Islam – Page 2 – Engaging Peace

How to Defeat Terrorism 101

Posted on October 2, 2014November 15, 2014 by kathiemm

By Dr. Majed Ashy, Guest Author

Terrorism emerges in environments that feed it. Such environments provide intellectual, financial, and personnel support and supplies. The main intellectual supply comes from a few branches of Islam in which some members are intolerant of other religions and sects and tolerant of coercion–even violence. The main financial and personnel supports come from governments pursuing their own interests.

Terrorism can be defeated if governments stop providing both direct and indirect support to violent groups. History has shown repeatedly that when the US government supports a group in its fight against a perceived “enemy,” this group starts to have a life of its own and turns against us. Destabilizing countries, governments, institutions, and cultures creates fertile environments for the spawning of terrorist and criminal groups.

The goal of international terrorism is to weaken the US militarily, economically, and image-wise. They try to do this by creating multiple hot spots internationally, and shocking the American public with atrocities intended to pressure the American government into ever expanding military involvements. Such involvements stress the economy and, given the nature of terrorism, rarely if ever end with a victory.

We need a new concept to replace that of the “sovereign nation state,” which is the basis of the UN and international affairs. Many developments are weakening the “nation state,” such as the Internet, media, globalization, communication, and terrorism. Defeating terrorism requires more than aggressive responses from individual nation states; it needs a coordinated international effort that is holistic and cooperative. The best antidotes to terrorism include inter-group tolerance and pluralism, as well as the establishment of justice and better living conditions, less war, and more hope for all.

Dr. Ashy is an assistant professor of psychology at Merrimack College and a research fellow in psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He was born in Lebanon and is a Saudi. He earned his B.A., M.A, and Ph.D. in psychology from Boston University. His research in psychoneuroimmunology and political psychology focuses on childhood experience of adversity and its psychobiological consequences.

Malala

Posted on January 23, 2014March 11, 2021 by kathiemm

By guest contributor Sunanda Sharma

Malala Yousafzai is known as “the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban,” and she casually includes that on the title page of her incredible book, I Am Malala.

Malala at the White House. Photo by Pete Souza, in public domain.

Before she was shot, Malala anonymously chronicled her life under the pen name Gul Makai for BBC in 2009.

Malala states in her book that her father, Ziauddin, has been her greatest inspiration in advocating for women’s rights and education for all children. His own sisters were not allowed to get an education, being forced instead to learn all the household chores that would be expected of them once they were wed.

Based on his observation of his sisters’ fates and his own love of learning, Ziauddin started his own chain of public schools in Swat, Pakistan, including the school that Malala attended until she was shot by the Taliban in October 2012.

The Taliban occupation of Swat was a harrowing time for residents of the Valley. Malala describes how Fazlullah, “the radio Mullah,” broadcast rules for “proper” Islamic conduct, which he claimed were written in the Qu’ran.

A mufti (Muslim scholar) tried to shut down Ziauddin’s schools, claiming they were “haram” (prohibited in Islam). The mufti went on to accuse Malala’s father of being an infidel. But Ziauddin said, “I am a Muslim too,” asserting that he had never heard of such ridiculous claims in the Qu’ran.

Their conflict reflects the struggles of the modern Muslim whose religious identity is so misunderstood by Westerners who fail to recognize the divide between radical extremists claiming to act in the name of religion and the millions of Muslims who practice Islam as peaceful citizens.

Malala’s story led to her United Nations address on July 12, 2013–her sixteenth birthday–which is now known as Malala Day. Her speech is powerful but sweet, reflecting her personality.

Sunanda Sharma is a senior undergraduate at Boston University, majoring in psychology and intent on promoting peace

The psychology of revolutions, Part 4: Forces in conflict

Posted on November 21, 2013November 20, 2013 by kathiemm

Final in a series by guest author Dr. Majed Ashy

In Part 3 of this series, we introduced two forces in conflict: one that believes in mixing Islam with politics (internal and international), and one that believes in the separation of Islam from politics (some call it the enlightenment era).

Iranian glazed ceramic tile work, from the ceiling of the Tomb of Hafez. Image used under CC Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

The first view ruled the Middle East for about 1,200 years, from the start of Islam until the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the start of the 20th century. The second view ruled most of the Middle Eastern and North African countries from that point until the start of the Arab revolutions two years ago.

The first era was praised as a period of Islamic self-determination and power and advancement until the rise of some interpretations of Islam in the 18th and 19th centuries that contributed to stagnation and reduction in scientific advancements in Muslim countries.

The second era is praised for fighting colonization and making the newly independent Arab states modern players in the international power, artistic, and educational realms. However, this era was characterized by the rule of militaries and dictators who were supported by various international powers.

Thus, this experienced past, glorified by conflicting groups, contributes to the formation of the two views projected into the future by many in the Middle East. Some dream of a new future of pluralism, peaceful sharing and transition of power, transparency and the rule of law, social and economical development–all in a country that would respect all, be a constructive member in the international community, and be enriched by its religious and cultural diversity.

Some, however, want the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate that will shift the international balance of power. Some long for the militaristic secular national (non-religious) projection of power that will, again, shift the international balance of power in their favor.

Understanding the consequences of the Arab revolutions on the regional and international balance of power can help us understand the dynamics of the various conflicts occurring today.

Dr. Majed Ashy is an assistant professor of psychology at Merrimack College and a research fellow in psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

The psychology of revolutions, Part 3: Balance of power

Posted on September 30, 2013November 20, 2013 by kathiemm

By guest author Majed Ashy

It is important to understand the differences between revolutions occurring today and revolutions of the past.

In the past, limited technology and communication allowed for revolutions to be more local and their international effects to take time. In addition, it was easier to hide the bloodshed associated with some revolutions–or even not to record at all in history.

Today, the Internet and other advances in communication and technologies allow for instant recording and broadcasting, and in some circumstances, the biased presentations of events in order to inform or influence public opinion. Such developments transformed the international community into an interconnected one with events in one country having quick consequences in others.

This situation creates a delicate balance of power. Any rapid changes–positive or negative–in one country can change this balance and in turn require the involvement of other regional and international forces to slow or affect such developments. Thus, revolutions are not only shifts in the internal balance of power but also in the regional and global ones.

In the Middle East today, there are mainly two forces in conflict: one that believes in mixing Islam with politics (internal and international), and one that believes in the separation of Islam from politics (some call it the enlightenment era).

In Part 4 of this series, we will explore these two forces.

Dr. Majed Ashy is an assistant professor of psychology at Merrimack College and a research fellow in psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.