Quarreling by day, hugging by night

Quarreling by day, hugging by night
If you listen to or watch the media outlets affiliated to the generals ruling some Arab republics attacking extremist Islamic groups, you would get the impression that they are bitter enemies. 

The fact of the matter, however, is very different. 

In spite of the apparent antimony shown by Arab dictators towards those whom they call extremists and takfiris, still they consider these extremists their safety net. In other words, Arab military and security dictatorships curse religious extremism in public, warning against its evils, but fully support it in secret, providing it all the necessities of outreach and empowerment.

In Syria, for example, we see the political regime and its media outlets attacking extremists and takfiris forcefully, so much so that they would have us believe that the regime is secular, enlightened, modern, and civilized par excellence. But in secrecy, and ever since the regime reached power some half a century ago, the regime has been suppressing and crushing all the voices that have a genuine secular, progressive, or enlightened tone, hiding them behind bars for years, while providing extremist religious thought all the ways and means to flourish, expand, and resonate. It is important to know that the Assad regime spent more on religious education than any other regime in the modern history of Syria, all the while neglecting scientific education. 

No one can deny that the Assad regime built hundreds of mosques and religious institutes, but not out of affection for religion or Muslims. Rather, it is because the regime believes that a tailored “religious” society suits it way more than an open, free, and progressive one. Do not believe the false claims by the Syrian regime that it is secular, progressive, and in struggle with takfiri ideology. Quite on the contrary, the regime is the staunchest supporter of extremist takfiri thought. Just look at the conditions that secular and progressive voices face in Syria and you will find that they are all either behind bars, exiled abroad, or suffering a precarious life in search of their daily bread. This is because the regime fears employing them even as janitors or sweepers at the doors of its TV, radio, or newspapers buildings.  Believe me that the militarized regimes, in Syria and similar Arab states, have long invested in reactionary and even extremist religious thought hundreds of times more than they invested in progressive secular thought as the ISIS “thought” pattern is of huge service to them, extending their life and keeping them in power, whilst real secular and enlightening modern thought threatens their survival.

I laugh a lot when I hear the regime’s media outlets attack extremists and takfiris while its security apparatus supports and “manufactures” extremists in its prisons, and even more, provide them with all the books and documents that promote and produce extremists and extremism. What is worst of all, the prisons dedicated for extremists were fine hotels compared to the prisons dedicated for progressive enlightened opposition members who died in their cells. Note also how the regime imported Shia and Iranian mercenaries and set them loose upon Syrians, taking pride in them and rewarding them with millions, in addition to many other incentives at a time when the country’s real secular, progressive, and enlightened people are banned from work, incapable of winning their bread, and not allowed to appear in the regime’s sectarian media outlets.

Evil people, if you are sincere in rooting out extremists and extremism from our societies, you must first "annihilate" the environment which produces extremism. You must starve the sources of intellectual terrorism and extremism. 

But, you are not.

On the contrary, you, evil people, constantly fan the flames of extremism, supporting it as it supports you. 

Would the regime in Syria have survived this long had it not played the card of terrorism and extremism, being the regime’s own making domestically, and then turning them into a boogeyman to terrify people inside and outside, in a highly “skillful” manner?

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