During the debates around ISIS over the last few months many have stated that the self-proclaimed Islamic State does not represent Islam. The question then asked is usually; so where are the Muslim voices speaking out? If cartoons and tweets can cause riots in the streets then where is the same backlash against those committing atrocities in the name of Islam? Well, here is a very loud voice. Loud because it is spoken with authority (and without a single street protest). This is an open letter written in Arabic and translated into English. It is written to the Muslims who are fighting with ISIS and it is written from a very classical perspective, it is not supposed to be understood by anyone without knowledge of Arabic or the Quran. On reading the English translation there are still some lines in there that it would be possible to take issue with - but then that is from a Western perspective and without an education is classical Arabic discourse. This raises numerous interesting questions. While this letter alone wont solve the whole situation it is likely that it will have a more persuasive, positive effect on many of the ISIS militants than any speech given by a Western European or US politician. Surely this is a good thing? Is this letter enough? Could the Muslim community do even more than this? If so, what? Should this letter get wider news coverage on major news networks in Britain, Europe and the US? Would it be a good education for many who are completely in the dark about Islam and help to stem the popularity of right wing groups? There are many who would say that Islam, simply by being a religion with a belief in the supernatural, is inherently dangerous. The position that supernatural, dogmatic belief systems will always contain latent danger is a well known one. Is this letter, supposing it is widely acknowledged and accepted, just a short/medium term fix? Will the danger always be inherent in faith? lettertobaghdadi/index.php
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 22:43:53 +0000
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