Secularism - A Threat to Security ?

Preface:

I've wanted to write this one for a very long time. Like my other strong opinions, this one would have been ahead of time if I had penned it earlier. However, with the recent developments across Europe, the UK, Canada, and our neighborhood, I'd be doomed if I waited any longer. It is about time I voiced my thoughts on what I believe is one of the Biggest' threats to 'security thinking' in modern times across the globe.

So read, comment, critic, and share this one if you connect with the subject.

SIT-REP (Situational Report)

Today, we are witnessing an alarming rise in violence driven by crime and religious radicalism. As we navigate through these turbulent times, the pressure & burden on our security personnel to identify and neutralize threats has never been more significant. Yet, despite their best efforts, many security professionals struggle to meet the expectations placed upon them, mainly by those with little or no knowledge about the pressure and burden. One such expectation is to be 'Secular' while they build criminal/radical profiles.

What is Profiling?

Criminal profiling is a systematic approach to creating a dossier of characteristics associated with potential criminals. This includes their appearance, behavior, mannerisms, radical ideologies, religious inclinations, specific keywords/phrases they use, even what they carry with them, and more. By studying these patterns, security personnel can more easily identify prospective threats in crowded environments—an increasingly challenging task in today's diverse society. Those in close protection swear by this tool as it can be a savior in most cases.

The Mind Virus - Secularism

If you consider the case of terrorism today, its definition is no longer restricted to a traditional group of infiltrators from across the border with AK47s and RPGs. Today, according to me, terrorism is also stone pelting, burning and destroying public property, sabotaging train tracks to cause derailment, and more. If you look at data compiled by global agencies such as the FBI, Interpol, RAW, ATS, and NIA it reveals that a significant percentage of terrorists involved in the latest forms of modus operandi share some common traits: specific styles of dress, particular ways of walking, familiar places of being radicalized, sharing common religious radical ideologies, etc. While this information is invaluable, it raises a critical question: can we apply a purely secular filter when interpreting these profiles?

Any sane security professional will not allow himself to have this mind virus in his thinking software that manages his security operations. Because, they know for a fact that irrespective of the intensity of their suspicion on a certain ethnicity for the global evidence they are churning every single day, the security professional will never allow their decisions driving their aggressive response to be clouded by bias. That is the mark of a true professional.

So, who got this 'Secular' virus into the Security Systems?

ONE Culprit—POLITICS. You see, a security professional has no need for this virus, as explained above. He can do his job perfectly fine without any classifications of religion, caste, creed, color, language, or anything else that politics has used to divide its voters. For a security professional, there are only two classifications—the Good Guys and The Bad Guys. All the above divisions can be on good and bad sides.

The politicians didn't want their voters to be upset about how security treated them based on profiling, so they created the Secular System of Profiling and made sure that all threats that could be identified by their radical religious ideologies went through the screening untriggered - unchecked in other words.

Just imagine if suitcases could scream - then everytime a suitcase with a white cover and black embroidery be stopped in the the XRay baggage scanner to take a deeper look, it would scream - I know why you stopping me. Because I am bla bla bla and you let it go through with a IED in it.

What the Virus Does...

We risk overlooking potential threats when we insist on a strictly secular approach to profiling. This could mean that a terrorist or radical might slip through the cracks right under our noses. It’s essential to understand that the urgency of ensuring public safety sometimes necessitates a pragmatic approach that prioritizes effectiveness over ideological purity. This is the point that needs to be drilled into every single person who is responsible for access control at critical installations, including MNCs.

By pushing secularism into your security apparatus, you are creating big gaps by confusing your security staff to weigh between the repercussions of being non secular and doing their job with all integrity or by compromising their integrity in fear of repercussions of being secular in their approach.

If there is anything we have learnt from the western experiment with immigration, we are going to roll up our sleves and call for a meeting of our top managers and atleast discuss this topic with them, while giving them complete immunity against sharing their honest opinions. May be you are the kind who feels this idea is ahead of its time. So a meeting should be good for now.

The Security Professional - Your Saviour In Today's Times

Let’s put this into perspective. Our security professionals operate under tremendous stress, risking their lives daily to protect us. They do not concern themselves with our skin color, religion, gender, caste, or nationality. Their primary goal is to ensure our security & safety, and they deserve our support in this mission.

In light of the realities we see around us from across the globe, we must acknowledge that there are times when the complexities of secularism, wokeism, and other ideologies that are being introduced by films and social media celebrities as part of the well-designed hybrid warfare, these ideologies can hinder the effectiveness of our security strategies hugely. In many cases, they can push nations into civil unrest or sorts. As we navigate this challenging landscape, we must recognize the sacrifices made by those on our security & safety front lines.

It is NOT FAIR to burden such selfless professionals with mind viruses such as the one we've discussed to sound politically sane while laying our security under the butcher's knife.

This is one of the main reasons why I started Mission Sadev Satark (Always Alert). Through the Basic Security Awareness Trainings for ordinary citizens, I help them understand the subject of security, safety and more so they can better understand viruses like these when they see them. The next war, is going to be faught by everyone at multiple levels. And its time for ordinary civilians to transform into #ExCivilians.           

To conclude, we must foster an environment that allows our security personnel to operate effectively. By supporting their efforts and understanding the importance of keeping the mind virus out, we can contribute to a safer society for everyone. Our families depend on it, and together, we can create a community that prioritizes security & safety without compromising on our values.

Share your thoughts and share the article. Until my next... #StayICY?

#ExCivilian?

Click Here for more info on Mission ???? ?????

#PublicSafety #Security #CriminalProfiling #CommunityProtection #SupportOurTroops