ABU DHABI // Terrorism must be fought with words as well as deeds and moderate voices must be protected from the threat of retribution and retaliation, a discussion forum heard on Tuesday.
Scholars, experts and journalists from across the Arab World discussed the reasons for and mechanisms to deal with the rise of terrorism in the region, at an event held in conjunction with the 45th anniversary of Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister newspaper of The National.
"Before the terrorist carried a weapon in his hand, he carried dark thoughts, until our region started to pay the highest price for terrorism," Mohammed Al Hammadi, the editor in chief of Al Ittihad, said in his opening remarks.
The rise of militant groups required intellectuals to counter them with cogent arguments against extremism, and it was the task of academics and the media to make that happen, he said.
Dr Abdullah Al Awadi, a columnist for Al Ittihad, said he had received criticism for some of his opinion pieces that opposed terrorism.
When one was published on a Friday, his neighbour told him after prayers: “Today greeting you is impermissible, because you spoke against people and individuals.”
Dr Ibrahim Al Bahrawi, a professor at Ain Shams University in Egypt, said this proved that intellectuals who opposed terrorism needed protection, possibly by an organisation based in the UAE.
He called for firm plans to be drawn up at conference against terrorism and not just academic ideas, as often happened at such seminars.
“Right now we are in a military operations room and not in a discussion majlis,” he said.
“We university professors in Egypt thought we were alone living under the attacks of terrorism. Terrorism works as an organisation and therefore we need a war operation plan at the conclusion of this conference.
“We have to form an intellectual war operations room to manage the intellectual war against terrorism. I call on the UAE to set this up because it is a leader in fighting terrorism.”
He described how he had once been attacked while driving into the Ain Shams University campus because of his opposition to terrorism.
"At this stage we are not writing with pens, when the response comes as murder attacks and takfir [excommunication].
“If we continue to fight as individuals we will back off because under the threat and danger we cannot proceed.”
He explained how terror organisations had secure bases that protected and empowered them.
The reasons behind the rise of terrorism were also discussed.
Dr Radwan Al Sayed, a retired professor of Islamic Studies at the Lebanese University, said extremist religious views were a reaction against the leftists rejection of religion in the 1950s and 1960s.
He believed a solutions to the problem was to have fair, moderate regimes so youngsters did not seek refuge in the false, idealistic societies that militant groups promised.
Others believed the United States and Israel were taking advantage of divisions to make Arabs turn against and fight each other.
Another audience member said it was ironic that the West was being blamed when some Gulf countries were equally culpable.
“We pushed the terrorists into Afghanistan and then Bosnia and Herzegovina under the excuse that they would fight secularism. We take comfort in blaming Israel and the US for it so we can go home and feel comfortable.”
hdajani@thenational.ae
