According to a world political survey, Somalia, without a reliable government and administration, is a dysfunctional state and, according to reports on piracy, mercenaries for hire roam the streets. If someone has the money then any expedition – irrespective of their nature – is possible. Well, all that info comes from international magazines and papers, but the awarding of a weapon to children as prize for perfect recitation of the Quran in Mogadishu is a news that makes us think anew about Somalia and then about the indoctrination of young minds. BBC broke the news and, reportedly, the handing out of the weapon was accompanied by the exhortation by a senior Al Shabab official that one hand of a child should be used to acquire education and the other for operating a weapon to safeguard Islam. Now, as the world celebrates International Day for Peace, the Mogadishu gun prize revelation creates a very realistic picture of the threat of radicalism and extremism. To many, Somalia may be far away, but in an age when any creed or ideology can be imported by a simple click, no community can afford to remain aloof and nonchalant. Al Shabab is believed to have links to Al Qaida and if that is true then there has to be a regular relation between the two. And, when organisations are in touch with each other, exchange of ideas and perceptions becomes easy. Understandably, that is where the global aspiration for peace faces a threat. In most countries, the awarding of guns to children and a tacit nod to the use of violence in the name of saving religion was denounced, but to grasp the implications of this event, we have to look at the global spread of hard line values and the cause for this in the failure of multiculturalism.
Extreme acts can now happen anywhere and they can be from any faith. The problem is that liberal societies by default think about Islamist radicals when an extreme event capable of shaking our mores takes place and, in the case of the Norway massacre, initial speculation was heading towards Muslim extremists. However, it later transpired that the brazen killings were carried out by a hard liner who was not a Muslim - but an extreme right wing Christian radical. So there we have it – proof that hardliners need not be from one faith only. Again, there are right wing social sections in parts of Europe who may not go on a rampage with a gun and kill indiscriminately but will not shy away from openly espousing anti-immigration and anti-integration views. In fact, while the cry for peace goes on and the ritual of releasing birds remain integral to peace processions, in the real world, prejudiced opinion and dogmatic philosophy continue to convert minds. Take the Somalia incident for example: these children who won the guns and were fed a twisted philosophy will obviously grow up believing that the usage of violence is right in protecting religion, but they will never question the need to take up guns when Islam –the actual religion of tolerance and moderation - is not threatened with extermination. The misperception among many is that Islam is facing jeopardy but where is the evidence for that? Yes, social divisions in European societies have created a distance between Muslims and people of other faith but the blame for this gap lies on both the western society and the Muslims. The latter have always created this curtain of inaccessibility around them with their rigid rules and regulations and, once a community appears impenetrable, the inevitable is a fall out between people of two faiths. Then, in Europe, there are people who are antagonistic towards members of other religions simply because they are xenophobic to the last order. So, when the Mogadishu incident is dissected, it would be wise to judge it in view of how the social fabric of the world has evolved in the last one hundred years. Since the 1950’s there has been migration to all corners but social tolerance has seen slow progress. Many Bangladeshi people living abroad will talk of excellent social cohesion but there are many who will testify to the presence of subtle social gaps that result in prejudices. Needless to say these chasms spawn the best platform for radical views to develop and, so, Somalia may have all the tangible signs of a failed and a pernicious society but so called perfect societies also carry diabolical flaws which go unaddressed.
Islam as a religion does not endorse violence and that is a basic precept but when children are given weapons and are inspired to fight in the name of religion and so called perceived threats to religion, the goal for peace stutters and comes to a halt. Let’s be a realist: the world will never have peace, it’s a fallacious notion that amalgamated well with the psychedelic idealism filled period of the 1960’s, but since mankind, by nature, is obsessed with fantasy and the quixotic, the call for peace lives on just like the immortal memories of the era which gave birth to it.
However, the world can be a better place if imposition of non-compromising notions is reduced. In Somalia hard liners gave guns but there are those who are proselytizing via Facebook and the net and, in the end these acts will not save one faith or assert the superiority of a race – it will only lead us to more insane acts. Guns or computers – used wrongly can lead to the same devastating end. So, let’s not be so shocked by the award of an AK-47. It’s a deadly weapon but far more effective weapons with innocuous looks are in the hands of harmful minds. |