After Establishment of Taliban, Growing Threat of IS-K towards India and Roles of Indian Ulama and Muslims
Refuting
Anti-India Narratives of IS-K Is Imperative For Indian Ulama and Muslim
Authorities
Main
Points
1. IS-K is more
active in Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
2. Preventing
Possible Threat of IS-K to India is compulsory on Indian Ulama and Muslim
Scholars.
3. Muslims
should not let the game of terror, hatred, and destruction be played in the
name of Islam.
4. The
terrorists have changed their focus from the Af-Pak region to the Indian
subcontinent; therefore it is the responsibility of Indian Muslims to refute
the terror narratives.
5. Indian Ulama
and Muslim intellectuals should repeatedly declare that the rulings of
war-related Quranic verses and Ahadith are contextual and can’t be applied
today.
-----
New
Age Islam Staff Writer
23
September 2021
(Photo courtesy: European Eye of Radicalisation) -Islamic State’s
Khorasan Province: A Potent Force in Afghan Jihad
------
ISIS built
its so-called ‘caliphate’ the size of Britain in Iraq and larger areas of
Syria. It arose from the womb of al-Qaeda, but it quickly outgrew al-Qaeda and
became the focus of worldwide jihadist concern. It formed up camp in Nangarhar
and other provinces of Afghanistan. Shehab Al-Muhajir is the current emir.
According to a June UN study, in the months preceding up to the US withdrawal,
8,000 to 10,000 jihadist fighters infiltrated Uighur Afghanistan from Central
Asian states, Russia's North Caucasus, Pakistan, and China's Xinjiang province.
Some joined the Taliban, while the majority joined the Islamic State of
Khorasan. In addition to the TTP, the Taliban has close ties to al-Qaeda, but
the Islamic State of Khorasan has labelled the Taliban as a US agent and is
reportedly waging a war against it. It has also been joined by certain enraged
Taliban fighters who, like ISIS in Khurasan, believe in global jihad rather
than nationality.
According
to a study published in September of last year on several websites of India,
ISIS was attempting to attract adolescents from several states, particularly
the southern states of India, into its terrorist group. Individuals who joined
IS were brought to the attention of the Central and State Security Agencies.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) then opened 17 investigations on the
existence of ISIS in the southern states of Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, arresting 122 suspects.
IS has
taken on many forms, including Islamic State, Islamic State of Iraq and The
Levant, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Daish, Islamic State in Khorasan
Province (ISKP), ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, Islamic State of Iraq and the
Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K). To spread its ideas, this terrorist group has used a variety
of internet-based social media platforms. We previously reproduced some quotes
from the ISIS journal ‘Voice of Hind' on New Age Islam, which offered an
indication of their thoughts on how they may use Islam to attract India's naive
youth.
The agencies
concerned are keeping a tight eye on cyberspace in this regard, and legal
action is being taken as needed. However, the issue remains: what can Indian
Ulama and intellectual Muslims do in order to prevent youth recruitment into
IS, particularly IS-K, following the creation of the Taliban administration in
Afghanistan?
Facing this
question, the Muslim Ummah is currently in a state of disarray. They are unable
to comprehend how to combat modern-day terrorists. However, there is no doubt
that terrorists’ views and ideals play a significant role in brainwashing the
youth. These beliefs are being promoted under the banner of Islam. Whatever
voices we raise in reaction to these notions are silenced. Terrorist
organizations continue to carry out their purpose, but by criticizing
terrorists, we sometimes become silent. We must remember that if we do not
consistently repudiate terrorist ideology, the non-Muslim class will become
increasingly sceptical of us, putting us in double jeopardy.
While
dealing with the question, the mainstream Muslims must have been in a condition
of mental anguish. On the one hand, anti-Islamic groups strive relentlessly to
carry out their wicked objectives, while on the other side, there are Muslims
who spill the blood of unarmed people, slit the throats of women, and murder
innocent people. They are prepared to incorporate it into Sharia law. The issue
is that we can endure attacks from outside forces, but what about attacks from
within? How can individuals who consider terrorism as a guarantee of Islam be
stopped? How do we defeat those who rationalize tyranny in exchange for
persecution?
How can we
prevent these top terrorists from carrying out suicide assaults in the name of
Islam on schools, Sufi shrines, religious gatherings, places of worship, and
highways? How can terrorists who are fighting for the establishment of
governments or their ‘Emirate’ or ‘Caliphate’, and who have labelled their
fight as jihad to sanctify their effort, be stopped? Have they not read about
Islamic battles in the past? Did they not notice that the Holy Prophet never
killed a person who was not guilty? Don't they realize that chasing someone
while escaping war is also considered undesirable by Islam?
Some would
explain to these misguided youth that the Prophet who spread Islam was sent
down by Allah as a mercy to the worlds. The game of terror, hatred, and
destruction cannot be played in the name of this great Prophet [peace be upon
him].
Islam is a
religion of peace and brotherhood, and it forbids the killing of unarmed
citizens, especially women, children, the elderly, the helpless, and the weak.
Terrorist organisations, on the other hand, do not accept these things.
However, we Muslims must never lose confidence in our struggle against
terrorist narratives, which are spreading over the world under the guise of
Islam. These are the concerns that the Muslim Ummah, particularly the Ulama,
will have to come together to address by creating a theology of peace and
refuting anti-terrorist narratives.
Indian
Ulama and Muslim intellectuals must know that the terrorists have changed their
focus from the Af-Pak region to the Indian subcontinent, particularly the
Kashmir region, according to the 2021 editions of Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind
(primarily from January to April 2021). The magazine (in its issue of January
2021) featured a striking cover and invited the believers to fight India's
Mushrikin (polytheists), citing a hadith report from Musnad Ahmad that reads,
"In this [Islamic] Ummah, forces will be sent to Sindh and Hind [to wage
jihad and thus ensure their deliverance from the hellfire]."
These are
the kinds of thoughts and ideas that might easily lead a young person astray.
Because such anti-India propaganda is being spread in the name of Islam, Indian
Ulama, Muslim scholars, and thinkers must take a leading role in refuting this
terrorist ideology. They should delve into ISIS's theology and dispute it. The
Ulama must reconsider their perspective and recognise that they are no longer
in the 7th and 8th centuries when Islamic theology and jurisprudence had
essentially matured. Need we remind them that this is the twenty-first century?
The world has altered dramatically. Ghazwas are no longer possible. The United
Nations Charter, which has been signed by almost every country on the planet,
currently governs the world.
Indian
Ulama and Muslim intellectuals should repeatedly declare that the rulings of
war-related Quranic verses and Ahadith are contextual and can’t be applied
today. For instance, the Quranic verse “kill the Mushrikin wherever you find
them” (9:5)should be rightly interpreted in the same way as a renowned
classical scholar Abu Bakr al-Jassas (d.370H) wrote while interpreting the same
verse, "صارقوله تعالى: {فَاقْتُلُواالمُشْرِكِين َحَيْث
ُوَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ} خاصّاً في مشركي العرب دون غيرهم" Translation: “The verse (Kill the Mushrikin
wherever you find them) was particular to the Mushrikin of Arab and does not
apply to anyone else” (Ahkam al-Quran lilJassas, V. 5, p. 270, Arabic edition-
English translation mine).
They should
read out the warnings given in the Quran and Sunnah regarding violations of
non-Muslims' human rights, such as the warnings given to Muslims in the
following Quranic passages and Sunnah.
Allah says
in the Quran,
“Whoever
killed a person (unjustly), except as a punishment for murder or for
(spreading) disorder in the land, it would be as if he killed all the people
(of society); and whoever (saved him from unjust murder and) made him survive,
it would be as if he saved the lives of all the people (of society, i.e., he
rescued the collective system of human life). And indeed, Our Messengers came
to them with evident signs. Yet, even after that, the majority from amongst
these people are certainly those who commit excesses in the land” (5:32)
“Allah does not forbid you from those who do
not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from
being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves
those who act justly.” (60:8)
“Beware, if
anyone persecutes any peaceful non-Muslim citizen [Mu’ahid] or diminishes his
right, or forces him to work beyond his capacity, or takes from him anything
without his consent, I shall plead for him on the Day of Judgment.” (Please see
Sunan Abi Dawud – Book 20, Hadith 125- Arabic reference).
Even during
the state of war these injunctions were given, “Do not kill any child, any
woman, or any elder or sick person.” (Sunan Abu Dawud), “Do not practice
treachery or mutilation. (Muwatta Malik), “Do not destroy the villages and
towns, do not spoil the cultivated fields and gardens and do not slaughter the
cattle.” (Sahih Bukhari; Sunan Abu Dawud), “Do not kill the monks in
monasteries, and do not kill those sitting in places of worship. (Musnad Ahmad
Ibn Hanbal).
These
injunctions should be repeated to remind Muslims that the goal of Islamic
fighting during the Prophet's time was to prevent religious persecution and
promote religious freedom and security for all religious communities, whereas
modern "Islamist" terror groups are the most blatant violators of
such injunctions; they persecute religious communities themselves and are thus
among the Zalimoon upon whom is “the curse of Allah and the angels and of
men, all together. Surah Ale Imran (3): verses 86, 87)
The Quran
tells us: “And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah? These
shall be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses shall say: These are they
who lied against their Lord. Now surely the curse of Allah is on the Zalimoon
(the unjust and oppressors).” (Q: 11:18). This surely applies to ISIS
ideologues, the Zalimoon who have virtually invented a new religion in the name
of Islam, whose basic purpose is to defame Islam.
These are
only a handful of the many ways by which the Ulama and Muslim scholars can and
should expand their influence in the public sphere. More importantly, they
should keep a close eye on ISIS's "Islamist" narratives and refute
them point by point. Furthermore, Islamic teachings on peace and pluralism,
such as those mentioned above, are the suitable demand and requirement of our
day. Apart from becoming influential only for mainstream Muslims, they should
make these teachings acceptable even to covert sympathisers of
"Islamist" terror groups.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/khorasan-ulema-muslims-taliban/d/125421