Takfīris' path to their "caliphate" is soaked with the blood of Muslims
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*

Gaining new territories that are rich in natural resources
like water, oil, and gas emboldened ISIL fighters. They now think that they
have the military power, economic resources, and ideology to form an
independent nation that is governed by their version of Islam—so-called true Sunni Islam.
However, the problems they faced immediately upon the declaration signaled the
level of disconnect between ISIL ideologues and the reality on the ground. Even
the most ardent supporters of their brand of Islam have complained that ISIL’s reinstatement of the caliphate is
an error.

The rise of ISIL is, however, a rebuke to some governments
(mostly from the West and the Gulf states) who embrace violence in order to
bring about regime change. It is also a confirmation that violence and war will
always lead to incurable social division and brutal strife. These realities are
manifesting themselves today in Syria and Iraq and in the emergence of
sectarian extremist groups like ISIL. Three other key factors have contributed
to the rise of ISIL and groups like it: the illegal invasion of Iraq, the
militarization of the uprisings in Libya and Syria, and the appeasement of the
undemocratic sectarian regimes in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Violent extremism was allowed to thrive when it was
confronted militarily but not ideologically. That was both a logical and
strategic mistake. Logically, one cannot end an undesired behavior by embracing
it. That is, one cannot say that violence is abhorrent, yet use it to achieve
one’s goals. By supporting violent groups in Syria, the West and its allies
legitimized the very tactics used by ISIL to achieve its goals in Iraq.
Strategically, by using violence to eliminate sectarian extremists instead of
confronting the rulers and religious authorities in countries that espouse
violent sectarian creeds, the West essentially chose to deal with the effects but
not the roots of the phenomenon. The solution is to ask countries whose
institutions teach hate, supremacy, and exclusion to reform and to respect
human dignity. Without addressing the root of the problem, the rulers of
countries that embrace the takfīrism will soon be engulfed
by the same elements they have produced, tolerated, employed, and/or exported.
ISIL’s reinstatement of the caliphate and its leader’s call
to “Muslim scholars, soldiers, and scientists to migrate to the ‘state’” might
be a positive development in that it ended al-Qaeda and forced Zawahiri, Bin
Laden replacement, into early retirement, created internal strife among
Salafis--the stream of Islamists that feeds takfīri fighters, and
exposed them as a cross-border threat. ISIL’s action may also result in freeing
the rest of world of the preachers of hate and the messengers of death when
they migrate to live under the uncompromising justice of the sword and the
total surrender of their free choice they want to impose on others.
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PS. Caliphate is the governing institution that ruled
Islamic societies since the death of the Prophet Muhammad. The caliph is the
head of such a government. The qualifications, form of governance, and terms of
relationship between the ruler and the ruled differed from person to person and
from dynasty/clan to another. After the death of the third caliph `Uthmān, the legitimacy
of caliphs became contested and often more than one caliph ruled different
regions and different community.
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* Prof. SOUAIAIA teaches at the University of Iowa. His
most recent book, Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies, provides a historical and theoretical
treatment of rebellious movements and ideas since the rise of Islam. Opinions
are the author’s, speaking on matters of public interest; not speaking for the
university or any other organization with which he is affiliated.
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