El Husseini stressed the importance of individual responsibility in confronting these challenges
El Husseini: The War on Awareness Is More Dangerous Than Weapons, and an Aware Society Is the State’s First Line of Defense
The Secretary General of the Arabic Islamic Council, Dr. Mohamad Ali ElHusseini, warned of the rapidly evolving tools used to influence societies, stressing that modern wars are no longer fought with weapons alone. Targeting public awareness, manufacturing disinformation, and shaping public opinion have become among the most serious challenges facing states and societies.
In a speech entitled “The War on Awareness,” El Husseini said: “The most dangerous wars today are not those fought with weapons, but those that target people’s awareness without them even realizing it.” He noted that information has become a source of power, rumors have become weapons, and social media platforms are now capable of shaping public opinion, fueling social divisions, and ultimately influencing both the political and economic landscapes.
He emphasized that the concept of security in the modern era has become broader and more comprehensive. It is no longer limited to protecting borders and confronting traditional threats, but now also encompasses intellectual and societal security, as well as safeguarding minds against extremism, sectarianism, disinformation, and hate speech.
El Husseini stressed the importance of individual responsibility in confronting these challenges, calling for a culture of verifying information before sharing it and warning against allowing religious, sectarian, or social differences to be exploited and transformed into tools of polarization and conflict within societies.
He pointed out that modern societies need “an awareness that preserves identity without isolation, embraces progress without losing its identity, and places citizenship and the public interest above partisanship, sectarian loyalties, and divisions.” He considered achieving this balance to be one of the most important foundations of stability in a rapidly changing world.
El Husseini concluded by emphasizing that the strength of a state does not rest solely on its security and economic capabilities, but also on the level of awareness and cohesion within its society, saying:
“A strong state is protected by its security and economy, but an aware society is its first line of defense; because whoever can influence people’s awareness can influence their future.”
