The Arab states could execute terrorists, but they could also educate them.
Source: Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images
A growing trend towards favouring the death penalty for terrorists has emerged among various Arab states in recent years. With its reinstatement of the death penalty in 2014, the Jordanian government swiftly tried and executed 15 men on March 4th, an unprecedented case both in terms of the number of those executed, and the speed of judicial proceedings.
The rationale for this move is obviously the powerful deterrent against religious extremism. The Jordanian attorney general Ziad Dmour stated the sentences acted as a warning “to anyone trying to tamper with Jordan’s security,” whilst government spokesman Muhammad al-Momani made a point of warning possible attackers, stating “Anyone who dares to engage in terrorist activities against Jordan will face the same destiny."
This is not without precedent, with some Gulf states having also resorted to this measure for the same reason. In January, the government of Bahrain had three men executed in its first case since 2010, whilst the Kuwaiti government hanged seven men in its first state-sanctioned execution later in the month.
The most prominent example would be Saudi Arabia, which has continued to see executions on a far grater scale than other Middle Eastern states. On January 2nd of last year, 47 men were convicted of terrorism and executed, with most being alleged al-Qaeda militants.
With the rise of ISIS in 2014, the additional conflict in Syria, and the civil war in Yemen, local populations have felt and increased need for security, having expressed a degree of support for these measures according to reports.
Whilst executions are theorised to reduce terrorism, however, the rising tide of terrorist activity in the region throws this measure into doubt. A viable alternative has long existed in the form of rehabilitation programmes led by Muslim scholars. These programmes have encountered notable successes dating back to the widespread rehabilitation of Egyptian extremists during the memorable wave of terrorist violence in the 1980s.
According to counter-terrorism scholars Lisa Blaydes and Lawrence Rubin, these programmes run in stark contrast to more aggressive policies: "one may infer that ideological reorientation enjoys a long-run efficacy compared to rival approaches; this is particularly apparent when contrasted with repressive strategies which both scholarly and journalistic accounts suggest may actually increase levels of religious radicalism in a country."
Saudi prisoners pray at a rehabilitation centre. Source: Getty Images.
For all its related controversies, Saudi Arabia has developed a similar programme named al-Sakinah, which has also been largely successful despite a smaller number of failed cases. Whilst acknowledging the cost and religious affiliation necessary to produce similar initiatives elsewhere, security researcher Andreas Capstack notes: "governments in Southeast Asia and North Africa, as well as the United States, have started their own programs based on the Saudi model of acknowledging the importance of gaining the trust and respect of the prisoners and focusing on all aspects of their lives, particularly their relationships with family and friendships."
In order to counter Muslim extremism, it would be better for the Arab states to make rehabilitation a primary means of reducing terrorist threats, rather than continuing a worrying trend that may exacerbate the problem.
Shari'a does sanction the death penalty for what is termed as hiraba, or prohibited warfare against society. Even so, Muslim scholars versed in shari'a have also participated in these programmes, acknowledging their religious legitimacy. As they have often expressed, regional governments must always work with them when addressing terrorist threats.
