The international community is facing an unprecedented wave of extremist activity that has targeted our basic human values. From Paris to Somalia, extremists target civilians to reap chaos and sow instability. Many of these extremists have perverted the true meaning of Islam as they seek to justify their horrendous behaviour. While western countries feel under threat from this wave of violence, the majority of victims are Muslims themselves.
With Ramadan nearing its end, the Islamic calendar enters its most holy period. This didn’t stop a rash of attacks unfolding on Friday in Kenya, Bangladesh and elsewhere, targeting Muslim and other civilians. It has also been a particularly bad week. On Tuesday, ISIL militants attacked Istanbul’s main airport. The majority of the victims in the suicide bombing were Muslims including a Jordanian toddler.
Friday morning, at least six people including children were killed in Kenya near the Somali border. No group has claimed responsibility but all indications point to Al Shabab.
Also on Friday, news broke that a Bahraini woman died and three children sustained injuries in an apparent bomb blast on Thursday night. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, condemned the Bahrain attack saying “this heinous terrorist crime that targeted unsuspecting people is contrary to all human values, the principles and tenets of Islamic Sharia”. Late on Friday, in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, militants claiming to be part of ISIL laid siege to a cafe. Bangladeshi army officials have said that 20 people including foreigners were brutally hacked to death.
That this vicious attack targeted a majority Muslim country drives home an important, albeit tragic, message. The majority of victims of extremist violence carried out by the likes of ISIL, Al Qaeda or Al Shabab are themselves Muslims.
These attacks demonstrate the severity of the challenges facing the Muslim world. There are, of course, sustained efforts to end extremist perversions of Islam and reaffirm the religion’s message of unity and tolerance, but this is a long-term fight.
We are all suffering from the burden and the fear of international extremism. Only through unity and cooperation will the Muslim world and the international community as a whole defeat the threat of extremists.
