One of Egypt’s top religious scholars calls for ideological confrontation with violent extremists
In the eyes of Mohammed Mokhtar Gomaa, the extremist ideology promoted by groups like Da’ish is not just an international pandemic that needs to be quarantined — it represents an intellectual crisis that needs to be confronted by society’s cultural, religious, educational and media leaders.
Gomaa, Egypt’s minister of religious endowments and president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, brought a deep knowledge of Islamic and Arab history to his recent lecture at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking on the topic of “deconstructing extremist ideology,” Gomaa dismissed Da’ish as “organized gangsters who kill and burn under the name of religion” but whose main motivation is sectarian and political.
“This international pandemic belongs to no religion and no nation at all,” said Gomaa, a scholar and professor at Egypt’s famed Al-Azhar University. “It is of vital importance to join forces to face this pandemic.”
But as important as physically confronting violent extremist groups is, the main battle is ideological, Gomaa said. And religious scholars can’t handle this battle alone. They need the help of cultural, educational and media figures as well.
“We are really in need of renewing religious speech and mental, ethical and cultural mindsets because the crisis is a crisis of intellect,” he said.
He noted that Islam’s five pillars don’t dwell on politics, but rather outline a human being’s personal obligations to God. Although Islam commands governments to be just and generous to their people, political affairs are not central to Islam.
By adopting overtly political roles — claiming to declare war as a “caliphate” and reintroducing forms of slavery in Iraq and Syria — Da’ish members reveal how far they’ve fallen from true Islam.
“These groups work in space — in points of crisis — between rulers and the people,” Gomaa said. “They work on the tribal reflex and sectarian conflicts.”
Groups like Da’ish seek out psychologically vulnerable youth to whom they can “market their product,” the professor said. In many cases, the medias unintentionally aid recruitment by referring to Da’ish in heroic terms, reinforcing its claims that it’s a real, instead of a false, caliphate.
“Youth believe this was the Islamic state they were waiting for. They have been misled by the name,” he said. “Whether it’s Da’ish, Boko Haram in Nigeria or al-Qaida, all of these groups originate as an illusion.”
The professor called for a renewal of religious discourse. An oversimplification of Islamic study based on memorization of the Quran holds less appeal for inquisitive modern youth who want deeper explanations from their religious leaders, he said. Da’ish leaders have filled that vacuum by advancing an anti-Islamic ideology that allows torture, murder, looting, destruction of historical monuments and the selling of women as prostitutes.
In light of that problem, Egypt has announced plans to modernize religious education at all levels of study so that interpretation isn’t left to the extremists.
Gomaa urged vigilance from the international community. No terror group can function unless it is supported by people outside the organization. For example, Da’ish couldn’t sell Iraqi oil without collaboration from outsiders. Nor could fighters cross borders and accumulate weapons if they were not allowed to do so. “Someone is providing entry, money and arms,” he said.
The professor urged regional leaders to reduce the incentives for extremists to build support in society. “When the relationship is good between the rulers and the people, terrorism really can’t work,” he said.