Fighting terror starts at home, says Sultan
‘We must distinguish between true Islamic faith and terrorists that claim to be fighting under banner of Islam’
His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has called for tolerance and unity in the Arab world to end the ongoing conflicts.
“The magnitude of destruction and loss of life experienced in the Arab world today is reprehensible. This is due to a lack of ethics and I truly hope that Arabs in general will embrace and promote the Islamic moral system in their communities to end these horrors,” he told UAE editors in an interview on the sidelines of the 2017 London Book Fair.
He said ties between Arabs today are “the worst in the world.” He called on those who instigate violence to stop. The Arabs must nurture an environment of tolerance, reconciliation, forgiveness and unity under the true values of Islam and its humanitarian teachings. He said policies of de-radicalisation and countering terrorism “must start at home where parents raise their children in an environment that leads to nurturing a welleducated generation. They will be able to think with reason and adapt to changes around them,” Shaikh Sultan noted.
Loyalty to values and ethics is a practical and realistic solution in dealing with extremist and radical groups... We must start at home, where parents should raise their children in an environment that leads to nurturing a well-educated generation.”
For centuries, Islam has brought together many nations under one identity based on morals and noble values. We must stick to what unites us and reject anything that divides us. What drives us apart today are unfounded accusations, blame, humiliation and injustice.”
His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi
Rational counter-terrorism policies in Arab and Muslim countries must start at home where families have the ultimate responsibility to raise their children in an environment of tolerance and true Islamic and universal values, His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, said.
“We must distinguish between the true Islamic faith and the terrorist groups that claim to be fighting under the banner of Islam. Loyalty to values and ethics is a practical and realistic solution in dealing with extremist and radical groups. A military approach or the use of sanctions may fuel terrorism and feed extremism, leading to the creation of new factions, adopting the same approach,” Shaikh Sultan said.
“We must start at home, where parents should raise their children in an environment that leads to nurturing a well-educated generation. They will be able to think with reason and adapt to changes around them,” Shaikh Sultan said in a wide-ranging interview with UAE media at the Sharjah Book Authority’s (SBA) pavilion on the sidelines of the London Book Fair (LBF 2017).
He said ties between Arab nations currently “are among the worst in the world. Military conflicts, wars and struggles are everywhere in the Arab region — whether it is Yemen, Syria, Iraq or Libya, we see turmoil and violence all around us. We see for ourselves the killing and suffering through television, newspapers and other media.”
A key reason behind these conflicts is the increasing deterioration of values and tolerance in Arab communities, Shaikh Sultan noted. “The magnitude of destruction and loss of life experienced in the Arab world is reprehensible. This is due to a lack of ethics and I truly hope that Arabs in general will embrace and promote the Islamic moral system in their communities to end these horrors.”
Shaikh Sultan compared the current situation in the Arab world to the state of Jahiliya, the pre-Islamic era of ignorance and infighting. “The call to Islam came during difficult and deteriorating conditions experienced by the Arabs in Makkah. Today, we are experiencing a new form of Jahiliya that needs to return to the transcendent values of Islam. As Islam gave Arabs dignity and glory after they were divided into warring tribes, we can rise again through our faith. “The most important thing we can do is preserve our religion. I put forward my ideas in a play entitled Daesh Wa
Al Ghabra. As the Arab nations built their civilisations on Islam, we too can reignite our civilisations today.”
In the play, which focuses on war and its elements of revenge, vengeance and hate, Shaikh Sultan appeals to those who instigate such conflicts to stop killing and inflicting cruelty, and calls on them to practice tolerance, reconciliation and compassion. He also called for a culture of forgiveness, unity and solidarity under the generosity of Islam and its humanitarian teachings.
Historical role of Islam
Shaikh Sultan also highlighted the historical role of Islam in unifying cultures. “The achievements made by the Islamic world throughout history show that there was no discrimination against Muslims in many essential fields such as science, discovery and education on the grounds of their ethnic backgrounds. For centuries, Islam has brought together many nations under one identity based on morals and noble values. “We must stick to what unites us and reject anything that divides us. What drives us apart today are unfounded accusations, blame, humiliation and injustice, all of which are basically forbidden by our religion.”
In the interview, Shaikh Sultan highlighted the UAE’s emphasis on reading to strengthen knowledge and culture. “It is not necessary for every member of society to be highly educated, what is more important is to be brought up with sound values, and this is the duty of mothers and fathers. This role is not confined to religious clerics. Each of us has a duty to represent our religion through its commitment, knowledge and science, and all Muslims should know more about their religion and its foundations and fundamentals.”
Shaikh Sultan called for tolerance in the Arab world and said isolationism cannot work. “National foundations do exist and cannot be denied, but all those who called for pan-nationalism have failed. If we examine the theories and ideologies behind pan-nationalism, whether by the Baath Party, the Arab Nationalist Movement, or the work of the late Egyptian president Jamal Abdul Nasser, we find that they all have failed because their approaches were not based on inclusive principles and values.”