Africa Up Close

Men and boys read the Quran in a mosque in Mogadishu, Somalia. Countering violent extremism has to start with engaging youth. Photo by AU UN IST PHOTO / ILYAS A. ABUKAR, via Flickr. Creative Commons.

Kenya is in many ways on the frontlines of the “war on terror” in East Africa. The 2015 attack on Garissa University College and the 2013 attack on Westgate Mall are well-known, but the past six months have also seen smaller-scale attacks and the proliferation of arms through Somalia and along the Indian Ocean coast. The cities of Nairobi and Mombasa are hotbeds of youth radicalism too. The country was a fitting host, then, for the 3^rd Annual Islamic Conference in Nairobi this March, dubbed the “Journey of Faith,” where the theme was countering violent extremism.

These efforts are urgently needed. There is growing concern over what appears to be a surge of global terrorism. Suicide attacks, which have targeted innocent people across the world in Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, France, Somalia, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Belgium, are on the rise.

Youth At the Center

Many scholars agree that youth radicalization is the cornerstone of religious intolerance, which can lead to affiliation with terror groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and al-Shabaab, and culminate in the kind of deadly suicide missions seen in Kenya and elsewhere.

There is some evidence that Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, which played host to the conference, and Mombasa, the second largest city, are centers of youth radicalization in the Horn of Africa. The cityscape as a space for imagination presents mixed perceptions and dilemmas for youth as they seek to shape their lives and futures. The pressure of materialism, capitalism, and wealth accumulation they face in Nairobi and Mombasa, if not well checked, could be why youths are venturing into radicalization and terrorism as an easy option of acquiring wealth to maintain “the city life.”

Though it is widely believed that youths who become radicalized and join terror organizations are from poor and needy backgrounds, conference speakers dismissed this notion. Indeed, some terror suspects are well-educated and come from affluent families, before mysteriously vanishing and resurfacing within a foreign terror cell.

A Better Way to Fight Radicalization

Therefore, when the 3^rd Annual Islamic Conference brought together renowned Muslim scholars, political leaders, and thousands of Muslim faithful in Nairobi on March 26^th, 2016, it provided an opportunity for the world to look at Islam through a different lens and examine the difference between what the world knows about Islam and what Islam truly is.

In this contest of ideas, Muslims must be at the forefront of efforts to define Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance and marginalize violent extremism, speakers told some 6,000 participants. Scholars called on youth in particular to shun radical groups and instead preach true, peaceful Islam.

Participants also called on governments to involve Muslims in the fight against terrorism, instead of viewing all Muslims with suspicion. Leading scholars suggested that counterterrorism actors would be more successful if they shunned violent approaches, and instead applied the Quran as a soft weapon against violent extremism.

Let us hope that these approaches will culminate into concrete steps towards anti-radicalization strategies in which Muslims are key players. Perhaps, if this approach is applied well, it will make global counter-terrorism efforts more collaborative, integrated, and easier to accomplish.

The insights emerging the conference should provide avenue for new thinking in the counter-terrorism sector on how best to strategize on the war on terror and subvert the core ideological message of many violent Islamic groups. The ideas should be embraced as the basis for new initiatives going forward in tackling complex issues such as youth radicalization going forward, especially in East Africa.

Fredrick Ogenga Ph.D. is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Communication, Journalism and Media Studies, Rongo University College and Director, Center for Media, Democracy, Peace and Security (CMDPS).

Enock Ochieng is a Masters Student at the Center for Media, Democracy, Peace and Security, Department of Communication, Journalism and Media Studies, Rongo University College.