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European Crackdown On Radical Islam Is Too Little And Too Late

JKVerma

By Jai Kumar Verma

New Delhi. 07 March 2021. In recent years, the Muslim population in Europe has significantly increased may be because of influx of asylum seekers from Syria and other Muslim countries. According to Pew Research Center the Muslim population in European Union swelled to 25.8 million in 2016 while in 2010 it was about 19.5 million. It is also visualised that the number of Muslims will continue increasing even if Europe successfully prevents the migration because the Muslim population is young, and they have higher fertility in comparison to other Europeans. In 2016 the Muslim population in Germany was 6% while according to an estimate it will swell to 20% by 2050. Likewise, the Muslim population in Sweden which was 8% in 2016 may grow to 31% by 2050. Same way the percentage of Muslim population will have phenomenal growth in other countries of Europe including United Kingdom, Austria etc.

The Islamic terrorism in Europe was carried out mainly by Al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, officially known as the Islamic State, and also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, is based on Salafi jihadist doctrine. The Europol (The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) mentions that jihadism as “a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts.”

Courtesy: aa.com.tr

Besides increase of Muslim population there was an exceptional surge in Islamic terrorist incidents in Europe after 2014. In most of the terrorist cases IS was involved directly or indirectly and large number of the terrorist acts were carried out by the Muslim migrants. The terrorist acts were also carried out by ‘lone wolves’ where the individuals killed people using automatic weapons, knives and automobiles. In 2015 there were 17 terrorist attacks in which about 150 persons were killed while in 2016 there were 13 terrorist attacks in which more than 135 persons lost their lives. These attacks include November 2015 Paris attacks in which 130 persons were killed and July 2016 attack in which Mohamed Lahouaiei-Bouhlel a Tunisian living in France deliberately ploughed the truck on the crowd in Nice (France) in which 86 people were killed while about 458 were injured. Besides these assaults there were several other terrorist attacks in Europe.

The security agencies in Europe launched several operations to counter these terrorist incidents. In January 2015 after Île–de–France attacks the French military launched Operation Sentinelle with 10,000 soldiers and 47 policemen to protect the sensitive points from the terrorist attacks. Same way Belgium initiated Operation Vigilant Guardian and United Kingdom began Operation Temperer to counter the terrorist attacks.

As the danger of ‘radical Islam’ is enhancing France, Germany, Austria, and other European countries took several steps to curb the increasing extremism in their countries. France has a 5.7 million Muslim population, which is highest in Europe and there were several terrorist attacks hence French President Emmanuel Macron declared a crackdown on radical Islam. President Macron proposed the law which will regulate the home schooling, the mosques which were spreading extremism will be closed, the issue of virginity certificate will be prohibited, and all the organizations will have to promise allegiance to French “Republican principles” if they want to receive the government subsidies. The law will also prohibit the employees from wearing religious clothes and symbols if they are providing a public service. The foreign imams will not be permitted to train the clerics in France and there will be tight control over the financial assistance to mosques.

Courtesy : eumuslims.org

The French government also announced the searches of more than 120 places including individual homes after the beheading of a French middle-school teacher in October 2020 by a radical Islamist terrorist. The government disbanded organisations which were spreading extremism and also planned to curb the terrorist funding, put pressure on social media companies to share the contents with the security forces. The people were also pressing to prohibit hijab. French government claimed that Islamic fundamentalism is imported in the country hence it must be curbed at an early date.

The leadership of European Union (EU) is also taking harsh measures to root out Islamic terrorism. Besides France, Austria and Germany are also adopting rigorous measures against rising Islamic terrorism. In 2015 Austria banned the foreign funding to the religious institutions. The EU is planning to control entry/exit system by introducing automatic monitoring. The right of asylum is also misused, and it needs strict monitoring as there is direct link between terrorism and asylum seekers.

Courtesy : thedailybeast.com

The control of internet is also important as it plays a vital role in the radicalisation of the people. Hence the internet companies should be more vigilant and should enforce more control although it is not easy to keep an eye on all the contents. EU is planning to put hefty fines on the tech firms if they fail to remove the terrorist indoctrination from their sites quickly.       

The civil right organisations criticised these restrictions and claimed that the government is punishing all the Muslims, while it should act against terrorists which are ridiculously small in number. The restrictions are increasing the climate of Islamophobia. The civil right exponents also claim that President Macron has ‘overreacted’ as he wants to make political capital by acting against these terrorist acts in view of the presidential election in 2022. The human right activists claimed that these stringent measures would alienate the Muslim population and they may turn to terrorism. 

There was severe criticism of these restrictions in international arena also. There were protests in several countries including Libya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Gaza Strip. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is trying to become leader of the Muslim world issued stern statements against French President, supported the boycott of French goods, and also publicly questioned about the metal health of Macron.

The problem of growing terrorism is a serious problem and must be dealt jointly by all the free nations of the world. The United Nations should take initiative in this regard. The organisations and the countries assisting terrorism should be punished and strict sanctions should be enforced. The Financial Action Task Force should place these countries in black list as the ‘grey list’ is not effective.

Courtesy : bianchivalentin.com

The handling of ‘lone wolf’ is exceedingly difficult as they are self-radicalised and carry out the terrorist activity alone. However, in several cases the ‘lone wolf’ in past was involved in some criminal or terrorist activity but was released due to lax laws. Security agencies should enforce more strict laws on the suspected terrorists or on small groups of self-radicalised terrorists. Even after their release their activities should be monitored. 

The majority of Muslims are not in favour of terrorism, but the silent majority does not criticise and condemn the terrorists and there are instances when they worked as support agents to these terrorists. Hence it is important that the silent majority comes out against the terrorists and condemn the terrorist acts.

Courtesy : qz.com

The European countries which are facing the rising Islamic terrorism should enhance the strength of security forces, rules should be enacted so that the terrorists can be kept in prisons for long time, foreign terrorists can be deported, and the extremist outfits can be disbanded. The NGOs and human right activists who support the terrorists under the garb of liberty, democracy and human rights should also be dealt strictly. In view of escalating Islamic terrorism, the European Union should take immediate action to curb the menace of terrorism before it becomes late.           

(Jai Kumar Verma is a Delhi-based strategic analyst and member of United Services Institute of India and Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The views in the article are solely the author’s. He can be contacted at editor.adu@gmail.com)

Europe: The Self Appointed Protector of Human Rights Imposing Restrictions on Muslims

Western countries should not criticise other nations when they act against terrorism on the name of civil liberties and human rights. Not only Europe but all over the world should make a joint effort so that Islamic radicalisation is not spread and the people who are radicalised must be de-radicalised at the earliest

November 28, 2020EditorOpinion

By Jai Kumar Verma

Source: Wikipedia

The Western countries including European Union (EU) which consider themselves as the protectors of human rights all over the world and criticised India, when Article 370 was defanged on August 5 last year and The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by Parliament on December 11, began to impose restrictions on Muslims.

The EU issued a hard-hitting statement on November 13 in response of terrorist attacks carried on by Islamic terrorists. The strongly worded statement mentioned that “We are deeply shocked by the horrific terrorist attacks which have taken place in recent weeks in Paris, Dresden, Conflans-Saint-Honorine, Nice, Vienna and other places, and we condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms.” The statement mentioned the EU will strengthen the security structures including the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, better known under the name Europol, and legal framework of the EU states.

It also mentions that the EU will work hard to thwart online as well as offline radicalisation, fundamentalist propaganda and funding of extremism. It also mentions that it is the responsibility of social media and other service providers that their services are not misused by terrorists to spread hatred and by criminals for the illegal activities. It asserts that “We therefore aim to successfully complete the negotiations of the regulation on terrorist content online (TCO) by the end of the year, while maintaining our strong ambition to create a new and effective operational instrument for the cross-border elimination of terrorist content.” The EU would constitute Digital Services Act (DSA) which may fix responsibility on internet companies. The EU member countries would exchange information on extremists and efforts would be made so that foreign terrorists do not enter in Schengen area.

The EU would constitute Digital Services Act (DSA) which may fix responsibility on internet companies. The EU member countries would exchange information on extremists and efforts would be made so that foreign terrorists do not enter in Schengen area

The recent terrorist attacks have shaken Europe especially France and on November 18 President Emmanuel Macron gave 15 days ultimatum to leaders of French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) to accept a “charter of republican values” which will put restrictions on ‘radical Islam.’ The CFCM decided to constitute a National Council of Imams which would give accreditation to Imams; however, if Imams do not follow the guidelines the accreditation can be withdrawn. The charter would mention that Islam is not a political movement, but a religion and no foreign interference would be allowed.

President Macron and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that France would adopt measures so that radical Islam can be handled. The measures would restrict home-schooling and severe punishments would be awarded to people who coerce security forces personnel on religious grounds. The parents who restrict children from attending schools may be awarded jail term of six months and hefty fines would be levied. Children would be given an identification number to ensure that they are attending schools. In view of the ghastly beheading of Samuel Paty, a French middle-school teacher by an Islamic terrorist Abdoullakh Abouyedovich Anzorov on October 16 a ban was imposed on sharing the personal information of any individual through which the individual can be located by a person who want to harm him. Anzorov identified Paty with the help of the students of the same school where Paty was teaching.

File photo

Strict control would be imposed on foreign funding of the mosques and religious seminaries. The activities of sports organisations and similar associations would be monitored so that they do not impart Islamist teachings. Foreign Imams would not be allowed in France to preach in mosques. French President mentioned CFCM should enforce that Imams know French, get training in France and do not spread radical Islam. French government ordered about 120 searches of homes; several organisations involved in Islamic preaching were banned, funding of terrorist outfits were curbed while more support was given to teachers.

According to a rough estimate the total Muslim population in 27 Member States of European Union is about 22 million and most of them work in the areas, which are considered dirty and dangerous

According to a rough estimate the total Muslim population in 27 Member States of European Union is about 22 million and most of them work in the areas, which are considered dirty and dangerous. In 1980’s these immigrants which were mainly from Pakistan, Turkey and Morocco were labelled as “Muslims” and the mutual suspicion between Muslims and majority population was considerably enhanced. Muslims are considered as a danger to the security and national identity of the country while Muslims allege that the majority community make jokes and caricatures about their religion. The feeling of Islamophobia was increasing in majority community while fundamentalism was augmenting in Muslims.

The Muslims argue that only a miniscule minority is radicalised and involved in terrorist activities while the overwhelming majority of Muslims want to live in peace and wish to integrate in mainstream. They also argue that radicalisation is also the result of abortive integration, foreign influence and devastation and violence in several Muslim countries.

The European countries brought immigrants including Muslims from several countries including North Africa, Turkey, Indonesia, Surinam, India, Pakistan, Nepal etc. to reconstruct their countries. However, as time passed the Muslim immigrants constructed their mosques and started living closely and remain in touch with their homeland. As the disturbances in several Muslim countries increased the migrant population in Europe considerably increased. The problem of illegal migrants in Europe would continue till neighbouring Muslim countries remain destabilised. Europeans embellish figures of Muslims in their countries as French claim that Muslim population is about 31 per cent in their country while it is about six per cent. Germans claim that Muslims are 19 per cent in Germany while the actual number is just four per cent. Few demographers visualise that Muslim population will grow very rapidly because Muslims are young, their ladies give birth to more children as Muslims have less divorces in comparison to Europeans. Large number of Arabs, Africans and Asians want to migrate to Europe. Nevertheless, the Muslims are also divided as they are from different countries, speak diverse languages and have dissimilar customs and religious practices.

It is a fact that few Muslims are radicalised, owe allegiance to Al Qaeda and Islamic State (IS), involve in violence and there are ‘lone wolves’ too. The Muslim immigrants are poor, less qualified, and were not integrated in the mainstream well. Even third generation Muslims in Europe are identified from the country of their origin, although they may not have visited there. Hence few of them curse the country of their adoption. The socio-economic factors are also responsible for the radicalisation. Sometimes less education, poor training and discrimination are also responsible for their pitiable condition. Sometimes the terrorist becomes hero from zero by carrying out terrorist activity. The assassins of Charlie-Hebdo cartoonists bellowed that “We have avenged Prophet Muhammad”. It is also a fact that petrodollar funded T.V. and internet propaganda is also responsible for radicalisation of Muslim youth. The Israeli attacks on Arab and Muslim countries are also considered an important reason of radicalisation of Muslim youths. A large number of Europeans are suffering from Islamophobia and sometimes their treatment to Muslim youths also becomes the cause of their radicalisation.

The socio-economic factors are also responsible for the radicalisation. Sometimes less education, poor training and discrimination are also responsible for their pitiable condition

In view of rising radicalisation there is need of counter-radicalisation as well as of de-radicalisation. First of all, there should be dialogue with Muslim leaders so that the process of integration of Muslims in the society is expedited. The increasing anti-Islam emotions in the society must be curbed. Nonetheless the integration policies could not stop few young Muslims of joining Islamic State and Al Qaeda hence it is essential to counter radicalisation and the persons who are already radicalised should be de-radicalised. Radicalisation should be stopped in jails, mosques and through internet. Imams should be trained so that the secular character of the state remains intact. It is also a misnomer that only a small Muslim minority support the extremists. People from silent majority also support them and consider it as revenge to European injustices while several Muslims still believe in Caliphate.

Western countries should not criticise other nations when they act against terrorism on the name of civil liberties and human rights. Not only Europe but all over the world should make a joint effort so that Islamic radicalisation is not spread and the people who are radicalised must be deradicalised at the earliest. The silent majority of Muslims must condemn the terrorist acts and not only the extremists, but their supporters should also be boycotted in the society. Stringent rules should be passed, and the terrorists should be punished expeditiously through the law. The Muslims should be trained properly so that they are integrated well in the society and they must show the loyalty towards their adopted homeland. The countries which are supporting terrorism and assisting and training terrorists should be boycotted and condemned by the international community.

-The writer is a New Delhi-based strategic analyst and member of United Services Institute of India and Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The views in the article are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda