Saturday, August 28, 2021

Extremist Organizations Like Taliban, ISIS, Boko Haram And Al Qaida Espouse Noble Causes To Hide Their Terrorist Ideology

 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


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