“Al-Qaida or ISIS Is an Inveterate Idea, Not Just a Terrorist Outfit”

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 4 August 2022 Mankind Shall Have To Tackle the Idea of Religious Intolerance, Exclusivity, Supremacy and Spiritual Ownership and Learn To Live Peacefully ----- Ayman Al-Zawahiri ------ The killing of al-Qaida fugitive Ayman Al-Zawahiri is a heartening news for the world but one must remember late American Islamic scholar at Princeton University, Professor Bernard Lewis' famous words following the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011: " The elimination of the leader of a violent group, outfit or cult is never the elimination of an IDEA which gives birth to scores of such barbaric, antisocial and anti-humanity outfits." Very true. Even after the elimination of Laden or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of ISIS in 2019, the idea of worldwide terror and Pan-Islamisation still persists. Someone else will now take over after Al-Zawahiri and the macabre show of universal mayhem will continue to go on unabated. So, rejoicing in Ayman al-Zawahiri's killing is rather premature, nay abortive. It's time to get to the roots of international Islamic terrorism and root it out before it gets entrenched in the collective psyche of scores of Muslims who're more than willing to kow-tow to the idea of Islamic Jihad, which's the common objective of whether Al-Qaida, ISIS, Boko Haram, among others. Al-Zawahiri and Osama bin-Laden are also the symbols and metaphors for the 'educated' Muslims going awry in the name of Islam and its fictional Allah. Zawahiri belonged to a highly educated family in Egypt. His father was pharmacology professor and maternal grandfather was the President of Cairo University. Osama was a skilled engineer. But both chose the path of religious self-destruction and got killed unceremoniously. Instead of saving lives of patients, Dr Zawahiri opted to destroy lives. This is most ironical. The Egyptian mastermind of 9/11, Muhammad Musa, was a qualified pilot trained in the US. In my own life as a student of comparative religions, I've come across very 'educated' people talking, vomiting and discussing religious inanities and obscurities. This also engenders the most pertinent question as to whether education really transforms an individual. There're many Muslims in India, esp. in Kerala, who overtly or covertly evince their sympathy towards these savage and sanguinary outfits and join them to islamise the whole world and establish Nizam-e-Mustafa (the system of governance under Muhammad). This inveterate idea of Pan-Islamisation must be extirpated. Human civilization stands at the crossroads of uncertainty. All religions, esp. Islam, have suddenly become too vocal, volatile and violent. Mankind shall have to tackle the idea of religious intolerance, exclusivity, supremacy and spiritual ownership and learn to live peacefully. Muslims across the globe also need to introspect to find the answer/s as to why the whole world condemns it and why anyone who criticizes Islam, in good faith and intention, becomes an Islamophobic and in the case and context of yours truly, an Islamophobic atheist! --- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/al-qaida-isis-idea-terrorist-outfit/d/127643 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism