Address ideology of extremism to win war

When reports emerged that Abdirahim Mohammed Abdullahi, a law student and son of a government chief, was the mastermind of the brutal terrorist attack that killed 148 people at Garissa University College, everyone was shocked.

This was a chilling message that nobody is immune to the seduction of radicalisation and extremist militant ideology. 

The spread of extremism among well-educated, socially advantaged youth in Kenya should not shock us because it is simply a product of our moral and political philosophy.

Kenya is an unequal society where the political and corporate elite as well as some Christian clerics have no qualms about flaunting wanton opulence and urban machismo in the faces of poor people, hungry babies, the old and sick, and jobless youth.

This inequality and abuse of state power by politicians create a fertile ground for any group intent on advancing an alternative utopian ideology.

History shows that the easiest way to advance an idealistic philosophy is through religion, a faith that provides substance to the ideology. Religion offers faith to destitute souls, a belief in a higher power and hope for positive change.

Islam, more than any other religion, offers such a substratum. One of Islam’s core doctrines is that there is more to human life than accumulation of material wealth.

It is this doctrine that captures the imagination of destitute youths, making them vulnerable to radicalisation. Islam is appealing to downtrodden, marginalised, and historically disadvantaged groups and communities. The ideologues who propagate violent extremism know this all too well and are more than willing to exploit it.

BLOW UP PARLIAMENT

Unfortunately, Kenya’s political, corporate, and religious elite does not get the message. Young Kenyans on social media recently expressed support for the militants after a post claimed that the extremist group was planning to blow up Parliament buildings.

Their only concern was that the terrorists should do it when all the MPs are in the House. This should have been a wake-up call for the political class that things are not good.

It is an indictment of the insensitivity of this class that this did not elicit even a whimper from the leadership of Parliament or any of the national security agencies. This arrogance of the ruling elite is a soft underbelly that Al-Shabaab is likely to continue exploiting.

Arrogance and unimaginative thinking will not counter extremism. Building a wall along the Kenya-Somali border is ridiculous and unsustainable in the long run. Radicalisation is an ideology. The world is yet to invent a missile that can defeat an ideal.

To counter violent extremism, Kenya requires a paradigm shift, a new moral and political philosophy that promises hope to the poor and the youth of this nation.

Such a philosophy should frown on excessive greed and reckless display of affluence in a country where the majority live below the poverty line.

This can only happen if members of the political, corporate, and religious elite open their eyes, ears, and hearts to the majority poor, listen to the cries of hungry babies, the pain of sick old men and women, and the anger and frustration of jobless young people.

Indifference and labelling people who perceive themselves as neglected can only drive them further into poverty and destitution and provide a fertile ground for the purveyors of radicalisation and militant extremism. 

Capt (rtd) Wanderi is an advocate and chairman of the Kenya Institute of Forensic Auditors. [email protected]]  Twitter: @CaptWanderiCFE