The fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is yet to produce tangible results, because the aerial strikes are not enough to destroy the merciless outfits now holding vast swath of land in the name of the so-called Islamic Caliphate in our time.
Muslim scholars have already denounced the Islamic State (IS) as it claimed to be a Caliphate and urged the Muslim states to form a coalition of army to defeat the new menace to regional stability and world peace.
But their voices are not as strong as it should be and the debut of the proposed coalition of Muslim states is equally out of sight. The IS is gaining ground in the meantime defying the aerial attacks of the Western nations and now the Russian aerial attacks committing brutalities in the areas they control in the region.
What is at stake as Muslim scholars said, is that the people who have declared the establishment of the Caliphate are not having any authority and also the quality to do it in one hand and the concept of Caliphate in our time is also outdated in terms of modern culture and civilization on the other.
Needless to say that Muslim scholars have not only ruled out the Caliphate as null and void they have also termed its organizers as ‘deviationists from the mainstream Islam.’
Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Yusuf Qarzawi, an Egyptian by origin has gone even one step further calling for fight to defeat it. He is however opposed to fight the IS by the US led 40-nation western coalition.
He believes that this is a problem of the Muslim countries and they should unite to remove the menace. The US leadership in this fight would promote its own interests and not protect the interest of the Muslims and the Islamic values.
Yusuf Qarzawi has welcomed the idea of the coalition of Muslim forces including 10 Arab states as a proposal said to eliminate IS presence in Iraq and Syria. In a joint statement, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said they “will do their share” to fight against the jihadist group that has taken control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
But their weak leadership and failure to make a clear decision apparently out of fear from their own domestic problems remained the major roadblock to setting up such a coalition.
The strategy of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Gulf region as opposed to each other’s domination and unanticipated military moves made the task more daunting.
Meanwhile, top cleric of Saudi Arabia has also disowned the IS as illegitimate. Saudi Press Agency earlier reported quoting the 21-strong council of senior scholars as saying terrorism is contrary to the purposes of Islam which came …. to ensure the system of worldly coexistence.
In their view ‘terrorism has nothing to do with Islam, it is a deviant ideology beset by corruption and criminality rejected by Islamic sharia law and common sense.
But IS has been able to expand its outreach in the Middle East and North Africa using the toxic ingredient of religion and exacerbating religious differences and hatred, most critically between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s main Islamist party and founder of Tunisian revolution is also highly critical of the Caliphate terming it as a “reckless” act, which gave a “deceptive message”. “Nations do not rise in this ridiculous way”, he pointed out.
It is Russia that has now entered the Syrian war to save President Bashar al-Assad in one hand and counter the US-led Western coalition’s move to remove Assad on the other. Russia is hindering war against ISIS.
There would have been greater unity among Muslim countries against the terrorists if they were sure that Assad will leave Syria and will be rightly punished by the West.
As reported yesterday in the Western media five Middle Eastern Muslim countries bombed ISIS centres. Even Saudi Arabia extended support to the war against the ISIS terrorists.
All Muslim countries, including Turkey, should realize that ISIS is tarnishing the image of the Muslims all over the world and its fight is not just against the West but also against the Muslim countries.
What is true is that the Muslim countries may not be very useful for military operations compare to the big powers. But it is important to see that the Muslims countries are united with the West in fighting ISIS which is also enemies of Muslims and Islam.
But we want the involvement of the Muslim countries be highlighted for making extremists off the balance psychologically. Let all know that the so-called Islamist extremists are also killing Muslims, waging war against Shia Muslims and the Muslims are fighting side by side with the West.
The Muslim countries must find out and understand the international conspirators supporting ISIS, they should also join the fight more robustly.
