News Analysis: Education, development key tools for fighting extremism in Egypt

Although security campaigns are necessary for fighting growing terrorism in Egypt, education and development are key tools to bring up a sound generation and combat prevailing extremist thoughts in the most populous Arab country, said Egyptian experts.

Many experts believe that extremism is the cradle of terrorism, so the minds of the youth should be immunized against extremist ideologies through proper education and real development to bring up an educated generation invulnerable to such thoughts.

EDUCATION

Extremism is mostly the result of improper education side by side with the lack of suitable channels for the youth to release their energies and participate positively in their societies, whether through politics, cultural activities or others.

"We have undemocratic, uncritical education that lacks realism and is based on learning by heart, which creates a generation with a personality vulnerable to extremist thoughts," said Kamal Habib, a renowned researcher on Islamist groups.

The expert explained that educational system in Egypt, whether it is secular or religious education like that of Al-Azhar, the most prestigious institution for Sunni Muslims in Egypt and the Muslim world, needs to be improved to create a generation safeguarded against extremist ideologies by knowledge and awareness.

"Education is the real key that shapes the minds of children," the researcher told Xinhua, adding that "the youth from 18 to 25 are the most vulnerable to extremist thoughts due to the sensitivity of their age, their inexperience, their lack of social responsibilities, their detachment from the reality and their idealistic dreams."

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

For decades, and before the past social unrests that toppled two presidents in three years, Egyptians used to be passive, refrain from politics, and were keen to lead an ordinary life free from trouble and pursuit, which was the purpose of the political leaderships then.

"People resort to the religious sphere as an alternative for the other blocked spheres, like politics, because the world of religion is available, unconditional and for free. All it requires is loyalty to a specific group," Habib told Xinhua.

He added that some political regimes allowed religious activities to divert the people from politics, like that of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, which allowed Salafist clerics to open TV channels and spread their thoughts to make up for the lack of politics.

"The more politics is generalized and the more youth participate in politics, the less they resort to the religious sphere and so to religious extremism," said the expert.

RELIGION UNCENSORED

"Religion is the opium of the people" is one of the most famous quotes of German economist Karl Marx, which applies most to Egypt whose people are "religious by nature" as always referred to by locals.

Being an official religious institution, Al-Azhar has a parallel educational system from kindergarten to university, for those interested to give their children Islamic-oriented education.

Some experts believe that Al-Azhar education needs to filter its books and curricula from the thoughts and jurisprudence dating back to hundreds of years and still being taught to students until today.

They also lament that the ideological products of extremist groups, including books, publications and internet material, are much more than those of moderate and authentic religious institutions like Al-Azhar.

"The spread of religious extremism in Egypt lies in the inability of Al-Azhar to convey information through specialized sources and via specialized channels," said Ahmed Tawfik, former chief of relations and media at Al-Azhar Grand Imam's office.

Tawfik said that preaching has been left for anyone who wants to deliver religious information without monitoring or restriction, which led some elements with specific ideologies, like the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups, to convey their ideologies through religious outlets.

Like other experts, Tawfik believes that Al-Azhar has the duty of refining people's minds and promoting moderate Islam as a means of combating religious extremism that creates in the end self-proclaimed "Islamist" militants.

"Al-Azhar University itself has been full of professors belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood group, while they should be without any different ideologies or affiliations, because they are responsible for a generation," Tawfik told Xinhua.

In the age of the internet, satellites, cell phones and social media, many experts believe that the media can be the podium for moderate Islam internally and externally.

"Using the media machine is a basic part of fighting terrorism and extremist ideologies, as Al-Azhar should be the first to give the right religious opinion in each topic that concerns the public opinion," Tawfik said.

DEVELOPMENT

Being a developing country with more than half of its 94-million population living under poverty line, Egypt needs to develop many of its rural and desert districts as one of the means of combating extremism.

"The blockage and lack of a development lead the youth to resort to extremist thoughts as an attempt to rebel against the disappointing present typical thoughts," Ali Hassan, sociology professor at Ain Shams University, told Xinhua.

The professor explained that societies need development so that they could believe in moderate ideologies and reject extremist thoughts, regretting that Egypt's population is increasing every minute while the provided services like hospitals and schools are still insufficient.

Lack of development has always been linked with corruption in Egypt, which is one of the main reasons for the eruption of the popular uprising that toppled Mubarak in early 2011.

"Corruption is the reason for the lack of development, and so for extremism," Hassan said, arguing that those officials who deny and defend corruption harm themselves along with the whole society.

"Therefore, religious extremism prevailed as a protest against lack of development, because all it needs is a gun and an ideology that deems others infidels," the professor told Xinhua. Endit