The recently uncovered plan in Birmingham to allegedly kidnap and kill a Muslim member of the British Army is a chilling reminder of the lengths individuals trapped in an extremist mindset will take to further their agenda, and spread fear and terror even among those they consider as their own communities.
This is not simply a struggle between the West and extremists, or of civil society versus a would-be religious theocracy. It is, in fact, a fight between the sane and the insane, the rational and the irrational, the moderate (and progressive) Muslim teachings and the dogmatic and often disingenuous interpretations of a minuscule group, who are, at the end of the day, simply rabid sociopaths.
One wonders, where will they stop? And who next? Muslim women who don’t wear the veil? Muslim men who don’t grow their beards or who lapse in their prayer and prohibitions?
Extremism is the greatest threat to the Muslim community today. We only have to look at the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and see a dismal road leading to a miserable destination – segregated ghettos; the nonchalant attitude to the killing of anyone with the slightest whiff of ‘treasonous’ leanings; the sowing of seeds of hatred within one generation of youths to the next with seemingly no end in sight. But in the example of Irish history lies our salvation.
Just like our fellow countrymen and fellow citizens pulled themselves from that vicious cycle, we have the chance to nip this in the bud, to learn from that example and say ‘Never Again and Emphatically Not Here!’
We need the co-operation of our country, of our Government, of our fellow citizens to make sure that the Muslim community can fight this scourge and become a model for the rest of Europe, and indeed the world. Myself and indeed most Muslims I know would rather spend time debating and discussing health, education and issues concerning the economy than the constant atrocities and plots extremists are conjuring up seemingly everyday.
During the Troubles, the IRA conducted a campaign that mirrors what we see today among Muslim extremists; even the kidnapping and execution of ‘collaborators’ was rife. The British certainly took off the gloves in those instances and committed atrocities such as Bloody Sunday, and yet now, with the Troubles more or less over, we see Irish culture being admired and even emulated in cities like London and Manchester – both cities that faced some of the most abhorrent terrorist attacks by the IRA.
Instead of despair, the Irish- British experience fills me with great hope, however dismal the situation might appear now. Today, the only ‘invasions’ from England are the stag and hen night parties in Dublin’s Temple Bar, and the only ‘detonations’ in the UK are the firecrackers after a Celtic–Rangers game.
We have to be optimistic and always look for solutions and ways to bring the communities together. To have the notion that the current climate is a sort of cosmic battle or a clash of civilisations is extremely counterproductive, and indeed it feels almost criminally reckless.
It is the same as what we see with some of the activities of the evangelical groups and neocons in the US, whose like appear to have opened shop in every country under one guise or the other. There are solutions, but we need the political will and the courage to change things at a grassroots level as well.
Mohammed Al Kabour is originally from Saudi Arabia, and now living in Ireland. He will be a regular contributor to Metro Eireann
