The absolute destruction and massacres committed by the Mongols in 1258 CE in Baghdad followed by the fall of Damascus two years later were two of the biggest tragedies in Islamic history. The devastation was not only over the killing of hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Baghdad alone, but also because Baghdad, which was the blooming capital of the Islamic world at the time, withered for hundreds of years until it was revived again. One of the biggest losses was the destruction of the grand library of Baghdad, the House of Wisdom, which contained some of the most valuable books in the world at the time in addition to the destruction and looting of some of the magnificent mosques, palaces and hospitals. Almost eight centuries later, history seems to be repeating itself in Iraq and Syria with hundreds of thousands of people being killed in addition to the looting and destruction of museums, hospitals, mosques and churches. This time, however, we did not need anyone to attack us because we have become our own worst enemy. As if civil war was not enough, the so-called Islamic State has killed thousands of people in Iraq and Syria, destroyed 1,800-year-old churches and bombed historical mosques, which are considered shrines. It is a source of great sadness that the cities, which manifested the greatness of the Islamic civilization, will also stand as witnesses to the greatest shame of Islamic history depicted by IS. It seems that the leaders of IS do not only interpret the Holy Qur’an according to their own interests, but that they are also completely ignorant of Islamic history. Regardless of how suitable one might think an Islamic Caliphate would be in current times, IS represents a grotesque interpretation of that institution. True Caliphs were not war thugs who looted and killed non-Muslims, women and children indiscriminately. The most famous example of a Caliph’s treatment of non-Muslims was when Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), refused to pray in a church in Jerusalem not because it was not allowed, but out of fear that Muslims years later would turn it into a mosque because “Omar prayed in it”. He even gave the Christians of Jerusalem an assurance of protecting their places of worship and of practicing their religion freely under Muslim rule. IS members are rather Khawarij as Hamza Yusuf, a Muslim scholar, and many others have called them. Khawarij literally means those “who went out” or in other words “rebels”. They appeared at the time of the fourth Caliph, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, and started their own sect, which supposedly has not survived. They had a political agenda that they hid behind their radical doctrine. They called for fanaticism and rigidity in interpreting the Holy Qur’an without real knowledge or prudence. Their doctrine included deeming others to be infidels if found to be “sinners”, and they were vehemently willing to shed their own blood for the sake of terrorizing others under the assumption that they would die martyrs. Ultimately, they were rebels on Islamic doctrine itself rather than true believers just like the IS and other terrorist organizations are today. Although, theoretically, most sects of Khawarij have not survived, their doctrine was merely dormant like a virus waiting for a fertile environment so that it could attack again. Fundamentalism seems to create the fertile ground, which can lead to extremism and terrorism when combined with the “right” social and political factors. It is interesting that one of the justifications fundamentalists provide when they refuse to be flexible and insist on a literal interpretation of the Holy Qur’an is the fear that some people always look for loopholes and go beyond the lines drawn to them. However, because they find their “true path” in rigidity, they only think of the “dangers” of flexibility and they do not consider how their stringency can lead to fanaticism. One of the main problems in their doctrine, which paves the way for terrorism, is their animosity and prejudice toward non-Muslims. Unfortunately, some Muslims condemn IS now while they were the ones who helped to create it. The long years of nurturing one true path and hate against non-Muslims have created a monster that has turned against everyone including Muslims themselves resulting in the birth of a terrorist “state”, which has not only brutally murdered innocent Westerners, but also killed more Muslims than Israel did in this past year. Because most Muslims feel the danger of these terrorists and recognize them as a disgrace to Muslims and Islamic history, most members of the Muslim community around the world including religious and political leaders have condemned them. Serious action has been taken by Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the international community to stop IS atrocities against humanity whether through military action or increasing awareness regarding the falsehood of their claims. IS recruitment is ongoing despite the fact that the world is fighting the terrorist organization. Also, even after their demise, their ideology could be resurrected if there is fertile ground for it to grow. Military action alone, albeit necessary, is not enough; another war should be waged on poverty, unemployment, injustice and intolerance in order to contribute to a more peaceful world. The writer can be reached at nawar81@hotmail
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 12:35:48 +0000
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