Intro : The recent attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait have once again reinforced the perception that the vicious cycle of terror will continue in future with no solution insight and Islamic world will overwhelmingly continue to support the ideology of ISIS by letting its posterity join terrorist organisations.
Recently, Qatar based Al-Jazeera conducted a poll for its Arabic speaking population to know their opinion on the victories of ISIS. And more than 81 per cent respondents supported the ISIS. Survey’s result justifies activist Tarek Fatah’s statement “Within Islam, there is a running celebration of violence”. This should be an eye opener for the political class in India which tries very hard to give convincing arguments that only a small percentage of Muslims are involved in terrorist activities. Long before ISIS, the political class comprising of the self proclaimed preachers and torch bearers of the so-called secular brigade gave clean chits to the Muslim terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. The arguments, secularists put forward in the defence of the disgruntled Kashmiri Muslims are the lack of jobs and neglect by the centre. One wonders whether the political class and the secularists have stuck to their arguments in the light of responses to the survey conducted by the Al-Jazeera. Will they explain why the Kashmiri Pundits have not taken up arms to avenge their exodus from the Valley? Will the secularists and the political leadership explain why Pundits despite living as refugees in their own country have not shown any sign of alienation?
In India, media and political commentators hold that Hindu organisations are responsible for the growing insecurity amongst the minorities, but they have never uttered a word against the Indian Muslims who are joining the IS without provocation. The political commentators have displayed strong aversion for Hinduism enough times and derided Hindu organisations. But, these political commentators have not uttered a word against Islamic terrorism which is intrinsically interwoven with the doctrine of armed Jihad and supremacy of Muslims over non-Muslims. These political commentators have sharpened their attacks on the Modi government and accuse it of not doing enough to instil confidence in the minorities, but have not written a sentence at the plight of the Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In India, it’s easier and politically convenient to blame Hindu nationalist organisations for forcing Muslim youths to join terrorist organisations but can the same blame be laid at the door step of West also?
It has been seen that Muslim boys and girls born and raised in West are also joining IS in Iraq and Syria. A couple of months ago three British Muslim girls left their country to join the IS and now reports have emerged that three UK based sisters with their nine children have joined the ISIS Jihad. This is definitely mind boggling. Why on earth somebody would like to leave the quality lifestyle of the UK and head to join the IS? It’s not from UK alone that people have travelled and joined the inhuman and barbaric IS. Last year, in terrorist attacks in Canada two soldiers were killed by suspects whom Canadian authorities had barred from travelling abroad as they suspected them to join the IS in Iraq.
The world is trying to figure out the inspiration behind young Muslim boys and girls who are rushing to join IS. The answer has come from a former Islamist Alyas Kirmani. He said in an interview that he was of the opinion that Muslim youths were joining IS because they want sex. Is it only the lust for sex or a strong desire to have 72 Hoors (virgins) in Janat (Heaven)? The question that arises is that if boys are going for sexual escapades, what the hell on earth is inspiring young Muslim girls to run from their homes and join the brigade of sexual perverts? These girls who are willingly or inspired by Quranic beliefs to join the IS, are well aware of the stories trickling from the IS held areas and the treatment meted out to the young girls and women of minorities—Yazdis, Kurds, Shite and Christians.
Najmuddin Faraz Ahmad, known as Mullan Krekar, a Kurdish sunni Islamic scholar also in an interview said that “We would defend our religion with our blood”, and he further stated that anyone who would dishonour Islam would die. He justified the attack at the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in which twelve people lost their lives including magazine’s cartoonists for publishing the cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. Mullah Kekar further said “The cartoonist has become an infidel in war and therefore it’s permissible to kill him”. He justified attacks under Islamic laws. “As he has trampled on our dignity, our principles and beliefs, so he must die. Anyone who does not respect 30 per cent of world’s population has no right to live”. His interview was considered so threatening that Norwegian police arrested him. Mullah Kekar was charged for inciting criminal offences for the extreme statements.
The world had denounced the attack on Charlie Hebdo. In India critics of Hindu nationalist organisations went underground for days. No protest rallies or candle marches were organised by the secularist forces, intellectuals and political commentators. Media fraternity in India did not debate the attack and also did not show enough courage to ask Muslim clerics to denounce the killings in the name of Allah. The same media has big problems when Surya Namaskar is introduced. It immediately terms the entire exercise communal and controversial, but is not hesitant and ashamed to run a news story on IS and glorifying a terrorist organisation with background caption that reads “Ugte IS ko Namaskar” (Namaskar to Rising IS) and the presenter is a non-Hindu. It’s the same media that allowed a young female participant to ask IMF chief a question on ‘7.5 per cent of inclusive growth…Concentrated in Hindu male population’. But this media has not been able to exhort Muslims to stand up and say “Enough is enough and stop treating women as sex slaves in IS held areas”.
We need to do introspection, why 81 per ecnt respondents supported the victories of ISIS which is responsible for mass and gruesome killings unknown in modern times. What made Alyas Kirmani, who was radicalised at a young age that Muslim boys are joining IS for sex. Is there a clear co-relation between Alyas’s evaluation of young Muslim boys and the respondents overwhelming support for IS victories in Al-Jazeera’s survey. What made Mullah Krekar give an overt threat that those who do not respect world’s 30 per cent population have no rights to live in this world? We can’t expect answers to come from a timid media, political commentators and political class of India with secular credentials having vested interests. The answers also can’t come from India’s Muslim society which is seen siding with terror groups with their silence. The recent attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait have once again reinforced the perception that the vicious cycle of terror and killings will continue in future with no solution insight.
Manoj Sharma (The writer is a senior columnist)
(July 12, 2015 Page: 23-24)
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