Editorial
Sunday, September 15, 2013
GOVERNMENTS AND religious scholars from
Somalia to Pakistan these days are engaged in a task that is more easily
said than being done. Their intention is to speak up against militant
groups who, of late, had created a state within a state, and busy
gunning down sectarian opponents for no rhyme or reason.The
trend continues from Afghanistan to Pakistan and from the marshlands of
Iraq to Mogadishu. An important move to address this madness was
undertaken by religious scholars of Somalia who unanimously came up with
a fatwa (edict) saying that the activities of Al Shabab are un-Islamic
and their ideology is anti-state and anti-people. This is a courageous
statement, and has come from no less than 160 scholars from all schools
of thought. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who opened the
conference, enjoyed overwhelming support from not only scholars from
across the board but also regional and world powers, who are eager to
see a political and negotiated way out of the crisis. It would be quite
difficult for Al Shabab, which is fighting to create an Islamic state in
Somalia, to swim against the tide, as the scholars come with popular
backing from their respective constituencies. The fact that Al Shabab
will find itself marginalised, at least on the ideologue pretext, is an
achievement in itself.
The conference in Mogadishu has come at an opportune time. The end of
military operations in Chad and other East African countries – led by
France -- wherein the Islamist extremists were successfully pushed back,
including the setback that Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants had attained,
is a good omen for the Dark Continent and its dispossessed people. But
Al Shabab, which had indulged in ruthless killings and controls many
towns and villages, allegedly enjoys the support of Al Qaeda in Africa
and is a tough nut to crack. This edict should be endorsed by religious
scholars from other Muslim countries and at the same time organisations
like Al Shabab invited for a broad-based dialogue by giving up
militancy.
A similar approach is being experimented in Pakistan, wherein an
official invitation on behalf of the state has been sent to the Taleban
for giving up arms and redressing their grievances through dialogue. The
militant organisations from Pakistan to Somalia can take a lesson from
Hamas and Hezbollah and become a part and parcel of political activity
in a redefining manner.