The Ideology Of The Extremist
Organizations Need To Be Totally Rejected
Main Points:
1. Al Qaida thrived on anti-US rhetoric.
2. ISIS thrived on slogan of Khilafat
3. Taliban claim to be the true
representatives of Islam.
4. 4. Boko Haram oppose modern education.
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By New Age Islam Staff Writer
28 August 2021
For decades, Taliban and other extremist
Muslim organizations have caused mischief on earth by destroying places of
worship, killing Muslims and non-Muslims alike, trying to forcefully convert
non-Muslims and impose an extremist and non-tolerant interpretation of Islam on
the inhabitants of lands they control.
Still, a large section of Islamic scholars and Islamic organizations
overtly or covertly support them and even glorify them as the flagbearers and
true representatives of Islam. This is very distressing for liberal Muslims who
know and understand the true spirit of Islam.
These terrorist and extremist organisatons
win the support of the majority of Muslims by espousing a noble cause. And all
their bloodshed and extremist behavior hides behind the noble cause. They keep
on perpetrating violence, bloodshed and spreading sectarian and communal hatred
under the veil of the noble cause.
For example, Al Qaida won the support of a
large section of Muslims by creating the impression among the Muslims that it
is fighting the imperialism of the United States and avenging the killings of
Muslims and destruction of Islamic countries. Those condemning and criiticising
Al Qaida for its un-Islamic activities are silenced by its supporters and they
are termed anti-Muslim and the agents of the US. In reality, the Al Qaida,
harmed Muslims more and caused huge damage to the Islamic countries by giving
the US the excuse to interfere with the political affairs of Muslim countries
and carry out attacks on those countries. The US followed the Al Qaida wherever
it went and wreaked havoc in those countries in the name of destroying Al Qaida
and fighting terrorism. In the two
decades of Al Qaida, the image of Islam took a beating and Muslims were seen
with suspicion in the whole world because of Laden’s terrorist activities.
After Al Qaida became weak, another
terrorist organization called the ISIS emerged in 2014. Though no one knew
about the real identity of its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi., many Muslim
religious leaders and organizations readily accepted him as the leader of the
community (Ameer ul Mumineen) and its rule was hailed as the much awaited
Khilafat. Baghdadi claimed that he had established the Khilafat after the
downfall of the Ottoman Caliphate. The truth was that the ISIS was only a
reincarnation of the Al Qaida because Al Qaida’s anti-US rhetoric had become
old and did not attract much attention of the Muslims. The extremists were well
aware of the appeal of the Khilafat among the Muslims and their longing for the
re-establishment of the Caliphate as for centuries Islamic scholars had spread
the myth and only Caliphate was the ideal form of government for Muslims and
that once the caliphate is established, all the miseries and backwardness of
the Muslims will be gone and the Muslims will at once dominate the world. Indian scholar Shah Waliuallah even wrote a
detailed book on Khilafat. The truth is that the Quran does not prescribe
Caliphate as the model form of government. It only stresses on the creation of
conditions that will fulfill Quranic principles of governance.
Therefore, as soon as the caliphate of
Baghdadi was announced, a large section of Muslims fell head over heels for it
and a glorification campaign was launched across Muslim countries. Many
terrorist and extremist organizations of Africa, Asia and Philippines that had
been running drug trade, flesh trade and extortion rackets pledged allegiance
to it to gain the support of the Muslims of their countries. Thus, the espoused the noble cause of
caliphate only to gain recognition as Islamic organizations struggling to
establish Khilafat locally.
Within only five years, the ISIS also was
exposed when it started carrying out terrorist attacks like Al Qaida did in
Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Philippines, African countries and in Iraq and Syria
and Sri Lanka. Those who had been glorifying it as the flagbearers of
caliphate, went into hiding and started criticizing it to hoodwink the law.
Boko Haram in Nigeria spreads the false
propaganda that modern education. They are against modern education and girls’
education. They kidnap girls and boys of school in hundreds and kill
Sufi-minded Muslims. Many prominent Muslim scholars of Nigeria and some
ministers have fallen for their false propaganda and believe Boko Haram a truly
Islamic organization struggling to establish Shariah in the region. Since they espouse the noble cause of
imposition of Islamic Shariah, their violent campaign against the Christians
are ignored by the majority of Muslims.
Taliban are once such organization that
follows a violent theology. They have been struggling to establish a government
based on Islamic Shariah but their interpretation of Shariah is not accepted by
a majority of liberal Islamic exegetes and scholars. They do not support girls
education and they do not allow women to work outside their homes. Hindus,
Christians and other minorities are often persecuted by them. In Pakistan, they
have been carrying out violent attacks on Shias, Christians and minorities and
do not accept a democratic government.
In Afghanistan, during their rule between
1996 and 2001, they imposed a very rigid gender segregation, an intolerant
policy towards Shias and minorities and women but a section of Islamic
organizations and scholars considered them an truly Islamic organization
ignoring ‘small excesses’ needed to achieve a grand objective, according to an
Indian Islamic scholar.
The Afghanistan people are afraid of
Taliban on the basis of their past experience. They have thronged Kabul airport
in order to board a flight to the US to escape Taliban’s another tyrannical
rule; women are wary of another round of harassment and loss of freedom,
loss of opportunity of jobs and personal
growth. Many have died during their flight. Thousands have fled to Turkey,
Pakistan, Tajikistan, US and other European countries for the fear of Taliban
but these Islamic organizations and scholars believe Taliban are truly Islamic.
They are oblivious of the opinion of the general Afghans who have face them
during their day to day affairs and face torture, harassment and humiliation
even death. Their atrocities and extremism and ruthless ideology is ignored by
the Islamic organizations and scholars because they claim to espouse a noble
cause --- establishment of an Islamic state.
These organizations do not understand the
importance of modern education or scientific development and want to recreate a
7th century Islamic society. The holy Quran encourages scientific research and
modern education and wants Muslims to be a thinking community. But organizations like Taliban, Boko Haram
and ISIS believe in violence, bloodshed and killing and in a Takfiri ideology.
Violence and Takfir is central to their ideology. They do not honour human life
or free thinking.
Its time a consensus is reached on the
invalidity of these organizations which violate the rights of the minorities,
women and a collective decision of Ulema of the world should be evolved
rejecting these extremist organizations. A reform in Islamic religious thought
is much needed.
UR: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/taliban-boko-haram-qaeda-extremist-isis/d/125291