The Ominous Pull Of Jihadism
Shyamon Jayasinghe
“Ideas are bullet proof”- Allan Moore, V for Vendetta
A powerful idea can get a life of its own. The new Jihadism is one such idea. It is religious all right but it is more complex than that. It is intractable as a force for the simple reason that an ideology is something abstract. The danger is that it can be anywhere and
everywhere. Hence, bombing it in one location is unlikely to help in the longer term, at least.
Jihadism is seen drawing out younger generations from their cosy family homes into the battlefields of Iraq and Syria and it has the backing of the older folk of Muslims in ways unforeseen. Those who remain home remain to plot and bomb and kill. Often bypassing normal channels of dissemination Jihadism spreads mostly through internet and social media bringing in waves of supporters. Have the Americans and the West got hold of the wrong end of the stick in controlling this phenomenon? Here, in Australia, has Tony Abbot been able to distinguish the wood from the trees? In order to meet this threat it is important to realize the complexity of the issue. I am wondering if Western leaders have had the patience and the prescience to comprehend this.
The Pull of Jihad
Jihadists are made and they don’t fall from the sky. What exactly makes them? What is it that invests this ideology with such a pulling power and a power to unleash destruction?
Sixteen Australian Muslim youngsters have so far fallen victim to the pull of Jihad. The eighteen year old youngster, Abdul Numan Haider from a Melbourne outer suburb is the latest victim. Apparently, the Melbourne and Federal police have been following him for some time. It is alleged Numan was seen with an ISIS flag at a shopping centre; that he was having links with extremist groups; that he had received and sent hate mail via internet. All sorts of stories are flying about this hapless youth who ended his promising life in vain. He is supposed to have threatened to kill the cops and wrap them in the Islamic flag of ISIS. It is hard to separate truth from fiction. However, the police got wind of all this and summoned Numan to the cop station for questioning. The teenager pulled out a knife and stabbed two police officers who are now in hospital. In defense, he was shot dead. Read More
