Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the world is experiencing a major change in economy and politics. A big question mark remains hovering over many: Will there be a change in security measures, as well? Just as COVID-19 has almost rocked every country in the world, the fight against terrorism has followed suit. Terrorism in the aftermath of COVID-19 requires a strategy that is partially different from previous ones. What are the features of this strategy? What are the most prominent proposed solutions to neutralize the terrorist phenomenon?
TERRORISM AMIDST COVID-19
The statement released by “ISIS” May 27, 2020, aired with the voice of the ISIS official spokesperson, Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi, confirms that the COVID-19 epidemic is a divine punishment due to the lack of adherence to religious teachings. He urges his supporters to redouble their terrorist operations by stating: “We strongly recommend you to go tough on God’s infidel enemies.” Despite the military defeat of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram in a number of Arab and African countries, and the demise of the so-called Islamic Caliphate State, they are still insisting on resuming their operations while COVID-19 severely affected the entire people of the world countries; they take advantage of the opportunity provided by quarantine to carry out terrorist operations, and Amiriyya operation in Giza, Egypt, in April 2020 is a case in point, while a terrorist operation in Tunisia, March 2020, within the immediate vicinity of the American embassy is a resounding instance that echoes down for years yet to consider.
Although the countries of East and West Africa witnessed thousands of cases of COVID-19 in March, April and May 2020, the terrorists there did not cut them some slack; just in March and April, 47 terrorist attacks were reported, claiming the lives of 409 people across 14 African countries. This is a glaringly stark message from these terrorist organizations that they can still act as a subversive act of terror. In a documentary tape aired by Al-Arabiya Al-Hadith TV on May 9, 2020, a group of ISIS detainees expressed their dogged determination to engage in terrorist activities once released, to bitterly fight those who disagree with them as infidels in their view. Here, we recall that there were more currents of extremism within ISIS than the official leadership of the organization, such as Hazmiyeh. This indicates that the number of suicide bombers is on the rise. Sadly enough, the thousands of children and women of ISIS can snowball and balloon into a real danger to their communities, if this issue is not scientifically, objectively, legally and morally addressed; This is simply because minor children cannot tolerate the errors of their parents. European countries spared no efforts to readily separate European ISIS children from their parents upon their return from hotbeds of fighting and turmoil.
POST COVID-19 TERRORIST STRATEGY
After COVID-19 pandemic fades away and dissipates into nowhere, the terrorist strategy will be based on a number of drivers, the most notorious ones are the following:
Continued stabbings, intentional vehicular operations to run into people, and the detonation of explosive devices and belts, which we witnessed during the quarantine stage, simply because weapons can no longer be easily funneled to terrorist organizations.
Investing in the digital revolution, directing its supporters to train in cyber-attacks, and producing highly-encrypted information applications and software.
Adopting a new style of polarization aimed at the specialists in the digital field, in addition to a limited number of ordinary supporters. These extremist organizations no longer need a large number of supporters except what is necessary in some limited operations.
The future reliance of these currents of extremism on a more digital religious speeches than before; it is expected that it will be a digital speech that combines traditional paradigms selectively cherry-picked in a manner that is consistent with their convictions, and religious scriptures that are used and arbitrarily interpreted into the current reality, professionally directed and produced in a sophisticated fashion of subtle nuances of mellifluous voice, tone and intonation in harmony with the content of the speech, which aims to mobilize and polarize more people, making the audience of poor knowledge and superficial understanding of religion hypnotized, spellbound, captivated and enthralled to sacrifice themselves if necessary to re-establish the so-called caliphate statehood or die if such a chimera remains far-fetched. They believe that the establishment of the so-called caliphate statehood is a legitimate duty that is achieved by jihad and fighting what they call the non-believers or disbelievers. Punishment is guaranteed, whether in the world or in the hereafter. As for the world, ISIS reminds its supporters that it has managed to establish the so-called caliphate statehood with its geographical area, its financial resources, its army and security, its offices and its jurisdiction from 2014 to 2017. As for the hereafter, the reward is much greater in their view; it is the paradise of immortality, full of amazingly pulchritudinous and nubile women.
Placing a particular focus on marketing the idea of a virtual caliphate in the next stage in preparation for the return of the geographic caliphate.
Continued pledging allegiances to evince more loyalty and obedience to ISIS, and obey submissively the orders of the ISIS leaders, toeing the ISIS line haphazardly.
Increasing the clandestine cells to outnumber the status before the outbreak of COVID-19, using technology in everything that prepares for terrorist operations.
Empowering the clandestine cells to put into action as many initiatives as possible based on the place and time favorably selected to carry out terrorist operations without referring to the central command of the organization.
Developing the intelligence system for these terrorist organizations, depending on several methods, including the penetration of government security and military services.
Benefiting from the after-effects of COVD-19 at the economic level, especially electronic or digital currencies, such as bitcoin and others (the value of one bitcoin at the end of May 2020 is equal to approximately ten thousand dollars). The use of this currency by terrorists gives them a degree of safety in handling financial transactions.
Experiences have proven that all religious and political currents of special intellectual tendencies make brainwashing and submissive obedience a necessary condition for gradualism across the hierarchy of the organization. The facts have proven that only a small number of the followers of these currents left the organization voluntarily, simply because brainwashing will only be erased by counter-intellectual reviews and reconsiderations that restore the mind to its health, shattering and dispelling doubt and uncertainty. The compelling reason is that because most of them depend on security treatment only. Even the research centers calling for combating religious extremism in the Arab world and Europe have not yet reached the production of a parallel knowledge-based treatment.
HOW TO ADDRESS TERRORIST PHENOMENON
There is almost unanimity between the centers of studies and research in the way the terrorist phenomenon is addressed through various horizons and insights. Security-based counterterrorism approaches alone would not pay off; security is critically important but would not act in silos. To this end, we offer a number of proposals in this field:
To carry out a detailed study of the groups belonging to terrorist organizations, including the social environment in which they live, the level of services available to them in health, education, and work, and the nature of their relationships with their peers in the near and long term.
To attach a great care for the ideological and religious upbringing that extremists receive; family orientation, especially if the family is known for religious extremism, has a very significant impact on the individual’s transition to extremism. By the same token, mingling with a special type of friends in community could also have the effect of espousing extremist ideology.
To produce an informed, digital, religious speech – not like direct preaching – based on short sentences in audio-visual output recordings of not more than ten minutes each, dealing with five basic areas: monotheism, jihad, caliphate, allegiance and obedience, and the nature of the relationship between religion and the statehood and between religion and politics. In every video recording, state-of-the-art techniques of sound and image are used, and the text is supported by arguments that combine the religious and social aspect, because these extremists adapt the current reality to the fatwas of the old times in which things were bitterly unbearable. It is known that the alternative digital speech is based on a true reading of the heritage and legacy.
In this regard, I propose the establishment of Arab and Islamic committees that start at the local level in every country, and then develop into regional and international committees, to better study religious heritage in accordance with a sound scientific method, and refine them from all visions that contradict the tolerance of religion, and its true goals in justice and security, and the peaceful relationship with the other, for the sake of coexistence and the reconstruction of the entire world, based on the noble verse quoted from the Holy Quran: “We made you peoples and tribes to know each other” [Al-Hujurat, 13]. The committees work within the framework of local, regional and international workshops, publish their results periodically and cooperate with the specialized institutions. In view of the magnitude of this project and its future impact on making peace and security locally, regionally and internationally, I propose that it has financial and intellectual independence, and it may be under the supervision of the Arab League or the Organization of the Islamic Conference or others.
To dry up the sources of financing for these militant groups, which necessitates local, regional and international cooperation, simply because recent reports that turned the spotlight on ISIS following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic revealed that it is still able to find various sources of funding from unknown sources, as well as from the ransom resulting from kidnapping foreigners, human trafficking, as well as trade in contraband and smuggling. To adopt a prison policy for terrorists, after they are sentenced by placing them in a special prison, away from normal prisoners, to be engaged in rehabilitation programs to avoid returning to any possible extremist actions based on internal reviews. The new program will be developed by a committee of experts in religion, psychology and sociology, as well as criminologists. These prisoners are given special care, while enabling them throughout their imprisonment to learn a profession that they choose and practice once released, while they are closely supported socially and perhaps financially after the end of the punishment.
I believe that society and national and regional states should intensify efforts to rehabilitate extremists with the help of experts, financial support, and finding the necessary means and mechanisms to implement the aforementioned program. This is meant to save them from themselves, and to save communities and nations from the risks of their operations. If we are remiss of the rehabilitation experience or program, they will outnumber the current total, posing a great threat to security and economy.
In conclusion, terrorism that has snowballed into a transnational phenomenon and has also ballooned into a trans-continental threat will always remain at the top of the agenda of the new world order and poles once COVID-19 fades away (America, China and Russia). The interests of these poles in the reconstruction and international trade do not thrive and prosper if terrorism ever survives.