The
leader of the notorious Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has finally achieved
the minimum requirements to establish his state: occupied areas in Iraq and
Syria, controlled check points at regional borders, thousands of followers from
salafists worldwide, access to oil and resources, decent weaponry confiscated
from Americans and promised state/personal funding (controversial is the source).
That is why the group’s leader’s announcement of his appointment as the khalifa
of all Muslims, after having established/revived the Khilafa in the Levant,
crowned the triumphant trajectory of the ISIS throughout the past year or so
(as a fully independent group).
The establishment
of an Islamic State, led by the new Khalifa Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, and the call
for immigration to the new State should be very worrying as the idea does appeal
to many. The foundations of a state are present: land, check; resources, check;
army, check; philosophical base of founding the state; check; promises of guaranteed
economic well-being and social justice with the enforcement of divine rules, check;
a political system based also on divine revelations and interpretations, also
check. ISIS, after all , managed to achieve what other salafist groups, mainly Al
Qaeda, failed to. It founded an Islamic state (and is not worried about UN recognition) whose foundations appeal to the oppressed and the poor, a state that gives hope to the
many who have been done injustice, and promises dignity of a nation that has
long been suffering oppression, utilization, exploitation and humiliation.
The
Sunday call of the Al Baghdadi on all Muslims to immigrate to the newly
established state should be taken very seriously by regional and international authorities;
signs of actual support and allegiance to the group have already been demonstrated
with the affiliation of thousands with the Group….having a state where they can
call the shots and practice/enjoy full sovereignty should be just as popular. But then agaon, how worried should these countries be? When Muslims in the UK, Spain, France, USA, Jordan, Chechnya, Indonesia and
other countries across the globe who
sympathize with the ISIS hear the call, how will they react? Will they pack and
leave?
The
main question is the following: how attractive would it be for a jihadist to
uproot his family from a safe and stable country (despite economic woos and other
complaints) and start anew in the new Islamic State? When it comes to the practicality
of the issue, when all rhetoric fades, when the urge to kill and put mortal
combat techniques in practice dwindles, and when fighters choose to take a rest
and go back home for a while (as many do), will the Islamic State still be an
attractive alternative to one’s won homeland? Nearly one hundred years have
passed since the existence of an all-encompassing Islamic Empire, during which
nation-states have been up and functioning…do these one hundred years not have
any impact on the preference of citizens’ lifestyles? Is it not too early to
tear down borders and mesh people together under the name of Islam? Are these
questions considered by ISIS followers and their families?
The ISIS
perhaps did not take into account the psychological aspect of human behaviour,
considering that rhetoric and heroic slogans - as attractive as they may be - reflect differently on actual
day-to-day life styles. Did they not see how miserably the Taliban movement
failed and how many rejected its doctrine? A movement – no matter how supreme and
idealistic and acceptable its slogans are – should separate what people say and
believe and what they actually are ready to do.
The
few coming months are critical; immigration to the Islamic State is possible as
the ISIS controls many border check points and can, for a while, sustain an
economy and provide basic services. Perhaps regional countries' dilemma would
be whether they should let these enthusiasts leave and never come back, where
they can suffer from their own poor choices and what becoming an IS citizen
means, or, as always championed in this blog, try to win their people back by
carrying out promised political and economic reforms, guaranteeing a dignified
life and therefore rendering IS completely unnecessary. If not, then please expedite
the inauguration of an IS embassy or a consulate for visa services.
Ps: please note
that I am very proud of my Islamic heritage. Many Islamic states today, and most
Islamic empires before, have contributed generously to the world, serving as the
heartland of science, philosophy and art. Islam was, is and will always be an
elegant and peaceful way of life…a divine revelation that blessed us. These
fundamentalists will never speak in the name of Islam and will never represent
believers.
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