The Rise of ‘ISLAMIC EXTREMISM’
Joint project between the Intelligence Academy (SSA) and the North West University, Potchefstroom South Africa.
Impact and evolving nature of Islamic Extremism.
KEYNOTE THEME 2: Islamic Extremism in South Africa
Keynote Address: Ganief Hendricks President AL JAMA-AH POLITICAL PARTY
“Why isolate Islamic Extremism”
(Discussion Facilitator – Professor Andre Duvenage Ph.D )
THURSDAY 10 MARCH 2016
14H00
The Academy and the University must be complimented on calling this Conference and I would like to thank the SSA and University of the North for inviting me. Such an invitation is a wish come true for every South African Muslim concerned that there are Muslims in South Africa , South Africans and people from other countries that want to harm them. One swallow does not make a summer. While we take strong exception to the label Islamic Extremism my position is that whatever instruments exist to measure this it does not exist. Certainly not in South Africa. Further to suggest that there is a rise in this phenomenon is out of place in serious academic discourse. So the label Islamic Extremism must be isolated and those advocating it must be isolated.
Hitherto there has been no definition forthcoming for the cliché, ‘Islamic Extremism’. What exactly is the meaning of this hurtful expression? Who coined it and when was it conjectured? For me the cliché is not only hurtful but an expression of irrational fear. That it has developed into a global narrative albeit with a slow uptake in South Africa is a blot against rational humanitarian discourse.
“Islamic Extremism’ is a relatively recent bogey which was created by sinister forces, namely the U.S.A.’s CIA according to some scholarly works, in pursuit of attaining the global objectives of America. This bogey was created after the demise of the Soviet Union? And, it was created by the U.S.A. to achieve its objective of global hegemony after the disappearance of the Soviet Union from the map of the world. For this to succeed in South Africa may I suggest that those nurturing the cliché consider it as a close link to the Tokoloshe - a homemade South African Bogey.
……………………….You suppose to hide under the chairs………………………….
Many of you have heard this before. The so-called ‘jihad’ groups were created, nourished and sustained by the U.S.A. and all its lackey states such as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Pakistan, etc. for the purpose of the expulsion of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan and its destruction as a world superpower. Thus, Al-Qaidah and all the other jihad groups were formed, trained and armed to the hilt by the U.S. Many claim this is not a secret.
With the demise of the Soviet Union, the cold war seemingly terminated. The Red fear had disappeared from the scene. There was now a need to create another hallucinatory fear, and that bogey was in the form of ‘Islam’. Sinister forces required a constant state of chaos and anarchy for the furtherance of their global plots, hence a new cold war was initiated with the bogey labelled ‘Islamic Extremism’
While there is no cogent definition or concept for this cliché, the West has painted the religion of Islam with its brush of ‘Islamic Extremism’. This flies in the face of the strong statement of the Commander in Chief of the American people that he has seen too often people conflating the horrific acts of terrorism with the beliefs of an entire faith to the extent of actually believing this inexcusable rhetoric. He makes it clear that the term Islamic Extremism denigrating American Muslims has no place in the country he has made an oath to protect. President Obama laments the fact that so many people know nothing about Islam except the sensationalist portrayals they see in the News.
The shame of this Millinium is the role of journalists hell bent on misleading their readers, viewers, listeners and hitters. I am taking a hard look on whether journalists and their editors deserve our defence in protecting Freedom of Speech. Journalists are the enemy when it comes to the universal value we cherish Freedom of Speech. I blame even journalist who do not play in this field of misinformation as they are not doing enough to advance the professionalism of their trade.
President Obama will not have a quarrel with the affirmation of Justice Thomas C. Clark on the value in teaching everyone about Islam and that ones education is not complete if one does not understand Islam’s relationship with other religions to advance civilization. Nearly the whole world believe that most terrorists claim to be of the Muslim faith while right wing terrorists have dominated in claiming American lives. The seeds of this scapegoating and hate is now being sowed into South Africa. That is why the Academy has a key role to play to protect our foundational Constitutional values and clauses of the Freedom charter which amongst others say
“South Africa belongs to all that live in it”
The conflation of terrorism and Islam is an injustice. Kids must learn more about other religions to prepare themselves for global citizenship. There is no place for fear and stereotypes.
The Muslim Community is the most peaceful community in South Africa and will be in the forefront to stand up against terrorism. I am just worried that rhetoric at this conference may well divide communities and make our job as politicians and community leaders to isolate terrorists and potention terrorist that much harder in spite of the earlier address that the label Islamic Extremism is a misunderstood term. There is a lot Islam can contribute to the wellbeing of humanity. Instead of viewing it as a source of extremism, Islam is capable of addressing the major challenges humanity is facing today including poverty, family disintegration and injustices of all kind. As far as South Africa is concerned there is a lot that Islam can contribute to enhance our identity as an African nation. African values are the same values taught to Muslim children in Quran schools. Former President Mandela’s great grandchildren who are Muslim and former President Thabo Mbeki’s Muslim nephews and nieces will be well taught about Ubuntu in their madressas. Former Prime Minister Malan and Governor Simon van der Stel’s Muslim relatives will similary stand out in the Afrikaner community as products of Ubuntu. That is why some Afrikaners are amongst some of the best examples of charitable behaviour and serving good causes. The Family as nuclear of society is the backbone of African values. That is why extremism is against Islamic values. The word Islamic Extremism is absolutely irrelevant. The introduction of this type of rhetoric into South Africa only serves the interests of the very powers who were once supporters of apartheid and dubbed the ANC, Azapo, Apla, MK, NUM and Qibla Freedom Fighters as terrorists. We can only isolate extremists no matter what their religion they follow by standing firm for justice and equality. That alone will make South Africa the safest country in the world. I hope this conference is not going to open the door to the United States African Command (Afrikom) to establish secret bases and missions in all nine provinces of South Africa and South Africa becomes a partner in tomorrows battlefield as award winning journalist Nick Turse new book calls it. He partners with Julius Assange that wars spread terrorism.
So one of the ways to stop extremism is to stop wars.
One of the first steps to bring about regime change in South Africa is to label the sons and daughters of the South African Muslim community as extremists and therefore terrorists and cause strife in the country. The Academy must take this sseriously if they want to carry out their mandate.
Muslims will not stand by idly on the first signs of regime change. It is the founder of Islam Sheikh Yusuf who launched the liberation struggle against Colonialism and Imperialism in South Africa. He is a South African hero for this and was awarded the Friends of Oliver Tambo Medal in gold. The Oliver Tambo and Adelaide Tambo Foundation also honoured my great grandfather Hadjie Ozer Ally by erecting a statue of him on the occasion of the ANC’s 100 year celebration for giving the ANC its name and writing the first clauses of its constitution. This has contributed to the freedoms Muslim have in South Africa today.
My madressa principal Imam Abdullah Haron was murdered in detention for his humanitarian work looking after the families of activists in hiding here and outside the country. His son speaks after me at tis Conference. Every child wants a father like the Imam and he must be proud of what his father did for South Africa. My mom who died last year at age of 88 years was detained at age of 65 years for her role in the Resistance in District 6 Cape Town where she cared for wives of Robben Islanders and gave a home to heroes such as Judge Fikele Bam, my godfather Dr Archie Mafeje and many other comrades who became cabinet ministers judges and captains of Industry in post apartheid South Africa. We are just one of thousands of Muslim families in all provinces of South Africa who have such good stories to tell. How then can the Muslim community be labelled as extremists when we are the most patriotic in the country. But try regime change and we will defend South Africa with more commitment than any other community. If Muslims are not known as extremists for over 300 years in South Africa and there are absolutely no extremism in our ranks in this day and age to talk about a rise in Islamic Extremism in South Africa is a blot against the legacy of Sheikh Yusuf, Hadjie Ozer Ally, Imam Haron , my mom and many others. This includes Dr Archie Mafeje who my mom visited months before he passed on and I administered the Muslim burial rights when he was buried while his Muslim wife spread herself over the Bier reciting Allah hoe Akbar. It is in fact a blot against all South Africans. The Muslim community is not a threat to State security.and as there is no rise in Islamic extremism Muslims committing criminal acts must be dealt with like every other citizen of the country.
It is not the place for those outside the Muslim Community to get involved in ecclesiastical differences in the Muslim community. So we reject the Command paper issued by Queen Elizabeth which does this. It is disgusting to call the fallout of these differences Islamic Extremism or an extreme version of Islam. The flavour of the year is Sufis vrsus Salafis. Before that it was Shias versus Sunnis. When I was a child it was Ahmediasm versus Sunnis and Shias. These rivalries should not concern many of the delegates that are here unless they come from a theology seminary. The SSA is certainly not people of the cloth.
In Britain in terms of their recent laws on extremism if you don’t show a stiff upper lip which is the hallmark of British values you are an extremist. If you don’t have your cucumber sandwiches you are an extremist. If you don’t have a mistress or a lover you are an extremist. If you are a Muslim you are an Islamic extremist as if the label has any merit to exist.
Terrorism has no religion and extremism has no traces in Islamic history. Those fighting in the ranks of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State is just a few thousand and the Muslim population is 1.6 billion. The only way to exclude this microscopic minority that associates itself with Islam is by addressing the root causes of the problem in the Middle East on which the extremist rhetoric feeds. Palestinians need to have their own State and the occupation of their land need to be ended. Occupation of other peoples land and the indiscriminate killing of innocents need to be stopped. When doors are closed desperate people may resort to violence and may resort to religion to give legitimacy to such violence. This has harmed Islam. While we blamed the CIA earlier on for breeding extremism when Israel’ s occupation of Palestine ends it will be the biggest blow to terrorists.
Please indulge me in giving delegates their first lesson in Islam. Some of you are of course better qualified than me to give this first lesson. So please indulge me.
Another bogey that may be well known to many of us is the Bugis Resistance Fighters who were labelled and categorised as ‘those who run amock.” The Japanese have Namahage – also present at their demon mask festival and Ukraine has Baba Yaga who comes at night and Saudi Arabia has Abu Shalawlaw who eat children who are lazy to do their homework and Malaysia Mata- Mata which means a spy. They might as well have labelled the Mata-Mata Al Qaidah or I.S. or Al Nusra operatives. In Italy the bogeyman is L’uomo nero meaning the Black man denigrating Blacks and of course in today’s world we have Islamic Extremism the bogeyword for the 21st century denigrating Muslims in the global world.
Whilst the so-called Mujahideen in Afghanistan were waging their Jihad against the Soviet Union with 100% U.S. backing, these Mujahideen were at that stage not branded terrorists or Islamic Extremists. Since they were the surrogates of the U.S.A., they were called ‘freedom fighters’. But today, despite the Afghans being the very same personnel with the very same religious concepts, beliefs and practice of 50 years ago and of a millenium ago, they are labelled ‘terrorists’, and this is simply because their target has shifted from the Soviet Union to the U.S.A.
It appears that the bogey of ‘Islamic Extremism’ has been created to paint the Islamic religion with the hues of anathema. Thus any Muslim who dresses with Islamic attire, declares Allah Hoe Akbar, performs the five daily prayers, keeps a beard and is generally conscious of his religious obligations fits the profile of a ‘terrorist’ - a profile designed by sinister forces. In other words Islam is equated to ‘terrorism’. Any act of anarchy perpetrated by a Muslim is attributed to the Islamic Faith. Yet, when for decades Christians were killing each other in Ireland, the conflict was not described as ‘Christian Extremism’.