ID :
349497
Fri, 11/28/2014 - 11:48
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Youngsters Easily Succumb To Unjustified Jihad

By Melati Mohd Ariff KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 (Bernama) -- The much talked about Jihad of today is very much linked to the militant uprising in Syria and Iraq with many wrongfully believing Jihad is synonymous with war and bloodshed. The widespread propaganda through the social media is said to have convinced many of the youngsters including from the West to join the IS movement that is waging a brutal war in Iraq and Syria. Bernama recently sought the views of Md.Asham Ahmad, a Senior Fellow in The Centre for The Study of Syariah, law and politics, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim), to get the true idea of Jihad. The interview with Md. Asham is divided into two parts. This second and final part dwells on the Jihad influence on the younger generation. Bernama : The younger generation of today appear to succumb easily to the calls of Jihad, though they many only have got to know of Jihad from the social media or the Internet. Why are they so vulnerable? Md Asham: We are now in the information age where the information is borderless and travels so fast. Anyone, whether an organisation of an individual could now channel their propaganda or interest through the social media. Youngsters have easy access to these propaganda and easily influenced as they may not be adequately prepared to evaluate and filter the information. So they accept the information wholeheartedly. At the same time they may have seen injustice in the world, the powerful nations oppressing the weaker ones, especially Muslim nations. Therefore, they are tempted to join the fight against the injustice. This is true for those fighting on IS side. They are even recruited through the internet, receive orders through the internet, and purchase their air tickets through the internet to get to the training camps. If this allowed to continue, a major calamity can be expected. Bernama : Do only Muslim nations need to fear of this calamity? Md Asham: The calamity that I speak of is not limited to Muslim countries. Even the Western countries appear worried as their youngsters too have joined the fight. Mind you this youngsters hail from developed states like France and Britain, where they have all the trappings for a good life. They too have succumbed to the propaganda through internet. Even non-Muslims converted to Islam and rushed to join the so called Jihad. Much of the root cause of the problem can be traced back to a weak education system. The feeble minded youngsters do not really understand the meaning of Islam, and what more jihad. Just imagine what will happen when these battle hardened youngsters return back to their respective countries with their ideologies? They have become so used to bloodshed, have lived through numerous conflicts and violence. Imagine the damage and chaos that they can cause. This is the calamity that I am speaking about. Bernama : Therefore it is clear that a proper understanding on Jihad is crucial to avoid the youngsters from being easily influenced. Md Asham: Any Muslim must have a good understanding on Jihad. If not, Muslims may lose their way. Those who call themselves as 'jihadist' also have their own charisma that attracts followers. In essence, the youngsters are serious about their religion but their mind is convoluted. We live in an era where Muslims are big in numbers but are not adequately educated in Islamic knowledge. Bernama : What can be done to protect the youngsters who are active in the cyberspace from influences that are subversive in nature? Md Asham: They have to be helped to understand better of their surroundings. They are young people full of zest but do not understand the world. In this respect, it is important that the authorities provide adequate education and understanding. The question here is that whether the present education system will suffice in building the required mental strength in keeping away the unwanted influences? Do they understand history? History is the basis in creating strong minds yet in our present education system history is not an important subject compared with science, mathematics and English. We have ignored the importance of history, what more the history that connects the Islamic and the Western civilisations. If we talk on Jihad or violence, history is replete with many examples that we can learn from. Remember the ‘khawarij’ faction that appeared during the time of Saidina Uthman and Saidina Ali who created uprising and bloodshed and approved the killing of those who don't share their views. This is what being done by the IS. Those who study history would not be surprised on what is happening now. So for those who have studied the Islamic history, they know of the developments in the world. When we are not aware of our history, we end up repeating the past mistakes. Bernama : Is education the only avenue in reversing the current situation? Md Asham: If we do not educate people properly, another party may appear and easily influence them. Just imagine IS once an unknown foreign group could solicit support from as far as Indonesia and Malaysia. Some women are even willing to become the wives of the fighters. We have to look into the loopholes in our education system. Do we have a balanced education system were students learn more beyond English, math and science? Also one needs to understand that those who join the so called Jihad bandwagon are mostly students with science and technology background, so they are IT savvy. Though they may be equipped with the technical knowledge there is a void in their mind as the lacked the conceptual knowledge and thinking based on history. Where there is a void, it is filled by ideologies promoted by others. We should learn from history so that corrective steps can be taken. Moreover, science and technology are double edged swords. They could be used by unsound minds to create destruction. As I have said earlier, we need an education system that could churn out people who could think, think the right way. Bernama : Are there any steps being taken now ? Md Asham: So far I don't see it yet. What I see is the emphasis in science and technology, maybe this is because how we have defined development. If we see the national development solely on the physical and economic perspective, this are the subjects given emphasise. However, human development should be given the emphasise as it is the core for mankind's progress and survival. Whatever that creates confusion and contradiction in the mind has to be guarded against by those in authority. We have yet to take sufficient steps in protecting the mind from negative influences. We need critical thinking, have to understand the contemporary environment, understand history in a bigger scope, beyond our country's history. -- BERNAMA

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