There has been a lot of talk about the Government’s decision to bring two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees to Ghana.
A lot of fear has been expressed by a cross-section of Ghanaians about the security implications that decision could have on the nation’s peace and security. There are ongoing talks with the Christian Council, the National Chief Imam, and civil society organizations to garner support for this decision.
But is it worth the fear? Is the bringing of these two perceived former terrorists capable of destroying the peace and security of this nation? Well that is a question we all must answer.
To begin with, one must know that terrorism is a growing phenomenon in the world which, if not checked, may expand to all parts of the globe. It is therefore not wise to sit at one corner and think that place is safe, and that we make a place unsafe because we intend to rehabilitate some detainees from Guantanamo. There are many developments that could attract terrorism to Ghana if care is not taken, and that is what must attract our fear and utmost attention.
One of the causes of modern day terrorism is religious extremism. This is a situation in which members of a religious organization are prepared to do anything so long as they believe it promotes the interest of their faith. In some instances, some devotees could be indoctrinated to the extent that they could inflict body harm on themselves simply because their leaders have asked them to do so.
In the Christian faith for instance, it is on record that some pastors have asked their members to drink poison and die because the world is coming to an end, to which they complied due to the enormous powers the leaders wield over their members. It is also much talked about that suicide bombers believe they are candidates for heaven should they die in the course of fighting for their faith. And so it is not wrong when Karl Max said that “religion is the opium of the masses,” because it has the ability to dull the senses such that one may do things that do not make sense in the eyes of reality.
In this regard, a nation that wants to be free from terrorism is the one which would ensure that it avoids fundamentalism by ensuring that all religious leaders become responsible in their utterances. We should therefore ensure that we bring reality closer to some of the teachings we give to our members and understand that the mind is more powerful than any religious inclination. We should have the ability to subject any religious inclinations to common sense and human reason.
Again, the nation should endeavor to promote all religions in the country so that one religious group would not feel marginalized, otherwise any marginalized sect would become willing tools in the hands of terrorist who would use them to prosecute their agenda.
Ghana has so far done well in promoting tolerance between the two dominant faiths, Islam and Christianity. If we want to avoid terrorism and continue the peace we are enjoying, we must move beyond that to eschew all kinds of hate speech and utterances that denigrate members of other religions as if ours is the best. We must understand that every religious faith has as a common denominator, which is, the need to serve a superior being and intend to guide our lives here on earth. With this understanding we can co-exist side by side with members of different faiths.
The United States of America, by virtue of its super-power status and its desire to dominate world politics, has stepped on many toes over the years, and made a lot of enemies in some parts of the world. However, bringing Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby to Ghana for rehabilitation should not scare us. What should be a matter of concern is the ability of our government to play a neutral role in the ongoing Middle East conflict. We should be able to look the U.S and its allies in the face and tell them the truth when we feel they are wrong in dealing with the people of Palestine.
Again, back here at home our concern should be geared towards improving the economic circumstances and living conditions of the people, as well as making efforts to close the social gap. People become vulnerable and susceptible to all kinds of influences when they cannot make ends meet. As such, instead of making the two Gitmo detainees a subject for debate on terrorist activities in Ghana, we should know that as the saying goes, “a hungry man is an angry man.” We all attest to the hardship we find ourselves in as a nation, so it is time we concentrated on how to salvage this worrisome situation which also has the potential to drive us into a state of lawlessness.
All these put together, it is obvious that rather than merely bringing two Gitmo detainees into the country, Ghana also has a number of risk factors that predisposes her to terrorism if care is not taken. We must understand that fire would burn only when there is reasonable fuel to keep it burning. Even if the two men are a threat to our security, we should be interested in finding out what situations we have on the ground that could light the spark of terror in the first place. This is because even if we decide to send them away, that in itself may not prevent a situation that has been waiting to surface all along but which we were blinded to.
Indeed, Ghana just like any other nation in the world is at risk when it comes to issues of terrorism. Perhaps this whole Gitmo incident is at best a wake-up call that would make us put in place the requisite structures so that we do not end up like other countries.
(A GNA feature by Alexander Nyarko Yeboah)
