Terrorism a blight of nations

The emergence of Islamic State (IS), the Sunni extremist group, and its insuppressible advancement have become a reason for trepidation for people around the world especially America and the Gulf countries.

The group headed by a self proclaimed caliph was grown out of the most dangerous international oraganisation, Al Qaeda and follows its hard-line ideology. It has captured a major part of Iraq and Syria slaughtering thousands and claims religious authority over Muslims all over the globe aiming to bring much of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control. The militant group is believed to have a rich fund of billions of dollars for their support, a fact that is dubious as well as one that raises alarm and also has member strength of thousands led by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the prisoner released from Guantanamo in 2009.

Obama who had initially turned a deaf ear towards the Kurd’s plea to help battle the brutal attacks of IS, later backed them to fight the insurgency with airstrikes and helped with air drops of food supplies for the affected civilians. The Kurds in northern Iraq is America's strongest ally in the Middle East. The US had also stepped back from the formation of an inclusive Sunni-Shia-Kurd central government which was put forward as a solution to Iraq crisis. The US stance in the world affairs be it the Israel- Palestine conflict or the IS, is as always, cynical and dubious. It was only after the mass killings of thousands, massive disfiguring of the region and beheading of the two US journalists and an another alleged death threat , that America and its key allies agreed to take on the IS militants by squeezing their financial resources and countering them with military might. It is blatantly known fact that the media, mostly Western, is biased, protecting the interests of the West through reporting and covering only what benefits them.

Ayman al Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaida, recently announced the formation of an Indian branch of the extremist organisation, calling on Muslims across the subcontinent to join the "caravan of jihad". In the 55 minute long video, Zawahiri said that it would fight on behalf of the Muslims suffering "injustice and oppression in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Kashmir". At the time when terrorist groups committed to different ideologies are springing up every now and then, the release of the video has sparked alarms and alerts all over the nation. The government has issued high level terror alert.

The president of All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat, the apex body of the Indian Muslim organizations, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan condemned Zawahiri’s statement warning him not complicate problems of the Indian Muslims. He said that Indian Muslims were loyal towards their country and would fight Al Qaida if needed adding that the Muslims in the country did not need the help of a foreign terrorist outfit since they were protected by the constitution and law. Khan also appealed to the Muslim youths not to get carried away by the terrorist propaganda which do not belong to the enlightened and moderate mainstream Islam. The Muslims in India have always stood for their country whenever the situation demanded and would certainly not be shaken with the arrival of these foreign terrorist organizations, be it Al Qaida, Lashkar e taiba or the Islamic State.