College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Islam and IS

By now every American is an expert on ISIS or ISIL or IS, whichever acronym you choose to use….but the fact is they know very little or nothing at all.  Sure they are or at least claim to be an Islamic organization and that one point can be argued…..from what I have learned of Islam they are NOT…the word is NOT…..an Islamic anything….they are an authoritarian group of thugs and brutes….but that is an argument for another day……

The question should be….where did IS get their ideals…..what drives them to do unspeakable things in the name of a religion that wants NOTHING to do with them?

IS, AQ and Boko Haram have their beginnings in a sect of Islam known as wahhabism which is not the mainline Islam faith but has become a strong contender….now you may ask what is wahhabism?

This movement, commonly known as the Wahhabi movement, grew out of the scholarship and preaching of Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab, a scholar of Islamic jurisprudence who had studied in Mesopotamia and the Hijaz before returning to his native Najd to preach his message of Islamic reform.

Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab was concerned with the way the people of Najd engaged in practices he considered polytheistic, such as praying to saints; making pilgrimages to tombs and special mosques; venerating trees, caves, and stones; and using votive and sacrificial offerings. He was also concerned by what he viewed as a laxity in adhering to Islamic law and in performing religious devotions, such as indifference to the plight of widows and orphans, adultery, lack of attention to obligatory prayers, and failure to allocate shares of inheritance fairly to women.

Under the Wahhabis, however, the ban extended to all intoxicating drinks and other stimulants, including tobacco. Modest dress is prescribed for both men and women in accordance with the Quran, but the Wahhabis specify the type of clothing that should be worn, especially by women, and forbid the wearing of silk and gold, although the latter ban has been enforced only sporadically. Music and dancing have also been forbidden by the Wahhabis at times, as have loud laughter and demonstrative weeping, particularly at funerals.

The Wahhabi emphasis on conformity makes of external appearance and behavior a visible expression of inward faith. Therefore, whether one conforms in dress, in prayer, or in a host of other activities becomes a public statement of whether one is a true Muslim. Because adherence to the true faith is demonstrable in tangible ways, the Muslim community can visibly judge the quality of a person’s faith by observing that person’s actions. In this sense, public opinion becomes a regulator of individual behavior. Therefore, within the Wahhabi community, which is striving to be the collective embodiment of God’s laws, it is the responsibility of each Muslim to look after the behavior of his neighbor and to admonish him if he goes astray.

There you have a quick and simple explanation of the religious extremism that IS is functioning under…..you see Islam has its extremist adherents just like Christianity….the actions of IS are no more typical of Islam than the snake handlers are typical of all Christians…….but these far out religious nuts will be used to fuel the hate for all things Muslim.  Ant that is truly sad and just a bit pathetic.

I keep hearing that the Saudis need to step up and work with the West in their attempts to de-nut IS…..I have a problem with that.  I do not trust the Saudis to be good faith partners in the attempt to control IS……now you want to know why, right?

Chatham House professor Paul Stevens says: “For a long time, there was an unwritten agreement … whereby al-Qaida’s presence was tolerated in Saudi Arabia, but don’t piss inside the tent, piss outside.” Coates Ulrichsen warns that Saudi policy on Syria could be “Afghanistan on steroids”, as elements of the regime have turned a blind eye to where funding for anti-Assad rebels ends up.

Although Saudi Arabia has given $100m (£60m) to the UN anti-terror programme and the country’s grand mufti has denounced Isis as “enemy number one”, radical Salafists across the Middle East receive ideological and material backing from within the kingdom. According to Clinton’s leaked memo, Saudi donors constituted “the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide”.

Saudis connection with funding extreme groups will make them an unreliable partner…..they will throw money at the problem but only to stay on the good side of the US……..I think if everyone is truly serious about beheading IS then there must be some pull back from Saudi Arabia……for they are all talk and will be useless in the fight against IS.