Author: Haron Ar Rashid Dima

Title:

Decoding the Daish: Is there Islam in the Islamic State?

Word Count: 2, 612

The world has witnessed the rise and progress of religion, science, politics, and economy. In

this same momentum, the international arena has witnessed countless violence and conflicts

surpassing national and territorial boundaries; all of which include but not limited to human

rights abuse, maritime disputes, crimes against humanity, and terrorism. On this note arises

the emergence of the militant group Daishi whose infamous dealings circulate on beheadings,

torture, rape, attacks on civilians, and mass atrocities. Initially seeming to be a mainstream

terrorist group, it eventually identified and broadcasted its actions and affairs as Islamic and

religiously motivated.

This research therefore analyzes the truth behind the utility of history and development in the

advancement of interests. It aims to probe on the existing notion of utilizing the credibility

and stature of Islam (as a civilization and as religion) in the pursuit of certain motives and in

the conduct of achieving them. Hence the objective of answering the question relating to the

Daish being an Islamic movement impelled to forward Islam and its belief of creating a

single unit to which it can oversee and decide on the affairs of Muslims across the globe.

Simply put, is the Daish Islamic, judging from its objectives and methods of religious

propagation?

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In the progress of this study, I use conventional Realism and Social Constructivism as the

theories to guide my metaphorical analysisii. The Realist Theory shall represent the objectives

and interests of the militant groups and their relentless propagandas to achieve these ends.

Social Constructivism shall outline how we see these militant groups in different contexts, i.e.

‘our terrorists’ and ‘their freedom fighters’ analogy. To expound, terrorism is a social

construct- it varies in different perspectives. With these theories, the researcher will look into

the correlation of the Daish validation of interests and the Islamic norms as two separate

entities. This will be done through the analysis of metaphors and data gathered in sources

relating to the militant group, Qur’an particularly on jihad, caliphate, and the Islamic thought

on politics and government.

As per the theories I have cited and the objective of the research, the research hypothesis

shall revolve on the assumption that Islam is made into an object of politicization and

secularization to legitimize and cloak the interests of those who seek prestige, power, and

gain. Persons in this wing will try to invoke verses in the Holy Qur’an to resolve the crises of

doubts thrown by those who inquire. They claim to act in accordance with the Divine Law,

but promote their own imposition on the weak and unable- only to achieve a goal only they

have constructed for themselves.

Cloaked by a religion of stature

The modern era has watched the world as it is bamboozled by false prophets and paganist

beliefs and still claim to be religious. One way of assuming that acts are justifiable by

religion is because it is the religious right of individuals to act according to the extent of their

beliefs. Another way of assuming reason and logic in this question of cloaking in religion is

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the credibility and stature that the religion has created for itself. For instance, Islam has

flourished not only within its dominions, but also nurtured and aided the rest of the continents

and the neighboring nations therein.

Islam has had bountiful yesteryears which contributed greatly to the civilizations we have

today. It is a religion that discovered knowledge and systems while advancing the ways of its

belief. Islam has transformed the globe through its unparalleled scriptures from the Qur’an,

traditions gathered and learned from hadiths, and the unwritten law of shari’ah governing the

lifestyles of its people. Its wisdom of science and cultures has led to the pioneering of the first

universities whose practices of philosophy, architecture, medicine and sciences were left

unmatched by the other civilizations. It has made itself a platform that recognizes its practices

on trade, commerce and navigation.

However, this favorable and generous image of the religion did not live to last longer than it

expected. Upon the coming of the 21st century, Islam has been painted with the wrong color

and was seen by the world as a religion of violence and cringe.

Post 9-11 Impact on Islam

The years following the September 11, 2001 bombing have been a crucial aftermath for Islam

and its followers all over the international arena. The attachment of Al-Qaeda, an Islamic

terrorist group to the scene has long misconstrued Islam, in a generally infamous manner.

Jocelyn Cesariiii in her study of the securitization of Islam in Europe claimed that Muslims in

post 9/11 Europe have become increasingly mistrustful, in response to what they consider to

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be discriminatory security policies. Muslims do not feel accepted as full members of

European society, due to widespread anti-Muslim sentiments, negative stereotypes in the

media, discrimination in various areas of society (such as employment), prejudiced remarks

by political leaders, and counter-terrorism legislation disproportionately affecting Muslims.

(Cesari, 2006, p. 9-17)

It is however not only in the Western hemisphere the image of Islam in politics and terrorism

that is tainted with infamous colors. For the past months, the fear of pledges of allegiance to

the group has brought Muslim Asians very close to the inception of the Daish decentralizing

in the eastern surface.

It is undoubtedly evident that the War on Terror of the Bush Administration has refocused all

eyes on Islamic Extremism. For more than a decade, this focus is more likely to increase lens

on the religion as a threat to peace and security in the global arena.

This assumption is further strengthened by threats which govern the use of belief and religion

to justify transnational crimes; such threat to this international peace and security is the rise

of the militant group- Daish.

The Emergence of the Daish

The militant group started as a faction from the Al-Qaeda and later established in Iraq by Abu

Musab Al-Zarqawi who had been leading a jihadist insurgency against U.S. who declared

allegiance to Osama bin Laden. Upon the death of Zarqawi and loss of support because of his

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hostilities against Muslims, Abu Ayyub al-Masri took the lead. Masri promulgated the

creation of an Islamic State in Iraq which was later merged with the Al-Qaeda affiliate in

Syria; hence their name- Al-Dawla Al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa Al-Sham, which abbreviates to

DAISH and ISIS in English- Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

After succeeding controls over lands and mass atrocities, the group declared the creation of a

new Islamic Caliphate that will claim dominion over all Muslims. Upon the grave crimes the

group has been committing on a large scale, the international community has intervened with

calls for embargoes, airstrikes, confrontation, and authorized attacks. Despite these

interventions, the group has vowed to continue its ordeals which were evidently witnessed

across the globe.

The following subheadings serve as triangulation on the subject matter. As an analysis and

consolidation of the activities, the methods of pursuing interest, and their very objective, the

researcher answers the question of finding Islam in the Daish.

Countless Atrocities

Perhaps few of the information that will enlighten the study’s research will focus highly on

the media releases and articles duly informing the public of the terrorist activities of the

Daish. In the past four months alone, series of violence and public endangerment are amongst

some of the claimed terrorist activities the Daish has vowed to further do; some of which are

blamed and pointed to the terrorist group.

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As part of the research, here are some of the notable inhumane parades of news headlines

from astroawani.com alone:iv Iraqi town battles raging fires left by Daish jihadists; Daish-

claimed bombing against Yemen recruits kills scores; At ancient Syria site, Daish discovers

then destroys treasures; Daish-claimed bomb attack kills dozens in Syrian Kurdish city;

Daish suicide bomber kills at least 15 in Baghdad. These are merely among others.

An addition to the questionable claim of Islam is the news that had shocked everyone by mid-

November of last year which bore: ‘Beyond Paris: 10,000s of Muslims Killed by ISIS Since

Declaring Caliphate’. The crimes listed are not the doings of a Muslim who wish to propagate

and fight for the divinity of his God. Should there be motives on the actions above, they are

purely political and not religious, let alone, Islamic.

To say that these are acts of Jihad is a lack of correlation of action and knowledge. To find

out if these are acts of Jihad, one must know the literature and scriptures about the holy war

in Islam.

Jihad and the claim thereof

The very translation of Jihad means “struggle”. Taking it on a Western point of view, John

Kelsay notes that jihad may be associated with almost any activity by which Muslims attempt

to bring personal and social life into a pattern of conformity with the guidance of God. He

adds nevertheless, early in the development of Islam, Jihad came to be associated particularly

with fighting or making war “in the path of God”. (Kelsay, 1991, p. xvi, 254)

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Having been perceived as Just War in the Western context, wars are only to be fought upon

its moral consideration of all alternatives. It should be the last resort after all means have

been exhausted. The just war tradition will only be considered if all the violence and killings

are accounted for and are done for the good of the many.

Despite the pride and value put on the word jihad, Orientalists see this as seemingly

interchangeable with terrorism and Muslim fundamentalism. This might still be a product of

the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States, but much has been said about the

Westerners disagreeing and debunking anything that stands against it.

To fully grasp what jihad is, one must consult how it is properly used in context in the Holy

Qur’an, particularly in Surah Al’Hajv which permits war that is purely motivated by

defensive rationale. Second, the Qur’an in Surah Al’Baqarahvi says not to fight non-

combatants for God does not favor the aggressor. Thirdly, stating the Surah Al-

Mumtanahahvii which promotes peace with the non-Muslims in Muslim lands. All of these

and the perspectives of the Prophet Mohammad (SAWviii) during an engagement in wartime:

(1) the Prophet forbade the killing of children, old people, and women (2) the non-

engagement to murdering the monks in the monasteries (3) the non-killing of the people who

are sitting in places of worship (4) the respect and no attacking of wounded persons; and

finally, (5) the non-execution or beheading of captured prisoners.

Arsalan Iftikhar, a Senior Editor of The Islamic Monthlyix magazine, once wrote an article

regarding the compliance of the jihadists in carrying out a holy war where he pointed out that

the Prophet also prohibited the killing of anyone who is in captivity, such as journalists, and

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the mutilation of corpses of the enemies. These clear, concise statements, he argued make any

violation of these edicts during wartime a clear violation of core Islamic principles. (Iftikhar.

2014)

The militant group has claimed to be jihadists, and if we address them as such then we are

giving them the religious legitimacy that they have long wanted. They are a group of bandits

and militants whose aims are quite uncertain and ‘un-Islamic’. Their ways do not necessarily

coincide with the ethics of war that the Islamic way of jihad has prescribed. The mere fact

that they call themselves jihadists while having to stray from the ethics of the holy war and

the conducts of Islamic, is an apparent evident that they only utilize Islam as a religious

justification of how they intend to achieve their ends.

Furthermore, the militant group has established a purpose which center on the creation of an

Islamic government- a caliphate, more particularly to enhance and expand its reach to the

Muslims across the globe.

The Call for a Caliphate, an “Islamic Government”

The rise of Area Studies and the deviation of centralized knowledge in the West has eased the

way for non-Western thoughts. This has brought many philosophers and political thinkers to

empower their socially constructed norms and traditions to be institutions. The Daish is no

different; its objective of institutionalizing Islam into a rule encompassing cultures and

national boundaries is an evidence of the abovementioned empowerment.

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This only repeats the history of Caliphs coming to power not by an oath of allegiance,

election or procedures, but rather by transforming himself into an infallible agent of the

Divine to possess the power of life and death over his subjects and the patrimony of his

imagined state.

Judge Muhamad Said al-Ashmawy, Chief Justice of the High Court of Egypt, in his book

Islam and the Political Order, noted that political power was not a religious emanation from

God, but a civil work of human will… and that authentic Islam is fully conscious of the

results of utilizing religion for political goals. Islam, he argues refuses to allow people to be

reduced into little followers that serve the personal interests of governors who pretend to be

following the will of God when nothing in the Qur’an or the tradition regarding the prophet

or Sunnah calls upon Muslims to adopt a specific political system, whether Caliphate,

Imamate or other. (al-Ashmawy, 1994, pp. 66, 82)

The creation of an all-encompassing state therefore is neither a sunnah nor a prescription

from the Holy Qur’an. It has completely forgotten the true essence of Islam. Moreover, with

the presented data on the notion of Jihad and how it should be undertaken fully goes against

the means of the Daish.

“Un-Islamic” State

The Almighty Allah (SWT)x has intended Islam to be a religion and not a subject of politics

that will be the root of evils and rooting violence. It calls on to people to live according to the

religious values and moral principles of those who were divinely decreed to be prophets. It

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should therefore deviate from the legal impositions posited by those who hunger for position

and power over the followers of a long-standing religion.

Should this wrongdoing be a pronouncement of their extremism or radicalism, it completely

removes them from the line of anything Islamic as Islam practices and values the exercise of

all affairs, conducts, attitude and interactions in moderation.

Going back to the question of the research which center on the issue of the Daish being

Islamic, we turn to the synergy of the studied literature. Upon the analysis and consolidation

of data gathered, the objective of the Daish is a questionable motive which might lead amiss.

It wishes to establish a government where all of the Muslims shall answer to. As this has been

done before by previous caliphates, and have led to the gradual divide and fall of the Islamic

Civilization, it may also lead to a perverted rule which siphons submission from those who

believe wholly in the Divinity of Islam and Allah (SWT).

I close conclusion with a wisdom from the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) whose idea of a true

Islamic government, should there be any, is a government of the people- elected with utmost

freedom, accessible to the populace, and subject to regulations and controls; most and finally,

a government which accepts political change without violence or malison from the people

governed.

With the premises of its objectives and how it has forcefully and violently pursued its ends,

the Daish has not in any way embodied the Islamic holy war- jihad, nor has it represented the

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ideals and motives of Islam. The Daish therefore, bearing its objectives and methods does not

bear the strands of Islam, the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and the words of

Allah (SWT).

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References

Bowering, Gerhard (2015) Islamic Political Thought: An Introduction. Princeton University Press.

pp.88

Cesari, J. (2006). Muslims in Europe and the Risk of Radicalism. Jihadi terrorism and the

Radicalisation Challenge in Europe. Ashgate Publishing Limited Gower House, Croft Road

Aldershot, Hampshire. (8) pp. 97-107

Coolsaet, Rik (2008) Jihadi Terrorism and the Radicalisation Challenge in Europe. Ashgate

Publishing Limited Gower House, Croft Road Aldershot, Hampshire. (8) pp. 97-107

Hegghammer, Thomas. (2010). Jihad in Saudi Arabia. Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979. The

Classical Jihadists. pp 38

Iftikhar, A. (2014). Let’s Call ISIS “The Un-Islamic State”. The Islamic Monthly August 20th Issue.

Kelsay, J. and Johnson, J.T. (1991). Just War and Jihad: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on

War and Peace in Western and Islamic Traditions. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press

1990. Pp. xvi, 254

Martin, Gus. (2004). The New Era of Terrorism: Selected Readings. SAGE Publications

International Educational and Professional Publisher. pp. 150-151

Sajjad, Bangad Khan (2015) Who are the Daish-ISIS and What are their Motives? The Early

Attempts. Retrieved from https://sajadbangash.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/who-are-

daish-isis-and-what- are-their-motives/ last 9th September 0730

International Sahih Qur’an references are retrieved from the online Qur’an website: quran.com

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i Daish is the Arab acronym for Al-Dawlah Al-Islamiyah fe Al-Iraq wa Al-Sham (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or Sham), for which the acronym is ISIL or ISIS, as was originally used by the group that now prefers to be called Khilafat, or Islamic State (or IS). The reason for the group's insistence on using the term IS is because it wants to be recognized and respected as a sovereign, independent unit in the region and beyond. Its leadership under the self-styled khalif, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, wishes to promote this unit as borderless, encompassing not only the Muslim Middle East but also the entire Muslim world, and therefore attracting Muslims to support it and join it from wherever they are located (See What should we call Islamic State: Daish or IS? by Amin Saikal)

ii Metaphor analysis is a way of obtaining understanding of a text by identifying and analyzing the metaphors used in it. Metaphor analysis, as usually described, uses the researcher’s intuition as a means of identifying the metaphors. (See Using Metaphor Analysis: MIP and Beyond by Rod Pitcher, Australian National Institute

iii Jocelyn Cesari is an Associate at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Center for European Studies, teaching at the Harvard Divinity School and in the Government Department. She is a French political scientist, tenured at the French national Center for Scientific Research in Paris, and specializes in contemporary Islamic societies. (See Routledge)

iv  television news and current affairs channel 

v Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. (Qur’an 22: 39) [They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allah." And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might. (Qur’an 22: 40) See International Sahih, Qur’an

vi Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. (Qur’an 2:190-192) See International Sahih, Qur’an

vii Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. (Qur’an 60:8)

viii Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, or Peace be upon Him

ix An award-winning, non-religious current affairs platform

x Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, or "Glory to Him, the Exalted”