WHY YOUTH JOIN TERROR GROUPS

Why youth join terror groups


By Frank Aman 12th April 2015 Email Print 

Local politicians, clergy and academicians have expressed mixed opinions over major motives behind worldwide terrorism and the ongoing trend of the local youth recruitment in terror groups, not completely ruling out religious doctrine as source of the emerged evil phenomenon in the past two decades.


Speaking in separate occasions this week, they cited the world order, poverty, ignorance and unemployment as major factors that have led to creation of terror groups and drove youngsters into joining them, watering down the widespread notion of the mainstream faith-based recruitment.


Dr Bashiru Ally from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration said religious illiteracy on its own exacerbated by rampant poverty has been used as a loophole in luring youngsters into joining terror groups using religious doctrine to justify their cause.


He cited Somali-based Al Shabaab responsible for series of attacks in East Africa including the latest that found 148 students killed at Garissa University in Kenya as typical of the terrorist organisations that use religious illiteracy and poverty rampant among the youth in the region into becoming deadly foot soldiers and suicide bombers.


But he also said both terrorist groups and the recruited youth are a result of the prevailing imperialistic-oriented world order in which the rich and powerful countries of the North dominate the poor and the weak South mainly Africa and the Middle-East.


He said the rich North otherwise known as Western countries have been systematically exhausting African resources leaving the youth disparate of jobs and education, a vacuum the capitalists need to infiltrate filth to meet their ends.


The local organisers of terrorist groups were themselves not immune to this trend, he said.


He said it is not a coincidence that the previous two decades have seen the rising wave of terror attacks as opposed to nearly 45 years of the Cold War era that ended in 1991.


He said during the Cold War era the Soviet system that formed the Eastern bloc could equally counter the Western influence in the Third World, barring over exploitation and monopoly dominance, but following the split of the Soviet Union, Africa and the Third World have been left to fight the imperial influence single-handedly.


Against the background of the reality that one super power is attempting to rule the world, said the doctor, there emerged rebellious groups, refusing to be ruled in Southern countries who fight back in self-styled manner branded terrorism by the very masterminds of the new system. 


 “So we should not consider religious differences or radical preaching as the only source of terrorism but we should look into an obvious source, which is imperialism, capitalism at its maturity trying to dominate the world and the desperate resistance by groups who believe they are undermined,” he said.


He downplayed Islam as a faith with some connection with terrorism, saying those who fuel wars mainly in Africa and the Middle East are not Muslims and that they have nothing to do with any faith but motivated by their wealth-driven lust to exploit the natural resource-rich regions.


Citing the Roman Imperial motto of “divide and rule,” the doctor said; “imperialists have steered hatred among the societies and Western countries are using the loophole by dividing Christians and Muslims, typical of Apartheid South Africa where race was used as criteria.”


Former lecturer of the University of Dar es Salaam, Dept of Linguistics Dr Azaveli Lwaitama attributed terrorism to shortsightedness in life experienced by the youth, saying ignorance was also to blame in adopting a kid with no ambitions in life.


He said such youth were susceptible to extremist ideas, apparently easy recruits of crimes for the sake of money and wealth.


“When a youngster puts much value on material gains he becomes an easy prey to religious teachings that persuade him along those lines,” he said, citing poverty and illiteracy as motives behind radicalisation of youngsters. 


However, he echoed Dr Ally’s assertion that the youth would join terrorist organisations for financial gains rather than ideological alignment. 


“Of course a desperate poor youngster will accept money from an Al-Shabaab guy who wants him to do the killing that he would have done any way given right circumstances,” said Dr Lwaitama. 


In an interview with The Guardian’s sister paper Nipashe, Minister for Information, Youth and Sports Dr Fenella Mukangara also backed the academicians’ version of argument, saying Tanzanian youth had been lured into terror groups because of financial rewards.


But she said accepting such rewards were typical of a youngster who is ignorant and short of sound moral upbringing.


She was echoed by Auxiliary Bishop of Bukoba Diocese Methodius Kilaini who attributed the trend to poor parental care saying, “if a child lacks love and tolerance at home he’s likely to commit offense and harm others on the streets.”


He advised the clergy and the government to provide “right” education to children especially those aged between four and 12, a time during which a child’s behaviour is founded.


Though he did not rule out “illicit religious teachings” as a motive behind recruiting the youth in terror groups, he said: “In a desire to be wealthy, many youngsters who do not see the future in their life as they live in vulnerable conditions, join the groups to overcome the challenge.”


Mufti of Tanzania Alhaj Shaabani Issa bin Simba also attributed terrorism to poverty and ignorance in a self-styled manner saying a lust for easy money and lack of skills amongst the youth have driven youngsters into joining terrorist groups.


“It is very possible for young people to join these groups because of money. This is due to the reality that many African young men are jobless because they do not want to acquire skills for self employment,” he said.


Citing a verse from the Qur’an that says; “killing one man is tantamount to killing the whole world, and saving one man’s life is tantamount to saving the whole world,” the Mufti vehemently rejected the notion that terrorism has any backing from the Islamic Scriptures.


He also refuted allegations that mosques have been involved in giving youth martial arts training, saying “mosques are holy sites giving no room to anything else, but Word of God.”


He was responding to widespread speculations that mosques were used for training future terrorists.


He called upon the Muslim and Christian clergies to train young boys and girls on the importance of love, adherence to commands of God and help build their capacity in facing challenges of the modern world. SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON