All governments around the world agree that fighting terrorism and radicalism isn’t just through military action but also through more comprehensive methods, yet they don’t necessarily take practical and satisfactory measures in this regard, knowing that terrorism is the byproduct of an ideology while bombs and explosive belts are acts on the ground that manifest the ideology.
Terrorism has spread in Libya, which was famous for its moderation, after the globalization phenomenon and migration of individuals for jihad and then coming back to Libya plus the brutality of the former Libyan regime before the Revisions, let alone the lack of security post-2011. These factors made Libya a place where such an ideology to be planted.
Radical ideologies, as called by researchers, was brutally defied and thus the dream of a caliphate state of “Daesh” (ISIS) was shattered as was the one cherished by Osama bin Laden and then Al-Zawahri for Al-Qaeda.
Over the last years, wars have been waged against the extremists but only focused on military and security sides of those radical groups with little, if any, attention to the ideological side of those militant groups.
Negligence and the involvement of Islamists in decision-making positions in governments have hindered holding forums, seminars and conferences on counter-terrorism and counter-radicalism ideologies.
Combatting terrorism and extremism doesn’t necessarily need armies and intelligence units, it needs a more feasible and humanitarian approach, tolerance and reconciliation that allow people to make peace with one another even if, as all say, war is how people win over their enemies.
