The investigation into the crash of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai Peninsula has apparently narrowed to a bomb explosion or a catastrophic mechanical failure while the aircraft was in the air.
Daesh has claimed responsibility but has released no further statements. Meanwhile, investigators have focused their attention on ground crews at the Sharm El-Sheikh Airport from where the plane departed, including who had access to the departure lounge as well as catering and cleaning employees.
If indeed the Airbus A321 was brought down by a bomb, then the incident will have a far-reaching impact on all air travel in general but specifically in the Middle East. Daesh’s access to sensitive areas in airports should force airport operators worldwide, but particularly in the Middle East, to rethink security measures.
This does not bode well for travelers already burdened by what many air passengers say are excessive security measures. But more troubling is that if Daesh is responsible for the crash, then it has extended its reach and has brought the war in Syria to a new level.
The western and Middle East nations committed to fighting terrorists in Syria and Iraq have been silent on how exactly they will respond to the crash if it was a result of terrorism. But it should signal a dramatic change in the way the war has been fought. The allies have always underestimated the threat that Daesh poses beyond the Syrian and Iraq borders. And there is little evidence that the coalition has given much thought — beyond capture and prosecution — to the so-called “lone wolves” who commit acts of terrorism at the behest of Daesh in their own countries. We have seen young men in Saudi Arabia radicalized by terrorists to murder their own family members to inflict terror and act as suicide bombers. Each country within the sphere of influence of Syria and Iraq has experienced similar acts of terror.
If the cause of the crash originated from a ground crew member at the Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, then Daesh has proven yet again that it can reach anywhere to inflict casualties, but on a much broader scale than witnessed before. This means that those governments fighting Daesh must wage the war on two fronts: The so-called caliphate and domestic targets such as airports, mosques and public places. It only takes one person with access to airport baggage or the means to build a suicide vest to fight for the enemy’s cause.
Defeating the enemy on the second front is virtually impossible. No matter how strict governments implement security, the influence of Daesh will never be diminished because we do not use the tools at our disposal to address and defeat their ideology.
Saudi Arabia has been particularly good in combating extremist ideology with its rehabilitation program to return terrorists to “true Islam” with intense religious instruction. The program’s recidivism rate is believed to be only about 10 percent.
Saudi Arabia’s approach, however, is weakened because its rehabilitation program focuses on militants captured and convicted in Saudi courts for terrorism offenses. There is no such program for young people considering joining militants to commit terrorist acts. In fact, no country has developed a program to nip extremist ideology in the bud by educating pre-teens and teens that the religion practiced by Daesh is not Islam.
The FBI is attempting to implement a program that targets teens on how to identify extremism online in an attempt to minimize the radicalization of young people. Implementation of the program was postponed following complaints from Islamic and Arab groups that the plan targets Muslims and Arabs, but does not address extremist violence from other religions or hate groups. This serves as an example that law enforcement should not be in the business of education, but more importantly the program does nothing to educate young people about dangerous ideologies.
The United Kingdom has also done nothing to address the causes of children becoming militants because it has silenced teens who want to discuss the causes of militancy in their schools and in the community.
If investigators determine that the Russian plane crash was indeed the result of terrorism, law-enforcers will react in their typical manner by increasing security at airports. Authorities will intensify their efforts to screen airport and airline employees for militant tendencies. They will add more people to their “no fly” lists.
And none of it will work. No one knows what is in the heart of individuals who decide at some point in their lives to plant a bomb on an airplane. And because we as a society are squeamish about discussing the possibility that our children may harbor a desire to betray Islam and our core values as human beings, the seeds of extremism will continue to be planted in the minds of young people.
It’s because we lack the wherewithal to address and combat the causes of extremism that living with ineffective security and the threat of flying with a bomb in the cargo hold of an airplane will become the new normal for us.
