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A Call to the Free World:

BAN POLITICAL ISLAM

1)

Does ISIS represent Islam or

Muslims?

Does ISIS represent Islam or Muslims?

Magdi Khalil
Since the events of September 11, 2001, I have been keeping track of the reactions
of Islamic institutions and organizations located in the Middle East and across the
Western World. These reactions remained mostly unchanged throughout the
dozens of terrorist incidents committed by Muslims against Western targets,
starting with the events of September 11 in 2001 and ending with the Paris attacks
and the San Bernardino shooting in 2015. The reactions followed three predictable
patterns: the rst emphasized the justi cation angle, i.e. we condemn the attacks,
but the fact is that Muslims are being oppressed in Palestine and later in
Afghanistan, then in Iraq and nally in Syria; the second pattern focused on
reminding the Western World that al-Qaeda does not represent Islam, Boko Haram
does not represent Islam, and ISIS also does not represent Islam; and the third
took the form of warnings against any attacks on Muslims or Mosques in the West.
None of this was surprising since Islamic organizations and institutions are known
for showing little concern for the truth as they blindly defend their faith. What was
surprising was President Obamas conviction that ISIS did not represent Islam. This
either means that he does not know Islam as well as he thinks, or that he knows,
but his selective truth-telling is meant to convey a completely positive and innocent
image of Islam, in a way that brings to mind the reactions of Islamic countries and
organizations.

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Does ISIS represent Islam or Muslims?

3/17/2016
Islamic Articles
ISIS , Islamic State , I.S. , Daesh
ISIS is uniquely quali ed to
represent Islam since it is faithfully
applying Islamic law and provisions,
without exceptions and to the
letter. Yet, it does not represent
Muslims since many Muslims do...

A Call to the Free World: BAN POLITICAL

ISLAM

3/16/2016

It should be noted that many people remain confused when it comes to

3/16/2016

ISIS/ISIL/Daesh and similar organizations, wondering whether they represent Islam

or Muslims? Making no distinction between Islam and Muslims, or confusing one

Islamic Articles

for the other is a common mistake. The confusion is partly stemming from Islamic
ideology, which dictates that a Muslims devotion to Islam must supersede
anything else no matter how valuable, be it a homeland, community, ethnicity,
duty, accomplishment, relations or ties of any sort. Thus, Muslims are sort of
con ned into an Islamic bubble, where they are rst and foremost de ned by
their religion. This is the core of Islamic ideology, whether old or contemporary,
which may explain how easy it is to mix up Muslims with Islam, to the point where
any criticism of Islam as a religion is considered an abuse of Muslim people!!!
On one hand, it is true that ISIS does not represent Muslims, because Muslims are
widespread across the religious spectrum, in between moderates, conservatives,
extremists, and terrorists. In many cases, research and intelligence data estimates
that 10% -15% of the Muslim population are extremists, while religious
conservatives make up about 30% of the Muslim population (a conservative
Muslim is considered a potential extremist, while a Muslim extremist is a potential
terrorist, so terrorism may begin with the conservative and culminate with the
terrorist). The remaining Muslims (more than 50% of the Muslim population) are
on various spectrums due to their interaction with di erent cultures and
civilizations and the in uence of those cultures, which makes them more a product
of the human community rather than the Islamic community.
On the other hand, ISIS does represent Islam, which is a fact acknowledged by
scholars who have studied Islam and Islamic history. It is not unreasonable to claim
that ISIS represents the essence of Islam like no other, and that it is the perfect
embodiment of the early era of Islamic history that followed Prophet Mohammeds
migration to Medina. ISIS, therefore, serves as an honest and authentic mirror that
re ects the face of Islam, providing helpful insights for those who have no
knowledge of true Islam:
First: ISIS believes that the true and pure form of Islam is found in Prophet
Muhammads era, and the period that followed his death under the reign of the
four Caliphs. Therefore, it is striving to recapture that time and to literally recreate
that early era in full details. They adhere to a recorded saying (hadith) by Prophet
Muhammad claiming that The best amongst the people are those living in my
century (generation), and then those coming after them, and then those coming
after the latter.
Second: Every criminal act committed by ISIS, whether burning, crucifying or
slaughtering victims, is in accordance to Islamic law, and was supported by
legitimate references and arguments based on the Quran and Sunnah, which were
provided by ISIS before each crime was committed. Furthermore, ISIS has a highly
quali ed team of Islamic scholars and experts on Islamic law and doctrine, and its
founder holds a doctorate in Islamic law. As a result, knowledgeable Muslim
scholars nd it di cult to dispute the legitimacy of ISIS actions.
Third: ISIS main goal is to revive the Islamic Caliphate, following in the footsteps of
the Prophet of Islam, and driven by his recorded sayings and commandments.
Islamic organizations worldwide share this conviction and seek to achieve the same
goal.

Political Islam
This article is not about Islam as a
religion or most of the worlds
Muslims. It is about combating an
extreme version of Islam that is
de ned as Political Islam that
claims to be the onl...

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Fourth: the ags and banners raised by ISIS are those of Muhammad, and their
Islamic cheers and slogans are literally copied from the rst Islamic era, when they
were originally uttered by Muhammad and his companions.
Fifth: ISIS believes in Islamic nationhood, meaning that Muslims belong above all to
the Islamic Nation, hence ISIS call to Muslims across the world to join them in
battle and to live in their Islamic State. Those who have responded to that call may
belong to various countries, but they all share the same belief in Islamic
nationhood, and the conviction that ISIS is committed to true Islam.
Sixth: ISIS represents a Jihadi, invading and violent Islam, which began with the
State established in Medina, and only ceased during periods in History when
Muslims were subjugated.
Seventh: ISIS Islamic discourse is an extension of the main Islamic rhetoric rst
formulated by Muhammad and his companions, and later echoed by senior Imams
across the four sects, and by writers of hadith and prominent Muslim scholars and
jurists throughout history. ISIS did not deviate from this discourse, and has
preserved its content and spirit.
Eighth: The practices maintained by ISIS, in every aspect of life, are an exact replica
of the Islamic traditions and practices of early Islam.
Ninth: The bringing down of civilizations has been considered a legitimate Islamic
pursuit throughout history, and is the one achievement that Islam can fully claim.
Islamic organizations around the world believe that the Prophet of Islam had
promised in a recorded hadith to defeat Rome, i.e. the contemporary Western
European civilization. Islamic organizations, from the Muslim Brotherhood to alQaida and nally ISIS, have embraced that promise as their main purpose. They
have faith that they will eventually bring down the Western civilization, and this
faith, which fuels their hostility toward the Western World, is rooted in
Muhammads approach and promises.
Tenth: ISIS devotion to Islam has also made Al-Azhar, which is considered a key
institution in the Sunni world and the defender of true Islam, refrain from accusing
them of apostasy, on the basis that they are monotheistic believers who have done
no harm to the Muslim faith. An accusation of apostasy means that a Muslims faith
was discredited, and found to be lacking or impure. In that context, Al-Azhars lack
of censure can only mean that ISIS is keeping true to the spirit of Islam. It is worth
mentioning that Al-Azhar had branded dozens of intellectuals, writers and artists in
the last ve decades as apostates and unbelievers, yet it refused to discredit alQaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS, bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi or Abu Bakr alBaghdadi since they were deemed to be faithful and good Muslims. Furthermore,
not a single Islamic fatwa has been issued in an Islamic country to denounce these
terrorists as heretics.
Al-Azhar is not the only Islamic institution that did not denounce ISIS as apostates
who are acting outside the bounds of Islam. This lack of action and the silent
refusal to cast ISIS out of the Islamic fold is a common stance among Islamic
institutions and organizations across the world, despite the fact that these
organizations routinely use the ka r/apostate label as a key weapon against their
adversaries, which clearly implies that, from their perspective, ISIS is far from being
an enemy.

Eleventh: The fact that Muslims fail to report the terrorists who live among them,
and whose whereabouts are well known, strongly suggests that they believe them
to be devout Muslims who uphold true Islam. For example, Ayman al-Zawahiri still
lives among Pakistani Muslims, and the Pakistani government was aware of bin
Ladens presence and was taken by surprise at his death in a US raid. Most of the
Islamist terrorists across the world, whether in the East or the West, are known to
their Muslim neighbors and community, yet this community continues to harbor
them and cover their tracks, despite being aware of the seriousness of the crimes
they are committing or planning to commit.
Finally: We have seen dozens of demonstrations around the world where Muslims
strongly protested against cartoons or drawings criticizing Islam, or against a shot
in a movie or a statement by the Pope of Rome that they thought was against
Islam. One sentence in an article or an artwork that criticizes Islamic history was
deemed signi cant enough to warrantee a protest. If Muslims truly believed that
al-Qaeda, ISIS and similar organizations were a disgrace to Islam, shouldnt they be
out in the streets en masse to protest their actions? It is quite telling that not a
single protest was launched against these terrorist organizations in any Islamic
country.
This brings us back to the argument made in the beginning of the article: ISIS
is uniquely quali ed to represent Islam since it is faithfully applying Islamic
law and provisions, without exceptions and to the letter. Yet, it does not
represent Muslims since many Muslims do not fully adhere to Islam nor do
they literally apply its provisions and therein lies the di erence.
Magdi Khalil is the founder and president of Middle East Freedom Forum-CairoWashington
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Does ISIS represent Islam or Muslims? 3/17/2016

A Call to the Free World: BAN POLITICAL ISLAM 3/16/2016
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