We have been writing for a long time on the lack of certain securities in the Middle East, like water security, food security, energy security, even military security, but we rarely write on one important aspect of security that surpasses the need for all other securities: That is “culture security” — the lack of which is making the region bleed for a long time! From Morocco to Iraq, people are suffering from wars, killings, and ethnic and religious cleansing on a larger scale.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (Isil) shameful decision to purge the Cherian of the town of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, and force members of the minority community to either abandon their religion or pay the “jezia” or pool tax or be killed, sends a terrifying message to those living in the region and the rest of the world. This reveals that there is, on the one hand, a deep misinterpretation of Islamic teachings, and on the other, the urgent need for cultural reform. This danger becomes all the more clear when we take into consideration what the Al Houthis in Yemen have demanded: Deportation of all members of the Yemeni Jewish community, who have been living there for thousands of years.

What is going on in northern Nigeria completes the negative picture. The movement called Boko Haram has terrorised the country, kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls recently and killed thousands of citizens under the pretence of preserving Islamic values. In fact, the name Boko Haram means ‘western or non-Islamic education is sin’. Therefore, those who indulge in such practices are not true Muslims and deserve to be handed the maximum punishment! In view of rising threats, the authorities in Nigeria have been forced to close down a number of mosques in the southern region as they were being used to spread fundamentalist ideas, leading to the killing of a number of Tunisians.

If we put all this in perspective, it appears that the phenomenon of religious hatred is spreading not just between Muslims and non-Muslims, but also between different sects of Islam as well. The Pandora’s box has been opened in the Middle East and we are faced with an acute cultural deficiency that is beyond immediate salvation. As a result, we are gradually getting sucked into sectarian, ethnic and regional wars that were not seen since the time of the Assassins of 11th Century A.D. — destroying those who think differently under the false premise that it is God’s wish and those who commit such acts of death and destruction will be rewarded in heaven!

Such deformed thinking has its roots in the involvement of Muslims in the Cold War, when religion was used as a weapon against the foe. But later, friend and foe were all alike if they differed from a certain way of thinking. Such a crippled mindset, that influences one to consider every opposing train of thought, opinion or belief as an enemy and a potential threat, must be destroyed at once. Under the divide-and-rule policy, the so-called modern Arab state has failed tremendously to promote the idea of citizenship, equality and the rule of law. Instead, regional, sectarian, tribal and other forms of differences were allowed to fester, aided by a lack of modern, fair and legitimate social system.

Bearing that in mind, what the region as a whole now needs most of all is “culture security”. This has to be provided from a young age. It must promote a more broad-minded teaching in our schools and media outlets, understanding the teachings of Islam as they are, promoting tolerance, accepting others and showing kindness, as preached by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). This goal cannot be achieved overnight. It will need sustained efforts by governments, media, educational institutions, agencies of civil society, social workers, trade unions and, above all, by a general willingness on the part of large sections of Arab societies the urgent need for cultural reforms. Otherwise, the ideas and practices of groups like Isil, Al Houthis, Boko Haram and Jabhat Al Nusrah (in Syria) — to name just a few — will continue to misinterpret Islam. We should look seriously at this debilitating “operating system” and mend its faults.

Mohammad AlRumaihi is a professor of political sociology at Kuwait University. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@rumaihi42