Leading
British Muslims have published a fatwa against the group that calls itself the
'Islamic State'.' The imams are hoping to change the minds of some of the
militant group's supporters.
Deutsche Welle, 4 Sep 2014
A group of
British imams couldn't have been more unequivocal in their condemnation of the
group that calls itself the "Islamic State" (IS).
"IS is
a heretical, extremist [organization] and it is religiously prohibited (haram)
to support or join it; furthermore, it is an obligation on British Muslims to
actively oppose its poisonous ideology, especially when this is promoted within
Britain," the group wrote in its fatwa that was published in the Sunday
Times.
The decree
was drafted by Sheikh Usama Hasan, a former east London imam and now head of
the Quilliam Foundation, a think-tank that focuses on challenging religious
extremism. It has also been endorsed by the head imams of Leicester and
Manchester Central Mosques.
"By
murdering prisoners of war, journalists and civilians, including mosque imams
who refused to endorse their campaign, and by enslaving the women and children
of their opponents, [IS] has violated international agreements such as the
Geneva Conventions and conventions on slavery that everyone, including Muslims,
have signed up to," the fatwa reads.
Demythologization?
The fatwa
could have various implications, according to Stephan Rosiny, a research fellow
at Hamburg's GIGA Institute of Middle East Studies. The fighters and supporters
of IS, for one, will most certainly disregard it: "According to these
people, anyone who doesn't recognize their caliphate is blasphemous, and, as
such, they will reject the authority of the imams who drafted this fatwa."
Other
Muslims, however, who support the political message at the heart of IS, could
be more amenable to the decree. Any theological discussion it prompts could
undermine the credibility of IS, Rosiny told DW.
"From
an ideological perspective, the 'Islamic State' could only be demythologized by
the Sunni community, by Sunni religious authorities," he said. "In
religious terms, the only way to do this would be to scrutinize the criteria
for the caliphate, and the religious justification for the violence perpetrated
in Iraq and Syria."
Religiously
inspired ideology
Usama
Hasan, who authored the fatwa, is convinced it will be effective in changing
the minds of those Muslims who abide by traditional Sunni authority. However,
there are people fighting for IS who have far different objectives, the imam
told DW, and these are chiefly concerned with power.
"These
people see a great advantage of combining forces with religiously motivated
fighters, people who truly believe in the religion," he said. "When
this happens, politics joins forces with religion, and the fight becomes one
dictated by the struggle for power."
Hasan said
he the role of religion in IS as subordinated, or rather utilized as a guise to
achieve far different goals: "We are talking about an ideology that is
merely inspired by religion. This could be called a very extreme version of
political Islam - one that justifies the use of violence in the endeavor to
found an Islamic state."
Rosiny
concurred with this analysis, adding that IS has built its dominion on a
"pseudo-religious foundation" of early Muslim tenets.
"These
include the declaration of a second Rashid caliphate, which links with the four
'righteous' Rashid caliphs from early Islam, from 632 to 661. 'Caliph Ibrahim'
[head of the Islamic State, al-Baghdadi, eds.] made frequent reference in his
first Friday prayer to these early symbols in a bid to create a semblance of
religious authority," he said.
These
religious emotions are finding confirmation and reinforcement the group's
military advances throughout northern Iraq and Syria. The success is seen as
proof that these fighters are doing God's work.
To things
are needed in order to defeat IS, according to Rosiny: "On the one hand,
military force is required to put an end to this chronology of success. And on
the other hand, theological authority is needed to call into question the
religious legitimacy of the group's pursuits."
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| The coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Djoko Suyanto, center, said on Monday that there is no place for ISIS in Indonesia. (JG Photo/Ezra Sihite) |
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