merely to educate secularly, radical Muslims attempted to stop him but moderate Muslims fought to keep their schools in the courts and won. The upside is that the education is helping the communities and decreasing the anger and desperation that leads to the radical movements. Very hopeful.

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