Violent Extremism: Are We Addressing the Root Causes?
The attempted assassination of President Nasheed on May 6th was a tragic manifestation of a threat that has been brewing in the underbelly of Maldivian society for decades. A threat that has been steadily emerging from the fringes into the mainstream. The bombing rocked the capital city and was not only an attack on President Nasheed but an affront to all Maldivians. We remain grateful that President Nasheed and all those injured survived the attack. And we are further grateful that the many residents of our population dense Male’ City escaped the wrath of this brutal attempt on human life.
It is easy and perhaps too reactionary to attempt to address violent extremism with crackdowns geared towards retributive justice. While we concur that the rule of law is paramount, and condemn this attack in no uncertain terms, and also share the view that those involved must be brought to justice; we also ask if this approach falls short of addressing the root causes of violent extremism.
To view violent extremism in a vacuum is detrimental to the fight to obliterate it from Maldivian society. What causes a group of individuals to resort to such extreme measures? What are the lessons we can draw from across the globe, where many countries have declared wars on terror?
Looking at the data from across countries, common themes emerge that shed light on the root causes of violent extremism. As such, it is increasingly clear that violent extremism has socioeconomic underpinnings. Poverty, alienation, subpar education systems, barriers to social mobility, the lack of adequate housing, a broken criminal justice system; among other things, all play a key role in producing individuals who are susceptible to extremist ideologies.
Here is an attempt to unpack some of the key issues we feel can be addressed in the Maldives to ensure that we insulate future generations from the many forms of violent extremism:
Access to a good education: our education system must address this issue as a matter of urgency by making Islamic curricula more legible and accessible to our children from early on. Teachers also require further training to ensure that they are better able to guide students towards being well equipped to interpret Islamic scriptures authoritatively in light of the cultural context in which they live in.
Economic wellbeing: the low average wages and the cramped living conditions in Male’ inevitably leads to the disenfranchisement of children, adolescents and even adults. History shows that when the ability to live a dignified life is not withing reach, societies easily fall prey to perverse ideologies. The housing crisis in greater Male’ especially leads to a lot of children and adolescents being out on the streets at impressionable ages, often falling victim to the currents of gang activities and the many extremist recruiters operating in this country. The solutions that will ensure the economic well-being of an entire population are not easy to achieve. But it is a disservice to cause to ignore the very clear links between the lack of economic well-being and violent extremism.
Social mobility: our children must know that if they put in the effort, they will be rewarded and that they have the capacity to improve their lives and move up in society. However, in Maldives the incentives are stacked against working hard and getting a good education because graduates don’t earn a sufficient income to live a dignified life. They can’t afford rent, purchase a home, starting a family, vacations etc. They must feel a sense that they can also become something and that the state will help them get there. Once this motivation disappears, they are susceptible to extremist ideologies. This can only be remedied by a whole host of economic, labor and social policies that correct the imbalances that have led to our status quo.
An inclusive society: people from all backgrounds, genders, and income categories, among other things, must feel a sense that they are included in society. Once they feel alienated, they are again more likely to be sympathetic towards extremist ideologies.
Criminal justice system reform: our criminal justice system currently fails to prevent recidivism, while also failing to ensure that the long arm of the law does not reach those who have committed serious crimes. Also, our prisons have become hotbeds for extremist recruitment. One of the key causes behind this is arguably that we don’t focus enough on rehabilitation of prisoners. We need to change our approach to ensure that those serving prison sentences have a chance to seek counseling, therapy, and an education that will allow them to reenter society as valuable citizens who have a good future ahead of them.
In light of this plethora of issues that needs to be addressed to effectively curb violent extremism, we ask the government if enough is being done. Tackling these issues require sound and cohesive long-term policy making and implementation with inter-agency cooperation. Does Maldives have the necessary political stability to ensure that we achieve this? Failing that, is the Solih administration willing to at least lay the foundations for a brighter future where our children do not fall prey to destructive ideologies that can disrupt and destroy decades of nation building? We hope and pray that winds of change are in the air. If a bombing in the heart of Male’ to assassinate a former president and the incumbent speaker of parliament is insufficient for us to correct our course, we shiver at the thought of what could be next.
