Exploitation of Islamic belief by Daesh terror group inflict the greatest damage to Muslim societies

One of the terrorist organizations of our age that entraps the youth by exploiting the religion, and uses religion as an instrument for their attempts to gain strength and ideological benefit is DAESH. Located in Syria and Iraq, this organization aims at the youth to recruit manpower. What is Exploitation of Religion? Throughout history, many people and groups have tried to obtain various profits by using the influence of religion on people; In Islamic history, one of the most tragic examples of exploitation of the Holy Qur'an was experienced during the Battle of Siffin. Called the Kharijites, this violence-based movement appeared to be so-called 'defenders of the Qur'an' while actually setting the fire of unrest. Similarly, extremist Shiite factions called Ghulat try to support their deviant ideology with the verses as well. Other groups that have recently emerged in the Islamic world such as Qadianism, Babiyya, Bahaism, or the Druze also do not hesitate to exploit religion. Exploitation of religion have also become a serious security issue today that threatens the unity and solidarity of the Muslim ummah. The terrorist organizations that create dissension and shed blood by claiming to be religious and representing Islam such as FETO, DAESH, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram inflict the greatest damage to Muslim societies, our unity and solidarity, our future, and our youth. How did DAESH Emerge? As a matter of fact, DAESH is, in a sense, a 'puppet structure' created by the international struggles for power, and arms and petroleum trade. From another point of view, it is a psychological tool used to put up a wall between Islam's message of mercy and the young generations living particularly in western societies. Behind it exists a cunning, ruthless, and barbaric alliance based on deep relations of interest. DAESH is fed by faithless and remorseless channels just like any other terrorist organization that exacts a heavy toll on all humanity regardless of race, color, religion, gender, and nation. It is not coincidental that such a bloodshedding organization emerges and uses Islamic elements in a region where Muslims live. The fact that the organization can reach all human and financial resources although they have issues with all governments of the surrounding countries prove that it is part of a deeper structure that serves for hunting Muslim societies and youth. It is beyond any doubt that if DAESH and similar organizations had emerged in a region populated by the followers of another religion, they would have used that religion. Therefore, these organizations can never be described as the product of a religious understanding, or the outcome of misinterpreting Islam. Because the so-called religious discourse they use is the instrumentalization of religion for violence with several purposes. Who Joins DAESH? The third group that joins the organization is made up of the recently-converted young Muslims that did not have the opportunity to learn Islam from authentic sources, or from well-meant and well-equipped people. They cannot comprehend that Islam is the religion of mercy. Due to their lack of religious knowledge, they are known to fall into the traps of terrorist organizations quickly. How can We Fight against Violence-Based Exploitation of Religion? We should teach to the young generations that a Muslim attains perfection by their belief, behaviors, and morality; and that the practices that include nothing beyond form and appearance will avail us nothing. We should instill in their minds that a life limited only to worldly gains such as rank, power, authority, or money does not befit a Muslim, and that Islam pursues the gains of both this world and the next. With the expression of our Exalted Book, we should strive for being a 'justly balanced ummah' (Baqarah, 2/143). We should be a society that does not drift to the extremes, protects the balance without departing from the true path, and avoids all kinds of immoderation. We should keep in mind that such a society only consists of well-balanced individuals that obey the rules of Apart from the essential unchangeable principles of Islam, there are new solutions and suggestions based on the Book and the Sunnah concerning the changing and developing needs of individual and social life. We should not let some concepts be brought to today with their historical meanings, or the semantics of them be shifted and wasted for the sake of ideological interests. We should see the denominations, which help us to more easily understand and practice Islam, and other interpretations which do not contradict with the essential principles of Islam, as a cause of richness. We should know that those who exalt a denomination and do not give the adherents of other denominations the right to think differently, especially those who struggle to dictate their thoughts to others by force, are trying to set Muslims against each other and divide them. The common characteristic of these four groups, all of which are under oppression and in emptiness, is that they could not learn Islam from correct sources, that they were not introduced with the simple, balanced, embracing and encompassing approach of Islam, and that they do not know the basic concepts of Islam. They did not learn that faith should be reinforced by good morality and acts of worship, and that a believer is 'the one from whose hands and tongue people are safe'. They do not know the essence of Islam, which enjoins goodness and beneficence, prohibits persecution and torture, and calls out to people as, 'O you who have believed! Come, all of you, to peace.' (Baqarah, 2/208) How does DAESH Abuse Religious Texts? Other attempts of understanding and interpreting that are outside the borders of the aforementioned correct understanding, and attempts of ideological interpretation that disregard the intention and purpose of Islam have always existed. Today, DAESH also abuses religious texts with the aim of producing support for their claims and practices under which lie betrayal and rebellion. The important point here is that any methods and principles are not taken into consideration while using the so-called religious arguments, and a structure is created that turns towards wherever its interests are present. The excessive and cruel approach of DAESH exploits the lofty concept of 'jihad', and approves murdering of any opponents of the organization, Muslim or non-Muslim, even if they are women, children, or elderly. For instance, the verse 'Surely, His is the creation and commandment.' (A'raf, 7/54) was shown in their articles as the basis for the verdict to stay away from the elections in Turkey. However, this verse describes the domination of Allah the Almighty (swt) over the universe. Shaping life on earth in accordance with His countenance will be done by humans, and there are many verses in the Qur'an that gives human the responsibility of execution and management with the attribute of being 'khalifah (vicegerent)'. In another example, it can be seen that the organization suggests that their militants read the Qur'an superficially and electrically without any prior knowledge or experience. This is a striking example demonstrating lack of How does DAESH Define a Muslim? To answer this question with one sentence, according to the organization, a Muslim is someone who obeys DAESH or lives in regions controlled by them. DAESH's attitude towards other Muslims is dismissing, otherizing, and declaring unbeliever (takfir). It means that those who do not obey the organization, accept the radical expressions of them, and who have deficiencies in acts of worship are not Muslims according to DAESH. Because according to the ideology of the organization, 'Faith is the affirmation by heart, acknowledgement by words, and the performance of deeds. The absence of one of them will make a person non-Muslim.' DAESH's this wrong understanding of believer and Muslim causes them to declare someone with deficiency of deeds as a non-believer, and even kill them. However, according to the schools of Maturidiyya and Ash'ariyya, which represent the majority of Ahl al-Sunnah, what actually matters in faith is affirmation, which means sincerely accepting in heart the existence and oneness of Allah (swt), and the basic principles of faith. All people, who utter the kalimah al-shahadah as 'There is no god but Allah, the Prophet Muhammad is His servant and messenger,' are believers. Acknowledgement, in other words, explicitly stating it, is not part of faith, but it is a must for a person to be considered Muslim in this world. Deeds, i.e. worships and good actions, are a DAESH practices takfir on anyone whom they consider to be political enemies, especially the groups that are against them What is the Relationship between Fitan Narrations and DAESH? Narrations on fitan (instances of sedition) are hadith reports about the incidents claimed to happen as the Doomsday approaches, and some signs of the approach of the Doomsday. Throughout history, many groups clashing with each other tried to benefit from the Prophet's (saw) authority to solidify their own position, and many hadith narrations were interpreted in this context and used by them. Fitan narrations concerning the social conflicts and battles originating from various religious and political reasons are among them as well. DAESH also predicates their discourse of undertaking a divine mission on a massive war to take place between Muslims and Christians near Doomsday. Narrations about this war, which is called 'al-Malhama al-Kubra' in our sources, is decontextualized by DAESH as well and transformed into a tool of propaganda. According to the hadith narration that DAESH uses as basis, the Day will not come until a big war breaks out between Muslims and Christians in A'maq or Dabiq, which are in the borders of Syria today. The Muslim army that will face Christians will set off from Madinah and consist of the best people on earth. Muslims will emerge victorious in this fierce battle, and then they will conquer Istanbul. As the warriors distribute war booty while resting their swords on olive trees, a rumor will be spread that Dajjal has appeared and remaining families are not safe. When Muslims go back to Damascus and prepare for war, the Prophet Jesus will come and kill Dajjal (Muslim, Fitan, 34). DAESH introduces itself as the army of Islam, tries to legitimize itself based on this narration, and invites volunteers to Syria to fight on their side claiming that the time for the battle of Dabiq has come. However, those who are persecuted and killed, whose property is looted, whose cities are destroyed are Muslims. The Prophet of Islam (saw), however, advised a virtuous attitude even in the battle against the enemies; prohibited killing the civilians, women, children, the elderly, and the religious officials, and he (saw) never allowed inhuman actions for taking revenge. Does the Proclamation of the Islamic Caliphate State by DAESH have any Real Grounds? Acting with the claim of being the sole legitimate representative of all Muslims around the world, DAESH named itself as the 'Islamic State' and declared their leader as the so-called caliph. Later, the organization carried out heavy propaganda to ground the legitimacy of al-Baghdadi's caliphate upon classical Islamic literature, and published books and brochures. Attributing significance to being a member of the Quraysh Tribe, which is considered to be one of the conditions of being the caliph, a fake family tree was made up that traced Baghdadi's lineage back to the Prophet (saw) through his grandson Husayn (ra), which is later proved by evidence to be fake.

Exploitation of Islamic belief by Daesh terror group inflict the greatest damage to Muslim societies

The terrorist organizations that create dissension and shed blood by claiming to be religious and representing Islam actually exploit the material and immaterial existence of Muslims and inflict the greatest damage to Muslim societies, our unity and solidarity, our future, and our youth.