After Establishment of Taliban, Growing Threat of IS-K towards India and Roles of Indian Ulama and Muslims

Refuting Anti-India Narratives of IS-K Is Imperative For Indian Ulama and Muslim Authorities Main Points 1. IS-K is more active in Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. 2. Preventing Possible Threat of IS-K to India is compulsory on Indian Ulama and Muslim Scholars. 3. Muslims should not let the game of terror, hatred, and destruction be played in the name of Islam. 4. The terrorists have changed their focus from the Af-Pak region to the Indian subcontinent; therefore it is the responsibility of Indian Muslims to refute the terror narratives. 5. Indian Ulama and Muslim intellectuals should repeatedly declare that the rulings of war-related Quranic verses and Ahadith are contextual and can’t be applied today. ----- New Age Islam Staff Writer 23 September 2021 (Photo courtesy: European Eye of Radicalisation) -Islamic State’s Khorasan Province: A Potent Force in Afghan Jihad ------ ISIS built its so-called ‘caliphate’ the size of Britain in Iraq and larger areas of Syria. It arose from the womb of al-Qaeda, but it quickly outgrew al-Qaeda and became the focus of worldwide jihadist concern. It formed up camp in Nangarhar and other provinces of Afghanistan. Shehab Al-Muhajir is the current emir. According to a June UN study, in the months preceding up to the US withdrawal, 8,000 to 10,000 jihadist fighters infiltrated Uighur Afghanistan from Central Asian states, Russia's North Caucasus, Pakistan, and China's Xinjiang province. Some joined the Taliban, while the majority joined the Islamic State of Khorasan. In addition to the TTP, the Taliban has close ties to al-Qaeda, but the Islamic State of Khorasan has labelled the Taliban as a US agent and is reportedly waging a war against it. It has also been joined by certain enraged Taliban fighters who, like ISIS in Khurasan, believe in global jihad rather than nationality. According to a study published in September of last year on several websites of India, ISIS was attempting to attract adolescents from several states, particularly the southern states of India, into its terrorist group. Individuals who joined IS were brought to the attention of the Central and State Security Agencies. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) then opened 17 investigations on the existence of ISIS in the southern states of Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, arresting 122 suspects. IS has taken on many forms, including Islamic State, Islamic State of Iraq and The Levant, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Daish, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K). To spread its ideas, this terrorist group has used a variety of internet-based social media platforms. We previously reproduced some quotes from the ISIS journal ‘Voice of Hind' on New Age Islam, which offered an indication of their thoughts on how they may use Islam to attract India's naive youth. The agencies concerned are keeping a tight eye on cyberspace in this regard, and legal action is being taken as needed. However, the issue remains: what can Indian Ulama and intellectual Muslims do in order to prevent youth recruitment into IS, particularly IS-K, following the creation of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan? Facing this question, the Muslim Ummah is currently in a state of disarray. They are unable to comprehend how to combat modern-day terrorists. However, there is no doubt that terrorists’ views and ideals play a significant role in brainwashing the youth. These beliefs are being promoted under the banner of Islam. Whatever voices we raise in reaction to these notions are silenced. Terrorist organizations continue to carry out their purpose, but by criticizing terrorists, we sometimes become silent. We must remember that if we do not consistently repudiate terrorist ideology, the non-Muslim class will become increasingly sceptical of us, putting us in double jeopardy. While dealing with the question, the mainstream Muslims must have been in a condition of mental anguish. On the one hand, anti-Islamic groups strive relentlessly to carry out their wicked objectives, while on the other side, there are Muslims who spill the blood of unarmed people, slit the throats of women, and murder innocent people. They are prepared to incorporate it into Sharia law. The issue is that we can endure attacks from outside forces, but what about attacks from within? How can individuals who consider terrorism as a guarantee of Islam be stopped? How do we defeat those who rationalize tyranny in exchange for persecution? How can we prevent these top terrorists from carrying out suicide assaults in the name of Islam on schools, Sufi shrines, religious gatherings, places of worship, and highways? How can terrorists who are fighting for the establishment of governments or their ‘Emirate’ or ‘Caliphate’, and who have labelled their fight as jihad to sanctify their effort, be stopped? Have they not read about Islamic battles in the past? Did they not notice that the Holy Prophet never killed a person who was not guilty? Don't they realize that chasing someone while escaping war is also considered undesirable by Islam? Some would explain to these misguided youth that the Prophet who spread Islam was sent down by Allah as a mercy to the worlds. The game of terror, hatred, and destruction cannot be played in the name of this great Prophet [peace be upon him]. Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood, and it forbids the killing of unarmed citizens, especially women, children, the elderly, the helpless, and the weak. Terrorist organisations, on the other hand, do not accept these things. However, we Muslims must never lose confidence in our struggle against terrorist narratives, which are spreading over the world under the guise of Islam. These are the concerns that the Muslim Ummah, particularly the Ulama, will have to come together to address by creating a theology of peace and refuting anti-terrorist narratives. Indian Ulama and Muslim intellectuals must know that the terrorists have changed their focus from the Af-Pak region to the Indian subcontinent, particularly the Kashmir region, according to the 2021 editions of Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind (primarily from January to April 2021). The magazine (in its issue of January 2021) featured a striking cover and invited the believers to fight India's Mushrikin (polytheists), citing a hadith report from Musnad Ahmad that reads, "In this [Islamic] Ummah, forces will be sent to Sindh and Hind [to wage jihad and thus ensure their deliverance from the hellfire]." These are the kinds of thoughts and ideas that might easily lead a young person astray. Because such anti-India propaganda is being spread in the name of Islam, Indian Ulama, Muslim scholars, and thinkers must take a leading role in refuting this terrorist ideology. They should delve into ISIS's theology and dispute it. The Ulama must reconsider their perspective and recognise that they are no longer in the 7th and 8th centuries when Islamic theology and jurisprudence had essentially matured. Need we remind them that this is the twenty-first century? The world has altered dramatically. Ghazwas are no longer possible. The United Nations Charter, which has been signed by almost every country on the planet, currently governs the world. Indian Ulama and Muslim intellectuals should repeatedly declare that the rulings of war-related Quranic verses and Ahadith are contextual and can’t be applied today. For instance, the Quranic verse “kill the Mushrikin wherever you find them” (9:5)should be rightly interpreted in the same way as a renowned classical scholar Abu Bakr al-Jassas (d.370H) wrote while interpreting the same verse, "صارقوله تعالى: {فَاقْتُلُواالمُشْرِكِين َحَيْث ُوَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ} خاصّاً في مشركي العرب دون غيرهم" Translation: “The verse (Kill the Mushrikin wherever you find them) was particular to the Mushrikin of Arab and does not apply to anyone else” (Ahkam al-Quran lilJassas, V. 5, p. 270, Arabic edition- English translation mine). They should read out the warnings given in the Quran and Sunnah regarding violations of non-Muslims' human rights, such as the warnings given to Muslims in the following Quranic passages and Sunnah. Allah says in the Quran, “Whoever killed a person (unjustly), except as a punishment for murder or for (spreading) disorder in the land, it would be as if he killed all the people (of society); and whoever (saved him from unjust murder and) made him survive, it would be as if he saved the lives of all the people (of society, i.e., he rescued the collective system of human life). And indeed, Our Messengers came to them with evident signs. Yet, even after that, the majority from amongst these people are certainly those who commit excesses in the land” (5:32) “Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (60:8) “Beware, if anyone persecutes any peaceful non-Muslim citizen [Mu’ahid] or diminishes his right, or forces him to work beyond his capacity, or takes from him anything without his consent, I shall plead for him on the Day of Judgment.” (Please see Sunan Abi Dawud – Book 20, Hadith 125- Arabic reference). Even during the state of war these injunctions were given, “Do not kill any child, any woman, or any elder or sick person.” (Sunan Abu Dawud), “Do not practice treachery or mutilation. (Muwatta Malik), “Do not destroy the villages and towns, do not spoil the cultivated fields and gardens and do not slaughter the cattle.” (Sahih Bukhari; Sunan Abu Dawud), “Do not kill the monks in monasteries, and do not kill those sitting in places of worship. (Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal). These injunctions should be repeated to remind Muslims that the goal of Islamic fighting during the Prophet's time was to prevent religious persecution and promote religious freedom and security for all religious communities, whereas modern "Islamist" terror groups are the most blatant violators of such injunctions; they persecute religious communities themselves and are thus among the Zalimoon upon whom is “the curse of Allah and the angels and of men, all together. Surah Ale Imran (3): verses 86, 87) The Quran tells us: “And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah? These shall be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses shall say: These are they who lied against their Lord. Now surely the curse of Allah is on the Zalimoon (the unjust and oppressors).” (Q: 11:18). This surely applies to ISIS ideologues, the Zalimoon who have virtually invented a new religion in the name of Islam, whose basic purpose is to defame Islam. These are only a handful of the many ways by which the Ulama and Muslim scholars can and should expand their influence in the public sphere. More importantly, they should keep a close eye on ISIS's "Islamist" narratives and refute them point by point. Furthermore, Islamic teachings on peace and pluralism, such as those mentioned above, are the suitable demand and requirement of our day. Apart from becoming influential only for mainstream Muslims, they should make these teachings acceptable even to covert sympathisers of "Islamist" terror groups. URL: New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism