Page 47 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, no. 5-6: Radicalization, Violent Extremism and Conflicting Diversity, eds. Mitja Sardoč and Tomaž Deželan
P. 47
d. gereluk and c.-a. titus ■ how schools can reduce youth radicalization
as part of the broader movement to preserve their culture, but also to keep
secrets from the prison wardens and smuggle out radicalized ideas to oth-
er republicans. The phrase was a rally cry and would be drawn in the songs
of the IRA, written in the speeches and used in the protest marches.
Like the rhetoric used by the IRA, terrorist groups like the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al Qaeda (AQ) use the word ‘jihad’ to
describe a declaration of war or a ‘holy war’ against their enemies. They
have hijacked the concept of ‘jihad’ to justify various forms of violence.
However, jihad, as described by the Quran, has many meanings. It can re-
fer to internal as well as external efforts to be a good Muslim or believer;
jihad means the striving or struggle to be good. When returning from a
military campaign, the Prophet Mohammed told his followers that “the
jihad of the battlefield is a lesser form of the concept when compared to
the greatest jihad – jihad ul-nafs – the inner struggle to lead an ethical
and pious life” (Awad, 2015). Other verses in the Quran have also been
used by terrorist groups to convince suicide bombers that they will inher-
it paradise:
Those who believe and who have forsaken the domain of evil and have
striven [jihad] hard in God’s cause with their possessions and their lives
have the highest rank in the sight of God; and it is they, they who shall
triumph in the end! Their Sustainer gives them glad tidings of the grace
that flows from Him, and of His goodly acceptance, and od the gardens
which await them, full of lasting bliss, therein to abide beyond the count
of time. Verily, with God is a mighty reward! (Rodgers-Melnick, 2001:
para 7)
These verses have been taken out of context by terrorist groups and
have been promoted to those who do not understand their true meaning.
The violent rhetoric espoused by terrorist groups contradict and violate
the fundamental tenets of Islam and they “do not give blanket permission
to condemn or kill those who hold political or religious views other than
your own” (Rogers-Melnick, 2001: para 8).
The explicit unpacking of slogans and rhetoric for radicalized groups
thus shows the power of permeating and disseminating its message. For
students to unpack political and social slogans and rhetoric with an abil-
ity for critical analysis and critique, may both offer acknowledgement to
the rise of those movements, but also create a disruption to how they may
narrow one’s own scope.
The recent slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, similarly harkens
back to a perceived golden age when the United States was considered a
dominant global power (Edwards, 2018). Yet, it also lingers of times when
45
as part of the broader movement to preserve their culture, but also to keep
secrets from the prison wardens and smuggle out radicalized ideas to oth-
er republicans. The phrase was a rally cry and would be drawn in the songs
of the IRA, written in the speeches and used in the protest marches.
Like the rhetoric used by the IRA, terrorist groups like the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al Qaeda (AQ) use the word ‘jihad’ to
describe a declaration of war or a ‘holy war’ against their enemies. They
have hijacked the concept of ‘jihad’ to justify various forms of violence.
However, jihad, as described by the Quran, has many meanings. It can re-
fer to internal as well as external efforts to be a good Muslim or believer;
jihad means the striving or struggle to be good. When returning from a
military campaign, the Prophet Mohammed told his followers that “the
jihad of the battlefield is a lesser form of the concept when compared to
the greatest jihad – jihad ul-nafs – the inner struggle to lead an ethical
and pious life” (Awad, 2015). Other verses in the Quran have also been
used by terrorist groups to convince suicide bombers that they will inher-
it paradise:
Those who believe and who have forsaken the domain of evil and have
striven [jihad] hard in God’s cause with their possessions and their lives
have the highest rank in the sight of God; and it is they, they who shall
triumph in the end! Their Sustainer gives them glad tidings of the grace
that flows from Him, and of His goodly acceptance, and od the gardens
which await them, full of lasting bliss, therein to abide beyond the count
of time. Verily, with God is a mighty reward! (Rodgers-Melnick, 2001:
para 7)
These verses have been taken out of context by terrorist groups and
have been promoted to those who do not understand their true meaning.
The violent rhetoric espoused by terrorist groups contradict and violate
the fundamental tenets of Islam and they “do not give blanket permission
to condemn or kill those who hold political or religious views other than
your own” (Rogers-Melnick, 2001: para 8).
The explicit unpacking of slogans and rhetoric for radicalized groups
thus shows the power of permeating and disseminating its message. For
students to unpack political and social slogans and rhetoric with an abil-
ity for critical analysis and critique, may both offer acknowledgement to
the rise of those movements, but also create a disruption to how they may
narrow one’s own scope.
The recent slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, similarly harkens
back to a perceived golden age when the United States was considered a
dominant global power (Edwards, 2018). Yet, it also lingers of times when
45
