Extremism

Classroom or Battle Field?

Kanook Oct 29th, 2009

I read a an article today written by Paul Salem, the Director of the Carnegie
Middle East Center located in Beirut, Lebanon that lays “Extremism” at the
feet of the lack of education in the countries in the Arab World.
He makes mention of the reports that have been generated by the World
Bank, UN Development Program and the Arab League that says the
educational deficit in the Arab World is one of the main causes of their regions
under-development.
Extremism is not limited to the Arab World; you will find extremists in every
corner of the world, extremists that do battle for their cause with as much or
more fervor than the politicians of the world for their causes. The dividing line
between an extremist and a non- extremist is focus, whereas in the world of
extremism the world is one picture, whereas in the world of the non-extremist
there are multiple pictures compiled of varied views of the world around them.
Opinions vary slightly in the world of the extremist and usually develop into
non-variable actions that anger the general population, no matter the region.
In other words, their actions more often than not are upsetting the apple-cart
of life. In 99.99% of the time their actions are going against the flow and
generation of “big money”.
The question? How much of a part does education or lack of, play in the
makeup of an extremist?
In making an attempt to put a number to the answer, one must look past the
actual act of extremism and peer back at its development. Reports show us
that the unemployment statistics for the Arab World, that the unemployment
record (late 2008) has a rate of 15% on average is not un-common and on top
of the 17 million unemployed, the Arab nations must create 4-milion jobs per
year for the young people entering the job market.
File in your mind, that according to a report (Tunis-based Arab League
Educational Cultural and Scientific Organization (“Alecso”) issued on Jan-2008
that 33% of the people in the Arab World are illiterate with the latest figures
reporting that 50% of the women are illiterate, translation from the 2008
report is that ¾ of 100 million people are unable to read or write in 21 Arab
Countries that are in the age group between 15 and 45 years old. In some
countries such as Lebanon the illiteracy rate is below 9% with a resultant
solution is that they have a much higher rate of secondary school attendance.
Although the USA is quick to point out to the rest of the world their failing
grades when it comes to illiteracy, they are not as quick to point out that in the
USA there are presently over 7 million people who cannot read or write, and
over 27 million who cannot complete a job application and 30 million plus who
cannot read a simple sentence, in any language.
 UNESCO tells us that in developing countries that over 900 million are
illiterate and that over 113 million children do not have access to primary
education1.
Behind the curtain in the Arab world is the fact that it has the highest
population growth rate in the world, and now has almost 40% of its population
below the age of 15, and all together the Arab world accounts for over 25% of
the totally unemployed in the 15-24 age group of the entire world – the latest
numbers say that Arab economies will have to generate 100 million new jobs
over the next ten-years, which their leaders remind themselves that this is
impossible if education remains at the level it is today.
Albeit that school enrolment ratios in the Arab world have improved, these
countries still have one of the lowest average net enrolment ratios in the
developing world – whereas 20% of their eligible children (7-million) are not in
school and 60% of those are girls. Despite the improvement illiteracy sticks
around 30% on average, where in some Arab countries if flies around 50 and
60%.
There seems to be another obstacle in the Arabic Educational system
whereas it is based on a traditional, rote-based and authoritarian regime,
whereas the job market is demanding skills based on problem-solving, critical
thinking, modern languages and technology. Today’s typical classroom
activities begin and end with some serious studies of Islamic law and the
Qur’an, which I have no difficulty with in my own mind if these classes are
taught by forward thinking individuals and not some leader of a local extremist
group.
To a small majority of the population in the Islamic World the ways of the
Infidel are not accepted nor taught, keep in mind that most of these extremists
cannot read, and are spoon-fed group doctrine 24/7, memorizing slogans and
such they cannot completely understand or comprehend. And the process
continues fed by the high rates of unemployment and the extremely high-rates
of access to basic education.
It reminds me of the guy-in-the-street European during the dark-ages when
the only people around who could read and write were those associated with
the church, an age that created the inquisition, witch hunts, and so-forth and
so-on, including Wars.

Extremism is in the eye of the beholder, for instance when the United States
was expanding its borders west across North America the indigenous people
were considered extremists in defending their land, traditions and their
families. The entertainment industry in American between the 20s and 50s
portrayed this population as “savages” and sent John Huston and John Wayne
to do battle with the Native American, also consider that when the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (“BIA”) was formed in 1824 as the (Office of Indian Affairs) a

1
http://www.merinews.com/article/illiteracy-in-us-pot-calling-the-kettle-black/130727.shtml
 government agency it fell under the jurisdiction of the Department of War.
The US government as late as in the 70s formed covert agencies to deal with
uprising within Native America, and today they are still a much aligned
population in the USA, these the original inhabitants of the land of Democracy,
As a personal reflection, my grandmother and mother had a large part in
getting the Natives of Alaska being recognized as citizens of the USA after the
US had handed over a $7.2 million check in 1867 to the Russians for its so-
labeled purchase, and at the time of the transfer the “Treaty” between the
Russians and the US granted any Russian living in the territory automatic
citizenship, while the original inhabitants were classified un-civilized and
denied citizenship.
Can we be sure that the west’s invasion of territories across the world along
with their influence supporting un-welcomed governments is a thing of the
past? I don’t believe so!
Take Afghanistan where the extremists, in this case, the Taliban have allied
with basically the same group they force-fed strict Islamic Laws, the Pashtun’s
who live today no differently than they did in the early 1700s when
Afghanistan was controlled by several ruling groups, with Uzbeks in the north,
the Safavids to the west and the left-over much larger area controlled by self-
ruling local chiefs and their tribes. Now the Taliban, in joining forces with each
localized tribe has become that tribes master sales and marketing entity in the
number one cash-crop income for all of Afghanistan, Opium. Funneling money
into the region and taking some back as they tax heavily the trade in and out
of the country…where numerous governments across the world have
attempted in recent years the conquest and subjugation of Afghanistan and
crawled away with their tail between their legs and far too many to justify of
their own lain spread across the battle fields. It appears the “extremists” of
Afghanistan albeit they are spoon fed by a group of Islamic rebels are not
ready to fall under the influence of the west and its gaggle of big business
leaders and the corruption tactics in-play today in their country.

A simple quiz:
1) Who is the extremist?
a. The business man who wants to cut the trees in your backyard
b. You, who enjoy the shade and the beauty that tree provides
2) What is the extremist?
a. A civilization that sends in it armies to move you up to their bracket,
destroying your land and killing members of your country
b. A population that is participating in the defense of your help and their
way of life

Too bad it is not that simple, but yet it all breaks down into basic survival,
unfortunately as the
World expands and transportation and access improve more and more we find
extremism growing, if as they say lack of education promotes extremism,
where they might be true in saying this, you must wonder whose educational
process will eliminate extremism.

Keep in mind, we have been discussing extremism, not terrorism which in

itself might be considered an arm of extremism – but then again that is an
entirely different subject.