The fight against extremism is a truly international effort and the UAE is playing a leading role, as has been acknowledged in the annual global terror report issued by the US state department’s bureau of counterterrorism. The report, issued on Friday, offers a bleak overall assessment of the war on terror – the number of terrorist attacks increased by 35 per cent between 2013 and 2014, and the number of deaths in those attacks increased from 18,000 to nearly 33,000. However, it rightly praises the UAE’s role in tackling extremism in this region.
As The National reported yesterday, the report noted that Al Qaeda had lost momentum as the "self-styled leader" of a global extremist movement, but that ISIL had expanded rapidly. It revealed that the UAE had conducted more air operations against ISIL than any member of the international coalition other than the United States and, significantly, it praised the efforts being made by this country to turn the tide of extremism. It noted that the UAE had used the new Federal Law No. 7 to try 15 individuals, including Emiratis, on charges of supporting extremist groups and it concluded that "the case shows the ability of the UAE government to focus its investigative resources on rooting out networks". Also acknowledged was this country's cooperative approach to immigration and customs issues, strong cybercrime laws, emphasis on social tolerance, and the fact that our education is system is kept free of violent extremist influences.
While the report said that extremist groups had used the UAE to send and receive funds, it praised government efforts to counter money laundering. These include public education campaigns about bogus charities that channel funds to extremists and the licensing of money exchange houses and those that operate under the informal international transfer system known as hawala.
It is clear that this country is taking a robust, multipronged approach to the fight against extremism: through its military, laws and judicial system, cooperation with regional and international partners, and in countering extremist ideology. While praise from the US, or elsewhere, is encouraging, it’s not an end in itself. The aim is to secure peace, prosperity and stability for this country and the region. And this can only be achieved through continued vigilance on many fronts.
