Terrorist Organizations and Inheriting Destruction

By: Prof. Ibrahim Al-Hodhod

Former President of al-Azhar University and the Academic Advisor of the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates

Extremism is one of the most hazardous diseases that destroys societies, kills the spirit of tolerance among people and results in the existence of fanatic minds filled with hatred and grudge towards others. It is a social, intellectual and ethical disease that reflects straying off positive values, ideologies and behavior in a particular society. On the other hand, it sets negative foreign values and standards in societies. Terrorist organizations deluded people that they will not only bring about good and justice in this world but also heaven and hidden pearls in the hereafter. Unfortunately, their promises destroyed nations economically, attacked their historic and cultural awareness, displaced families and ruined girls with what they called “sexual jihad”. Terrorist organizations were a curse wherever they existed such as ISIL in Syria, Iraq and Libya, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Central Africa, etc. Among the serious repercussions stated in numerous studies:

First: Economic Destruction in countries witnessing the existence of terrorist organizations and their neighboring countries:

Detailed studies showed the economic destruction that Syria and some neighboring countries have been witnessing since 2011. This was evident in the significant fall of the annual growth rate, decline of transit trade of Syria and its neighboring countries. Moreover, exports of services, such as tourism, were impeded; the fact that negatively impacted Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In addition, the conflict taking place in Syria also resulted in the rise of poverty rate as well as the deterioration of labor market conditions especially for women. As a consequence, demand on public services increased while other services deteriorated, over crowdedness took place, financial burdens increased and infrastructure was destroyed.  

Second: The Cultural destruction in countries where terrorist groups existed:

In such context, we witnessed the following:

Education was halted for years, since they considered the teaching curricula as a sort of disbelief (Kufr); thus, their alleged mission was to protect the Islamic Nation (Umma) from such disbelief (Kufr). Unfortunately, this had had a tremendous impact on the cultural awareness in these territories.

Destruction of a number of world- recorded antiquities while storming Aleppo and other Syrian cities; in fact, the terrorist groups, not only destructed several religious and historical sites in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan…etc., but also smuggled antiquities to finance their terrorist activities. There is no doubt that the destruction of antiquities is a flagrant assault against the historical and cultural awareness, where these antiquities had been destroyed for being idols in the terrorists’ corrupted beliefs. Indeed, they did not distinguish between idols and antiquities, while the Holy Qur’an in several verses, demands us to wander and look upon the remnants of the ancients and take them as examples.

Third: The social destruction in countries where terrorist groups existed:

The terrorist powers left behind serious social destructions; they caused the fragmentation of families, turning innocent citizens into refugees, displaced and starving people. Their evil even extended to the limit of capturing and harassing Muslim, Yazidi and Christian women and girls, selling them as slaves, raping them and forcing them to get pregnant.

Fourth: The terrorist organizations and destruction of children through recruiting and using them in terrorist operations

Many studies have demonstrated recruiting children through electronic games, educational systems, and doctrinal memorization, then employing them in the process of monitoring and following up and finally use them to carry out executions and terrorist operations.

It is worth mentioning that strengthening terrorist thought in children makes it very hard to root it out. Besides, the attempt to rehabilitate them will take a long time. Thus, the world waits for a new generation of terrorists (The armed men who are used to kill) who had been brought up on watching beheading and disfiguring bodies and another level of violence and terrorism.

It wasn’t enough for terrorists to do that. However, the ISIS elements went after the refugees and displaced persons in their camps, including Al-Hawl refugee camp and other camps in Syria and other countries. They continue attacking those who don’t show submission to their ideologies despite looking forward to escaping from their oppression. Moreover, those terrorists hinder access to humanitarian relief which deprives them of basic needs.

And yet, the foregoing is a tip of the iceberg of the inheritance of destruction left by forces of terrorism which have succeeded only in demolishing their homelands.