Abu Dhabi: The only way that terrorism can be defeated is by a global effort that targets its root causes. Blaming religion, or believers, for terrorism will do absolutely nothing to address this menace, scholars and academics said, arguing that extremism is more about a bunch of brainwashed individuals than about ideology.

“While Islam is incessantly identified as the cause of terrorism by western commentators, who often quote Quranic verses, or Islamic scholars, in building their argument, this is not the reality,” Professor Akbar Ahmad, author, poet and playwright, who currently serves as the Ibn Khaldoun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, DC, said.

Prof Ahmad, who has been named “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam” by the BBC, told Gulf News that when cases of European terrorists were examined, they found that they were anything but Islamic in their behaviour.

“Brahim Abdeslam, one of the terrorists in Brussels, was described as watching Daesh videos with a beer in one hand and a joint in the other. The father of Mohammad Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who perpetuated the July 2016 Nice attack, told the press that his son ‘didn’t pray, didn’t fast, drank alcohol and even used drugs’,” Prof Ahmad said.

He added that not only had these terrorists rejected the essential pillars of Islam, they had also violated a fundamental precept that forbids the killing of innocents.

While these terrorists may be identified as Muslim sociologically, their actions cannot be associated with Islam by any stretch of the imagination, Prof Ahmad said.

Prof Ahmad also tells of how Europe, based on the distinctly European legacy of ‘convivencia’, or coexistence, can resist rising Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and extreme right-wing politics to once again become a beacon of hope for civilisation.

“The example of the Golden Age of Andalusia, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians coexisted — what the Spanish call ‘convivencia’ — is a powerful lesson for us today. Convivencia is used to refer to the time when Muslims ruled Andalusia and Arab dynasties emphasised the importance of knowledge by building libraries and promoting books. Thus society was permeated with the promotion of ilm, knowledge, and produced outstanding poets, philosophers, architects, and scientists who influenced all of Europe.

“In order for us to coexist today we must acknowledge the central role that Muslims and this period played in shaping European civilisation in many areas such as art, science, architecture, music, food, and philosophy and scholarship. All three religions are part of the heritage of Europe and Europeans should recognise that today. There must also be a sustained and holistic effort to promote the integration of the Muslim community in European countries,” Prof Ahmad said.

Prof Ahmad suggested governments need to first understand the Muslim community in an accurate way and then create the conditions in which Muslims have equal access to education and employment.

He added the media must refrain from bigoted and ignorant commentary on Muslims, learn about Islam and the Muslim community, and feature more Muslims in visible roles.

“Muslims must attain a sense of belonging in Europe so that they can be proud of their identity, heritage, and culture. There is no contradiction between being Muslim and European, and the more Muslims and non-Muslims alike appreciate this the more likely it will be that a “New Andalusia” can be created,” Professor Ahmed concluded.

Dr Ahmad Al Haddad, Dubai’s Grand Mufti, said that the majority of Arab-European youth have very poor education and lifetime prospects and are not considered part of the fabric of their society.

“These are the main drivers of extremism in Europe… These are the root causes of extremism and these are more than enough to drive any community up a wall,” Dr Al Haddad said.

Dr Al Haddad suggested terrorism in Europe has barely anything to do with Islam, religion or ideology.

“Terrorism is less about ideology, but more about young idiots who are blowing things up as they are looking at Daesh videos with a beer in one hand and a marijuana joint in the other,” Dr Al Haddad said.

Dr Al Haddad said perks such as money, marriage, action that promises glory and esteem in the eyes of friends and eternal respect and remembrance in the wider world are some drivers that inspire terrorists in the world today, and not religions or religious teachings.

Dr Al Haddad cited witness accounts suggesting 9/11 attackers were visiting bars and strip clubs in Florida and Las Vegas in the run-up to the attacks.

Dr Al Haddad stressed some terrorists hijacked Islam or hid behind a cloak of Islam to falsely justify their crimes, but they are not true representatives of Islam and are using perverted and politicised form of religion to mobilise believers across the world. “True representatives of Islam are the vast majority of Muslims who are peaceful and peacemakers.”

Abaas Yunas, head of the Abu Dhabi-based Tabah Foundation’s Futures Initiative, a think-tank working to promote moderate Islamic discourse, listed three root causes of extremism among Europeans of Arab origin.

Poverty, lack of opportunity and weak social cohesion are endemic in inner cities in Europe, he said.

These are symbolic of a wider failure on the part of society — government and communities — to tackle the underlying factors which drive people towards criminal activity.

Many Arab communities that came and continue to come to the West are going through the challenge of harmonising their Arab identity with the local reality they find themselves in.

The Islamist current among Arab communities that came to Europe was strong, and this played a role in creating a politically-minded view of religion in some mosques and religious discourses.

Dr Ahmad Al Kubaisi, a leading scholar, agreed that life on the economic and social margins created fertile ground for radicalisation. He said efforts to counter radicalisation should be associated with initiatives related to integration and social cohesion.

“Efforts to achieve integration and social cohesion are important per se and can also help in combating violent radicalisation,” Dr Al Kubaisi said.

He warned that Europe will continue to suffer terror attacks until serious efforts including good education, jobs and investment in the communities are made to face up to what’s causing a small but deadly fraction of its citizens to lash out with terrorism.

Profiling European terrorists of Arab origin

Professor Akbar Ahmad, the Ibn Khaldoun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, DC, studied the drivers of European terrorists of Arab origin as part of his book and film project titled ‘Journey into Europe’ for which he conducted extensive fieldwork across Europe.

Prof Ahmad found a standard profile emerging of European terrorists. “They are usually second or third generation immigrants, young, often unemployed or working low paying jobs, disconnected from both their families and the religious leadership of the community, had trouble with the law or served time in jail, and frequently reported to indulge in drugs and alcohol. As Muslims in Europe, they face Islamophobia and discrimination, for example in the job market,” he said.

Prof Ahmad added that these Muslims are angry and alienated from society and can fall under the influence of supposed religious leaders propagating extremist ideas on the internet from organisations like Daesh.

The suspicion and harsh reactions against the Muslim community by the state compounded with the sustained media hostility have further alienated the Muslim community.

The state, families, and religious leaders have to coordinate their response and take responsibility for what has occurred in order to address the root causes of terrorism and ameliorate the scourge, Prof Ahmad said.