By Maariyah Siddique for TwoCircles.net
About 3 million Iraqis displaced, around 4 million of Syrians fleeing their country in tremendous horror. Women captured, beheaded for refusing to indulge in sex-slavery. Mosques being bombarded in Muslim countries. Hundreds of civilians being killed in just minutes by missiles and air strikes.
Because, a group of self-proclaimed “Islamic jihadists” are out to restore the world order back to what it was 1400 years ago, during the time of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Switch on the TV, read newspapers, or click on your android news-apps – ISIS is on popular demand.
The attacks, killings, beheadings, flogging, persecution are “religiously motivated.” The “Islamic jihadists” of the organization identify their ideologies as “jihad” and “Salafi” school that propagate “purest extremist interpretation of Islam” as reported by the Australian National Security website and “Mapping Militant Organization” report by The Stanford University. The ISIS has been active since 2002, promoting extreme religious views, wreaking havoc through its most inhumane violence, often killing masses of civilians tagging them as “apostates” or “infidels.”
The ultimate goal is to create a “Sunni Islamic State.”
Does anything as “Sunni Islamic State” exist in the holy scriptures or texts of Islam? Or did it ever exist even at the peak time of the rise of Islam, during the Prophet’s Caliphate 1400 years ago in the Gulf?
Does Islam encourage “jihad”? Does Islam suggest persecution?
The photo of the 3 year old Aylan Kurdi from Syria washed ashore in the Turkish coast, face-down; the harsh sun falling on his bright red coloured t-shirt and Velcro sneakers – forces the above questions in mind.
The haunting image has gone viral in social media with distressed tweets in Turkish by the hashtag, “KiyiyaVuranInsanlik,” translating to “Humanity Washed Ashore.”
The unstoppable and unspeakable murder of humanity in the hands of these “religious extremists”, the failure of international peace-making communities, human rights organizations, or the grand mismanagement of the resourceful Arab world – who to blame for countless children and families dying every day?
The ISIS adheres to “Sunni Islam” rooting itself to the Quran and Ahadeeth as guidelines, as asserted in the last sermon by the Prophet. But did the Prophet really profess this?
A little look at the activities of ISIS and what do the Quran and Ahadeeth say about them :
ISIS : Demolishes historical city of Palmyra, beheads journalists from around the world for their non-acceptance of the faith.
Quran: “There shall be no compulsion in (acceptance of) religion.” [Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 2:256]
ISIS : Bombards a Shia mosque in Kuwait during Friday prayers in Ramazan.
Quran : “Indeed those who have divided their religion and become sects – you – (O Muhammad), are not associated with them in anything. Their affair is only left to Allah, then He will inform them of what they used to do” [Surah Al Anaam, Verse 6:159]
ISIS : As reported by THE WEEK, life under the caliphate of ISIS for women centres around strict moral policing. Women must compulsorily “wear two black gowns to mask their body shape, and three veils so their eyes cannot be seen, even in sunlight.” Any shift in the prescribed clothing style or a female seen unaccompanied by a male relative is detained and dealt with by the all-women “Al Khansaa Brigade.” Children and women have been taken as sex slaves, and the ISIS decrees that girls can marry by the age of 9, and must be married by 16 or 17.
Quran : “Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” [Surah Al Ahzab, Verse 33:35]
Ahadeeth : Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“The most complete of the believers in faith, is the one with the best character. And the best of you are those who are best to their women.”(At-Tirmidhi and authenticated by Al-Albani)
There are authentic historical records of women participating in political, economic, domestic, public spheres of life during the Prophet. They were traders (Khadijah bint Khuwaylid ), scholars (Aishah bint Abu Bakr), fighters (Khawla bint Al Azwar), leaders (Zaynab bint Ali), etc.
ISIS : Deliberately raping, looting, beheading, killing, immolating, and bombing civilians which largely include infants, pregnant women and children.
Quran: “Whoever kills an innocent soul, has killed entire mankind. Whoever saves one, has saved mankind entirely.” [Surah Al Maidah, Verse 5:32]
Numerous examples in Ahadeeth illustrate the Prophet’s generous and amiable behaviour with the Jewish and Christian tribes of Madinah,that earned him their good will too.
I am not a Sunni, or a Shia, or a Kurd, or a Syrian, I am a Muslim.
I am a Muslim woman.
Being a Muslim Woman – is my biggest identity. Yet, every time I hear of, read about, or research on the ISIS, I am plagued by the contrasting ideologies between the Islam in reality and the so-called “Islamic State.”
I wonder what the millions of non-Muslim population of the world thinks about my faith, my identity, my way of living…. Despite the differences in beliefs, their questions and mine are still the same:
“How Islamic is the Islamic State?”
(Maariyah Siddique is a student at A.J Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia.)