Let's not leave an educational vacuum to be filled by religious

Hear, O seekers of truth, the warning and wisdom in the words of Hillary Clinton, who declared: “Let’s not leave an educational vacuum to be filled by religious extremists who go to families who have no other option and offer meals, housing and some form of education. If we are going to combat extremism then we must educate those very same children.” In this saying burns both lament and call to action. For where there is emptiness, something will always grow. If it is not the seed of knowledge and compassion, then it will be the seed of ignorance and destruction.

The ancients knew that when the young are left untended, like fields abandoned by the farmer, weeds and thorns shall rise to choke the earth. And so it is with the mind: when children are denied the light of education, others will come bearing false lights. They will offer food for the body, but poison for the soul. They will clothe the orphan, yet bind his spirit in chains of hatred. This is the vacuum of which Clinton spoke: the absence of learning, the void of hope, into which the forces of darkness swiftly enter.

Consider, for a moment, the story of Malala Yousafzai, the young girl of Pakistan who defied the Taliban’s decree that women should not learn. In a land where extremists sought to fill the educational vacuum with fear and silence, she dared to take up her books. She was struck down by violence, yet her voice rose even louder, carrying across nations. Her life is testimony that education is the true antidote to extremism, for it replaces fear with knowledge, despair with opportunity, and division with understanding.

History, too, offers us the example of post-war Europe. After the devastation of World War II, many lands lay in ruins, and children wandered hungry, their schools destroyed. It was then that leaders recognized a truth: if these children were left uneducated, hopelessness and anger would breed another war. Thus programs like the Marshall Plan not only rebuilt cities but also invested in schools, ensuring that the next generation would be guided not by hatred, but by opportunity. By filling the vacuum with learning, the seeds of peace were sown.

The teaching of this quote is therefore both stern and compassionate. To fight extremism, one cannot merely raise the sword or build the prison. One must instead raise schools, feed the hungry, and place books into the hands of children. For a child who learns to read the language of science, who discovers the stories of history, who is trained to think critically, is a child who cannot easily be deceived by lies. Where education thrives, extremism withers like a plant without water.

What, then, is the lesson for us? It is this: if you see ignorance, do not turn away; if you see children without schools, do not leave them abandoned. Support teachers, libraries, and programs that bring learning to those who have none. Share your own knowledge freely, for every word of truth spoken is a weapon against darkness. Understand that leadership in the modern world is not only about armies and laws, but about ensuring that every child has access to the light of education.

Practical actions lie open to us all: donate books where there are none, support organizations that build schools in fragile lands, mentor the young in your own community, and raise your voice when governments neglect the sacred duty of educating their people. These are not small deeds, for every child lifted into knowledge is one less soul vulnerable to the snares of extremism.

Thus let us remember: the battle against extremism is not fought only on the fields of war, but in the classrooms, in the libraries, in the quiet hours when a child learns to write their first word. Fill the vacuum with learning, and you will fill the future with peace. This is the enduring wisdom of Clinton’s words, a call to action that echoes like a commandment to all generations: educate, or the darkness will educate in your place.