Opinion Lead

Published: July 18, 2014 02:51 IST | Updated: July 18, 2014 02:52 IST
Under the shadow of the Caliphate
Hasan Suroor
The world is on entirely new territory but what is clear is that the Islamic Caliphate marks a new phase in the sectarian battle for
supremacy within Islam with profound implications for what remains of moderate Islam
If things continue like this, the history of our age may one day be written under a caliphates supervision.
David Selbourne,
British academic and writer
Normally, one would hesitate to quote Selbourne approvingly in relation to political Islam given his tendency to
hyperventilate on the subject. But, it is noteworthy that he issued this chilling warning in a briefing paper to the
U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, later published as an essay in the New Statesman long before the latest turn of
events in Iraq and Syria. More specifically, it pre-dates the audacious move by the Sunni militant group, Islamic
State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), to establish a medieval-style Islamic Caliphate in the heart of West Asia under the
leadership of its helmsman, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who has declared himself the Caliph, and the leader of Muslims
everywhere.
At the time, Selbourne was accused of fanning Islamophobia and spreading alarm, but in the light of dramatic
developments that have rocked West Asia in recent weeks, it seems he was almost prescient. Despite doubts about its
legal and theological legitimacy, not to mention its uncertain future, the caliphate represents a dangerous new
advance not only on ISIS own ambitions but also the whole Islamist movement.
Reactions
The sheer symbolism of conquering and controlling such a large chunk of territory an area the size of
Pennsylvania straddling Syria and Iraq and erasing the regions established borders cannot be ignored. The talk
of a caliphate (a concept many may not even have heard of until recently) is no longer a fantasy. And the tone of the
debate in Islamic circles is telling: rather than focussing on the absurdity of seeking to impose a seventh century
system on 21st century, the discussion is all about technicalities: whether in unilaterally declaring himself the Caliph,
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi followed the rules, and whether Muslims everywhere are obliged to recognise his new
status.
Denouncing the move, the International Union of Muslim Scholars, led by influential Sunni cleric Dr. Yusuf Al-
Qaradawi, concentrated mostly on procedural matters arguing that the ISIS Caliphate was null and void because it
was not based on shura (consultations).
The scholars were at pains to avoid any criticism of the notion of caliphate as such stressing that it was of extreme
importance for all Muslims, but said it required consensus among Muslims worldwide regarding its form and
content. They also felt that linking the concept of caliphate to an organisation known to be extremist does not serve
Islam.
Indeed, in many Muslim quarters including Indias Urdu press, run mostly by Sunni Muslims there is a sneaking
admiration for ISIS. NewAgeIslam, the Delhi-based progressive news website, has pointed out how the Urdu press
manipulated quotes from repatriated Indian nurses and workers about their ISIS captors by playing down, or
suppressing negative opinions while playing up positive ones.
Poser to the moderates
Clearly a section of the Urdu Press has sympathies for ISIS. This requires a rethink. The earlier Muslims make up
their mind about them the better. While Nuri al-Maliki is to blame for alienating Sunnis and behaving like a Shia
dictator, the answer is not a Sunni band of terrorists loyal to the Islamic Khilafat of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ruling
parts of Iraq, wrote New Age Islams editor Sultan Shaheen.
As always, barring some scattered voices, the wider Muslim community (ummah) has largely failed to express
outrage over what Muslims are doing to each other in the name of Islam. As one liberal British commentator rightly
asked: what is it about moderate Muslims that they seldom feel sufficiently outraged when it comes to denouncing
their co-religionists, no matter how odious?
Why is there no Muslim peace movement campaigning for an end to violence in Muslim countries, where the victims
are Muslims and the perpetrators are Muslims? wrote The Times columnist David Aaronovitch.
Page 1 of 2 Under the shadow of the Caliphate - The Hindu
7/18/2014 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/under-the-shadow-of-the-caliphate/article6221919....
Meanwhile, it is important to answer the question many are asking namely, whats all the fuss about? Isnt the
setting up of a caliphate simply a new stunt and part of the jihadi choreography? Another high-wire act in the
Islamist circus?
Well, the answer is that this high-wire act is unlike anything we have seen before, and belongs in an altogether
different category from the hit-and-run tactics of say Boko Haram, Al-Shabab or even al-Qaeda, none of which has
ever controlled territory for any length of time with the specific purpose of establishing a sharia state. The only
exception was the short-lived Islamic Courts Union which set up a sharia administration in parts of Somalia, but
were quickly driven out by government forces. As a norm, jihadi groups have tended to use seized territories simply
as temporary bases to launch terror attacks. Here, what we are witnessing, instead, is effectively the creation of a
brand new Islamic state by a terrorist group. And not any old Islamic state but an uber-Wahabbi model based on a
narrow self-serving interpretation of Islam.
Already, there are reports of a crackdown on music, imposition of the burqa, and attacks on historic Shia sites that
ISIS regards as un-Islamic.
There are conflicting views on ISIS prospects with some dismissing it as a short-lived phenomenon, while there are
others who believe that it has come to stay. But all agree on one thing: the regions politics has changed for good and
the jihadi movement itself has been thrown into flux with al-Qaeda suddenly looking like ISIS poor cousin sparking
speculation that it could split further (ISIS is itself an al-Qaeda offshoot) and reinvent itself on the lines of Baghdadis
outfit.
The truth is that we are on entirely new territory and nobody really knows how it will turn out, but what is clear is
that it marks a new phase in the sectarian battle for supremacy within Islam with profound implications for what
remains of moderate Islam.
Copycat campaigns
Much will depend on how stable the new Islamic state will be. The wider world should be concerned if ISIS is able to
dig itself in, hold on to the territory under its control and consolidate its support base. For that will not only whet its
appetite for more conquests thus further destabilising the region, but it could spark a scramble for similar copycat
campaigns by other Islamist groups. In that case, the entire jihadi strategy might undergo a fundamental change
with the battle moving away from western targets to enemy Islamic States.
There are conspiracy theories that ISIS is a western more specifically American operation aimed at destroying
al-Qaeda from within and ridding the West of the biggest threat to its security. Such theories, however, are difficult
to reconcile with the implications this kind of tactics will have for political stability in a region where the West has
huge strategic stakes. Besides, ISIS poses a threat to some of the Wests most important Arab allies, notably Saudi
Arabia.
But then the West has form on cynically gambling on short-term gains without bothering too much about the long-
term consequences. After all, the Taliban and al-Qaeda were also the Wests creations which later turned against it.
Leaving conspiracy theories aside, however, there is no doubt that the Wests non-interventionist approach has
benefited ISIS, and though there has been some criticism of this approach it was the right thing to do given the
history of previous foreign interventions whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or even Libya. The U.S. President, Barack
Obama, deserves credit for standing up to pressure from hawks both in America including his own administration
and in Europe who not having learned any lessons from the past were pushing for more active intervention.
So, perhaps for the first time the Muslim world, historically so heavily reliant on the West, is practically on its own;
and how it handles this challenge will show whether it is capable of standing on its own feet. The two big boys in the
region representing the deepening Shia-Sunni divide are Saudi Arabia and Iran, and it will require a great deal of
statesmanship and vision on both sides to defuse this make-or-break crisis.
Between them, they can prove the Selbourne thesis right. Or they can prove it wrong. So, what will it be?
hasan.suroor@gmail.com
Keywords: ISIS, Muslim countries, terrorism, Syria crisis, Iraq unrest, Sunni militant group, Taliban, al-Qaeda
Printable version | Jul 18, 2014 8:37:44 AM | http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/under-the-shadow-of-the-
caliphate/article6221919.ece
The Hindu
Page 2 of 2 Under the shadow of the Caliphate - The Hindu
7/18/2014 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/under-the-shadow-of-the-caliphate/article6221919....