Combatting terrorism is a common objective of governments and communities alike. In fact, it is one of the areas of civic engagement that garners the most consensus, with only extremists objecting to it. Yet, it is a highly contentious issue even among those who understand and support it as a necessary pursuit. While the idea of countering terrorism gains near unanimous approval, it is the process by which that goal is achieved that is a matter of tremendous debate. The fault lines that prevent the development of an optimal approach include imprecise terminology, questionable methods and incoherent tactics and strategies. ... Read More

Economic studies show that the real victim of terrorism is developing countries, particularly Muslim countries. This is due to the lack of diversity in these economies, unlike the rich economies that have a greater capacity to withstand the effects of terrorist attacks. This puts extremists, who seek, by attacking the West, some sort of punishment, in a dilemma that makes Muslim countries more affected by their actions. For example, the September 11 attacks caused very limited loss in the American economy, about 80 billion dollars, which is less than 0.1% of the US GDP, which has been 10.6 trillion dollars ... Read More

What Is Terrorism? We should start our discussion by understanding the definition of “Terrorism”. The dictionary-definitions of terrorism are usually simple and clear, though. They often go something like this: “The use of violence, or the threat of violence, to frighten people in order to achieve a political, social, or religious goal.” As of this posting, the Oxford Dictionary (US English) defines terrorism as “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims,” yet The Oxford Dictionary (British & World English) further elucidates terrorism as “the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of ... Read More

                                                                Having heard about the mission of Muhammad, and after meeting with him on two occasions, the Arabs of the rich but self-destructive city of Yathrib invited the Prophet to settle in their midst as their religious and political leader. In the estimation of Michael Lecker, some unusual reports suggest that a treaty might have been concluded between the Quraysh and the Ansar, the early Muslims of Medina, which ... Read More

Since the end of the Cold War through to the early nineties, the world has witnessed fundamental shifts in politics, ideology and the economy. Political and cultural globalisation have become prominent concepts, and capitalism dominates the global debate politically and culturally. In light of these radical transformations surfaced problematic new dialectic, a dialectic of violence and terrorism, which began to grow and swell since the beginning of the nineties. Violence and terrorism are dominating global discourse and threaten human civilisation, well-being, security and stability. It has hijacked the vehicle of globalisation to penetrate the borders of states fortified and non-fortified ... Read More

Few would argue that the Islamic world and the Arab states were among the safest countries in the first and second trimesters of the twentieth century as a result of distancing itself from wars and international conflicts. Unfortunately, the opposite is true for the last trimester wherein political and ideological struggles have proliferated making the Islamic world, particularly the Middle East a bloody region with a heavy stench of death in every corner. Perhaps it is too much to associate such an unfortunate state of affairs solely to extremist ideologies that have invaded the Muslim world in the last third ... Read More

No week passes without the OIC not having to condemn a blast here or a killing there. The Muslim world, indeed the entire world, lives with news of terrorist incidents at an unprecedented rate. This pathological phenomenon requires a remedy with all available means in order to undercut its ideological underpinnings. The OIC and all its organs are aware of the size of the risk capable of causing havoc in the Member States and soiling the reputation of the Muslim civilization. This is why the OIC, having been at the forefront of the battle against terrorism, came up with an ... Read More