Islamic State And Islamophobes: Partners In Terrorism

As the name suggests, the Islamic State is an Islamo-nationalist movement. Its mission is not limited to their inbred and corrupted brand of Islam; in fact, ISIS’s driving force is nationalism. They proudly advertise the successful establishment of a “caliphate,” a feat ISIS uses to distinguish itself from all the other Islamist breeds, including Al-Qaeda. Keeping with the theme of governance, every terrorist group that pledges allegiance to ISIS is incorporated – not as an “affiliate” – but as a “province” (wilayat). Their terminology makes ISIS’s goals brutally clear: they plan to expand their territory to the ends of the earth.

Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, declared allegiance to ISIS in March, 2015. Image from Friends Of Iraq.

ISIS employs many tactics to meet that end. In part, their propaganda machine exploits the persecution, disenfranchisement, and alienation of Muslims worldwide. Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, discussed this problem in his article in Pakistan Today:

A collection of disgusting Islamophobic headlines, courtesy of British Tabloids. Image from Show Racism the Red Card.

The most significant [external factor] is the general Islamophobia that…ensures that Muslim youth…have to constantly be on the defensive. The media ridicules the religion of Islam, its God, its Prophet, its Holy Book, and customs. Worse, commentators have made it a practice of attributing non-Islamic customs ? like honor killings and female genital mutilation ? to Islam.

Islamophobia pushes the young…away from society and further feeds into their sense of alienation. Already feeling suspended between several cultures, they can fall prey to…the idea that far from their problems in Europe there is an ?Islamic State? promising a better life.

To illustrate, I ask you to stand the shoes of many Muslims around the world.


PEGIDA leader, Lutz Bachman, dressed as the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. PEGIDA popularity suffered tremendously after the spectacle. Image from Wikimedia.

First, imagine yourself as a German Muslim. Stand in his shoes, and imagine your reaction when the leader of PEGIDA (a criticized, but powerful anti-Muslim hate group) was finally branded a societal outcast ? not for spreading fear and hate against Muslims ? but after dressing up as Hitler?

How would you feel about this hypocrisy? Why is it, that when cartoonists desecrate the most sacred core of the Islamic faith, they are near-unanimously branded as champions of free speech? Yet, if anyone exposes the slightest hint about distrusting Jews, the whole world revolts in disgust?

Do you honestly believe this double standard goes unnoticed?


One of many Arizonians who harassed Muslims on their way to pray on May 29th, 2015. Many others carried assault rifles. Image from Occupy Democrats.

When a second-generation Dutch citizen is confronted in the streets by a crowd chanting,

“We are Holland!!! You are not!!! Muslim, get out!!! Muslim, get out!!!?

?should we be surprised when he flees? And where else should he go than a place that only HE can call home? What cause could be more fulfilling than venting his anger against the oppression that robbed him of his sense of self?

A French Mosque desecrated with the words, “Islam Out of Europe! and “Here is OUR Home!” Image from Islamophobia Today.

Like many others, he will flee to the Islamic State, where he is no longer an alien, but a native. After arriving, he will immediately burn his passport. After all, why should he keep it? Torching his papers isn’t just a sign of his determination to never turn back.?It’s a testament to the absolute uselessness of that form of identification.

Idol Worship...911 Murder...GO HOME...America? This happened in America? Image from CNN Blogs.
Idol Worship…911 Murder…GO HOME…America? This happened in America? Image from CNN Blogs.

Passports just aren’t needed in the Islamic State. There, you are not Syrian, nor are you Moroccan, Libyan, German, Dutch, British, or American. In the Islamic State, you are a Muslim. Here, you have finally found your home, your identity, your family, and your cause. This…is your Caliphate.


In conclusion, the attack on the ?most-artistic-bigot? contest in Texas and the multiple arrests throughout the United States prove that the war on ISIS extends beyond Syria and Iraq. Only now are we waking up to this fact.

Yet, the world remains oblivious to a greater truth: we have been fighting ISIS in the homeland for more than a decade. We are all conscripts in this war, where battles are not won by bombs and bullets, but by thoughts and words. We fight ISIS in the line at Starbucks and at every bus stop. We unwittingly volunteer for jihad with every raving crackpot Fox News conspiracy theory we share on Facebook. Every intolerant outburst we retweet is a victory for intolerance; every moment spent defending the innocents from hate and injustice is a victory for love and understanding.

The line in the sand is clearly drawn. Whose side have you been fighting for?


POST SCRIPT:

I encourage you to explore a valuable FAQ site at IntroductionToIslam.org and learn what Muslims believe, including what they think of Jesus, other faiths, and the status of women. Please use your knowledge to defend good people from all injustice, regardless of if, who, or how they worship.

Also, don’t forget to check out one of my previous articles, “Terrorism: An Ever-Evolving Virus, Deadlier Than Ever.”

 

Clayton Ousley lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his beautiful daughter, Charlotte (a German Shepherd/Alaskan Malamute mix). He has a BA in History and Intelligence Studies from Notre Dame College, and is currently working on his MA in Military History from Norwich University. He enjoys playing his bagpipes, reading, hiking, and cooking ethnic foods.