3 expat women who practiced prostitution in a hotel arrested in Riyadh    Tunisian president and Saudi interior minister discuss security cooperation    Saudi, US defense ministers discuss over phone ways to enhance strategic cooperation    Grand Mufti expresses pride over Saudi Arabia's firm position on Palestine issue    Saudi Arabia's inflation records slight rise reaching 2% in January 2025    Electromin celebrates victory of "Nissan Formula E Team" in "Jeddah E-Prix" as first Saudi private-sector global partner in Formula E    Saudi Arabia vows full support to Lebanon's actions to safeguard citizens' security    US-made heavy bombs arrive in Israel after Biden-era hold    Death toll from New Delhi railway station stampede rises to 18    US, Russia to begin Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia    Al Ittihad CEO calls for fairness as Al Hilal raises officiating concerns ahead of Saudi Classico    LG Electronics Saudi Arabia and Shaker Group mark 30 years of sustainable innovation in HVAC solutions    Benzema shines with goal and two assists as Al Ittihad dominate Al Wehda French star leads Al Ittihad to 4-1 victory, extending lead over Al Hilal ahead of top-of-the-table clash    Saudi Arabia among world's top 10 energy storage markets    Al Hilal held to controversial 1-1 draw against Al Riyadh, missing chance to reclaim top spot    Al Hilal accuses SPL's Michael Emenalo of bias and SFF's Manuel Navarro of pressuring team to accept local referees Club criticizes officiating, calls for elite foreign referees in Saudi Pro League    Maya Diab joins Arab stars and celebrities in celebrating the Centrepoint Ramadan 2025 collection launch at Riyadh Boulevard    Oilatum tackles rise in Eczema and Dry Skin in Saudi Arabia    HONOR brings together AI and luxury with PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic7 RSR at LEAP 2025    Chinese film stirs national pride, rakes in $1bn in days    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Battle against Daesh is raging in a comic book
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 05 - 2015

a href="/myfiles/Images/2015/05/01/bakhit_big.jpg" title="Suleiman Bakhit says the narrative groups such as Daesh or Al-Qaeda cells are spreading "like a cancer" among the youth. — Photos courtesy: Suleiman Bakhit"
Suleiman Bakhit says the narrative groups such as Daesh or Al-Qaeda cells are spreading "like a cancer" among the youth. — Photos courtesy: Suleiman Bakhit




Salma El Shahed

As a US-led coalition continues to bombard Daesh (so-called IS) militants, a Jordan-based entrepreneur is waging his own fight against the group, in a comic book.

Suleiman Bakhit says the narrative groups such as Daesh or Al-Qaeda cells are spreading “like a cancer” among the youth, which one “cannot defeat with weapons alone.”

As such, Bakhit decided to develop a “counter-narrative,” in the form of heroes, which would go against romanticized ideals of extremism he said are used to recruit youths.

“No police, no wars are going be able to solve that problem,” he said, adding that while military force is necessary to contain extremism or prevent attacks, it is not enough.

“If you really want to defeat extremism, you need to defeat their mythology and narrative by developing a counter-narrative and a counter-mythology,” he told Al Arabiya News.

Bakhit embarked on a journey around Jordan, conducting focus groups with youths. In one, he asked who their heroes were.

“They told me, ‘we don't really have heroes.' They were even shocked to hear the word or the question.

“‘We hear a lot about [Abu Musab] Al-Zarqawi and [Osama] Bin Laden. They defend us, they protect us'.” That, said Bakhit, is “extremist narrative 101.”

He then realized “there's a huge appetite for positive heroism, for an anti-Bin Laden, anti-Zarqawi.”

The ‘hero narrative'

Bakhit's work plays on research that suggests most of those who join Daesh or Al-Qaeda do not do so out of piety.

“The majority of those youths... are actually not religious,” he said, referring to a leaked report by British intelligence agency MI5.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the report concluded that “far from being religious zealots, a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practice their faith regularly.”

Bakhit attributes their desire to join these groups to a “glamorous call for adventure.” He says the first step toward fighting that narrative is understanding it.

His field research led him to one major trait in the narrative used by extremists to recruit: the heroic journey.

Those who join the likes of Daesh are usually those “who perceived themselves as not worthy or not feeling they want more in life. They come across these narratives, add on top of it the religion, which makes it much more sacred andThey need an alternative. “It's not enough to tell them that this isn't Islam. That's the problem with the existing counter-narrative, which is ‘don't be a terrorist, those guys are bad, they're not protecting Islam, they're destroying Islam,' and it's true,” he said.

However, that narrative “isn't appealing to youths because extremists are coming to them and telling them to be a hero,” which Bakhit says is perceived to be “much more attractive. We need to develop alternative heroes.”

The resulting comic heroes include “Element Zero,” whose character is similar to the protagonist of hit TV show “24,” Jack Bower.

Female heroes come in the form of extremist fighting “Princess Heart” and “Shahrazad.”

Attacked from both sides

Bakhit was an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota when the 9/11 attacks happened. “Shortly afterward, I get attacked by a group of men for no other reason than being an Arab. Afterwards, I had a choice: leave the United States, go home, stay angry, or deal with it.”

He decided to stay in the United States, and tried to “fight that kind of ignorance and turn that attack into a force of good.”

That decision took him to schools, where he spoke to children aged between five and seven on the Middle East and its culture.

“I realized that the guys who attacked me had one story about Middle Easterners, the story of 9/11. That's all they knew… so I introduced the kids to more positive narratives... so they'd be able to choose what narrative to adopt when they get older.”

While pursuing a master's degree, Bakhit decided to drop out and return to Jordan to start his comic-book company.

After the wide acclaim his work received, Bakhit was attacked again outside his office in Amman, this time by Islamists. — Al Arabiya News


Clic here to read the story from its source.