Want Less Violence and Extremism? Religious Freedom Helps.

Our neighbourhood hasn’t been the calmest place to live. Virtually every country around here has had its own problems with war, extremism, hatred and violence and this spills over our borders. We need to end the instability, bloodshed and darkness. It may seem so unbelievable but we can have a peaceful future if we as communities, as neighbourhoods and districts, as nations choose peace.

So many governments in the region fear what they don’t understand. They see threats everywhere. They want to shutdown anything that might be seen as different just in case it represents a threat to their power or a threat to security. More often than not the things they attack are no threat whatsoever. Instinctively many of our leaders want to control what everyone believes, what people are taught in their places of worship - Sunnis, Shi’a, Ismailis, Ahmadis, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Yezidis and so on. The state wants to know what we’re being taught and wants to control it.

But that has the opposite effect – controlling and repressing religions creates more insecurity and instability. It drives everyone into hiding - the peaceful and the violent alike. There is more danger when those who really could be a threat are driven away from the spotlight. In the darkness their ideologies and plans fester and grow without being challenged.

So whilst peaceful religious groups are being targeted, the actual extremists are flourishing in the shadows. We don’t have to agree with what minority religions teach. We might think they’re crazy! But they’re not a threat to our security. Peaceful groups with peaceful beliefs should be left in peace and allowed their dignity. It is not honourable to harass and repress them. We want our government to put its time and resources into finding and prosecuting the real extremists.

In civilised societies we can have open debate and discussion. Our fellow citizens should be able to live without the fear that if they express an unorthodox opinion they might spend years in prison! When all opinion and religion is allowed into the light of day, we will be able to monitor and challenge the extreme beliefs. We can win against anger, violence and hatred with better arguments, better ideas and more kindness and we can intervene more easily where we see people’s ideology becoming too dangerous for society.

Either way, research shows that societies that have a diversity of beliefs are much less likely to produce violent extremists. The fear of ‘the others’ is diminished when they are our friends and neighbours and we can embrace our differences. Societies that respect difference and allow dignity for all citizens will be less likely to produce violent extremists. After all…

We are // compatriots. We are // friends. We are // family. We are // diverse. We are // equal.

We are // United.