IS: A mark of religious fanaticism

The Islamic State (IS), one of the most dangerous jihadist groups so far, is tightening its grip over the Middle East regions after capturing large swathes of Iraq, Syria and Libya advancing at a rapid pace and terrorizing its adversaries all over the world.

The Sunni militia group entered the international scene in June 2014 by formally declaring the establishment of a ‘caliphate’ which is governed according to Islamic law or Sharia and announcing Abu Bakr al Baghdadi as their ‘caliph’. The Muslims all over the world were to swear allegiance to its leader and move to the territory under its control. The extremists considered themselves the only true believers massacring its adversaries, be it the Muslims who didn’t follow them or those belonging to other ethnic and religious minority communities. The IS militants came to be known for its brutalities in the areas it controlled including mass killings, suicide bombings, abductions and beheadings and justified the atrocities they carried out using the Quran and Hadith. But the Muslims all over have denounced them. The Prophet built a model social order layered with peace and courage. Being free of hunger and fear were the main goals of Islamic social set up. But the fact that the same historic places where the Prophet lived as well as the cities built by his followers now emanate fear and uncertainty is a painful reality in history. Islamic State has been declared as a terrorist organization by the UN and most of the countries are presently engaged in war against the group.

Shocking stories of violence and bloodshed in the Arab countries by the militant group dominate the newspaper headlines. The insurgents continue to terrorise the world through their brutal mode of operation. There have been different opinions regarding the veracity of reports about the IS militants and the people who get arrested for alleged links with the group. Islamic State is widely believed to be formed as part of covert missions involving the US and Israel. The Arab Muslim countries that acknowledge the fact provide evidences to back their beliefs. Those who are aware of the Israeli agenda of destabilizing the Muslim countries aren’t surprised about their existence or advancement. According to them the insurgents who unleash violence all over the Arab countries haven’t touched Israel so far. Even though Israel has a role in their formation, the terror group doesn’t exist on the basis of the Zionist nation alone. The stark reality is that Islamic State exists in real and is fast expanding its control over the Middle East attracting support from different parts of the world especially people from Syria and Iraq. The narrow-minded and prejudiced knowledge about Islam is one of the reasons they are pulled towards the militant group. The religious interpretation based on intolerance is what leads the IS. Therefore one of the ways to inhibit the growth of such terror groups is to encourage the learning of the real essence of Islam.

Islamic State mainly targets the disparities within Islam and not the other communities. They spread and implement the bizarre theory that all Muslims and atheists outside their interpretation deserve death and repudiate the differences of opinions. Therefore the most important way to end the rapid advancement of the militant group is to respect the diverse opinions and to nurture healthy and productive relations with all the communities. Theoretical initiatives should emerge from within the Muslim world against the group. Muslim organizations coming forward with such initiatives are laudable. It’s an arduous task to openly resist the machinations of imperialism and the brutal deeds of narrow-minded religiosity at the same time. Therefore it’s absolutely necessary to take up this challenge to stop the advancement of IS.