Terror in Oman

In a world that is currently going through chaos and unrest; where a war in the Middle East is expanding; and where the former US president is not safe from assassination attempts, a gun attack doesn’t really make headlines for long. But a recent attack last week shocked many people: Oman, known for its peace and harmony, saw a deadly gun attack on the Imam Ali Mosque in Muscat, leading to the deaths of at least six people. Four Pakistanis were also among the dead. Although the attackers – three Omani brothers – were killed minutes after the attack, the incident has raised questions over the state of security in the small Arab country – also known as a bridge between Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shia-majority Iran. The attackers were followers of ISIS – an extremist group that thrives on hate among different communities.

That the attack took place in the month of Muharram, when members of the Shia community conduct religious gatherings in mosques, makes the incident even more tragic. The ISIS ideology thrives on emotionally vulnerable young people. In January, the group carried out twin blasts in Iran as the country observed the death anniversary of its top commander Qassem Soleimani. Then, in March, it led an attack in Russia. The resurgence of ISIS rings alarm bells for the entire region. While analysts believe that a lone attack will not negatively affect Oman’s decade-long harmony among communities, it still shows that times may get tough. In Pakistan, the threat from IS-Khorasan is getting bigger.

But the main question is not whether IS/ISIS is still present in different countries but how the group is attracting so many people towards it. Social media platforms have become an affordable medium for most groups with extremist ideologies to further their message. Options like short videos with the right kind of music carry the potential to attract more people towards accounts instigating people to take up arms and spread terror. If the world is serious about defeating ISIS, it has to be more vigilant, ensuring that no platform hosts extremist ideas. Instead of focusing on which words users can use on social media sites, tech giants should do more about disabling accounts of people sowing seeds of hatred among users. There is also a need to recognize the transnational nature of the terror threat, which will require closer cooperation between countries to address. In this context, it is encouraging to see the Pakistani PM offering Oman support in eliminating terrorism in the aftermath of this attack. Only our collective action can help the world tackle the terror threat.