In view of the ramifications of an ISIS victory in Iraq, and the boost it will give to terrorist activities across the world, any international action to stem the tide of militant groups in that country should be welcomed
The Islamic world is in turmoil. The upheaval in Arabia is spilling into the rest of the world, including India. In a number — libya, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan — Muslims are killing fellow Muslims. In fact, in the recent past, more Muslims have died at the hands of their co-religionists as compared to those killed by non-Muslims.
Why is violence central to most of the organisations which claims to be working for the cause of IslamIJ What fuels this mindset that motivates the ‘faithful’ to wage wars against ‘non-believers’, destroy the latter along with their places of worship, and even undertake suicide missionsIJ Honest answers to these questions are a pre-requisite for lasting peace, both in the Islamic countries and the rest of the world. Until then, the world will continue to be singed by flames ignited in the name of Islam.
The ongoing terror campaign in strife-torn Iraq has a fall out for India, with humanitarian dimensions. Forty Indian construction workers have been abducted by militants linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Recently, an Indian priest was kidnapped in Afghanistan, prior to which the Indian Consulate in Herat was attacked by the Taliban.
There are also reports that an Al Qaeda video has surfaced that calls upon the ‘faithful’ to launch a jihad in Kashmir. ISIS too has released a ‘world domination’ roadmap that includes large parts of India. Clearly, the flames of Islamist madness will not remain confined to the countries of their origin but also present a serious threat to the rest of the world.
At the time of writing this article, the ISIS militants, belonging to the dominant Sunni sect of Islam, were only 60km away from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. In contrast, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Nouri al-Maliki, was faced with the fact that his mostly Shia soldiers were deserting their posts and fleeing. Some major cities of Iraq are already under the Islamists who, are pushing for a Sunni-dominated orthodox regime in Baghdad. They also plan to merge a part of Iraq with a portion of strife-torn Syria and convert into the levant where a Islamic Califate is to be established.
In the meantime, across West Asia, the Arab Spring hopes of democracy and liberal Governments getting popular support, while replacing authoritarian regimes, have virtually died down.
Islamist Governments have taken over in libya and Tunisia. In Egypt, the Army had to forcibly remove the Muslim Brotherhood from power and set up a military-supported ‘democracy’ with former Army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the ‘elected’ President. In Syria, the two-year-old battle against the Ahlawati (Shia) President has been virtually taken over by Sunni-dominated terror groups which are linked to Al Qaeda and are also behind the attacks in Iraq.
The ISIS, which commands the Iraqi militants, is a jihadist outfit closely linked to Al Qaeda. Though Saudi Arabia is outwardly opposed to Al Qaeda, this particular outfit reportedly has support from the palace, as the Saudis wish to widen Sunni influence in the region.
The regime of Saddam Hussein, which the US-led invasion replaced 10 years ago, was a Sunni dictatorship ruling a Shia majority. To control the often rebellious Shias, the Saddam Hussein regime did not hesitate to use even chemical weapons against the populace. The barbarism of one type of Islamic regime is now being countered by another, as the mass execution of Shia soldiers by the advancing Sunni militants reveal.
In Syria also the militants fighting the Assad regime are competing in brutalism through summary execution of Shia Muslims and also the Christians. In response, the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against the rebels. This would have continued had it not been for the threat of US intervention that ended the use of chemical weapons by the embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This extreme and competitive barbarity among the two Islamic sects is seen elsewhere too.
For instance, in Pakistan, the majority Sunni-supported militants are routinely bombing Shia mosques and killing Shia civilians. The level of barbarity of these Islamists reminds us of the times when Afghanistan was under the Taliban regime and public executions in football fields were a daily occurrence. In Shia Iran, Sunnis are suspect and in Sunni Saudi Arabia, Shias are denied even protection of law or the right to practice their version of Islam. There is, thus, little reason to expect civil behaviour from Islamists of either sect.
If the Iraqi regime collapses in the face of an organised Sunni-led militancy, the impact will be far-fetched. It will inspire other Islamists in West, Central and South Asia, from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Bangladesh, to intensify their struggle against existing democratic and comparatively liberal regimes. They will aim for an Islamist arc across the whole of the oil-rich region in West Asia in the least.
It is at this juncture the United Nations has also reported that these militants are flush with funds. A collapse of the Maliki regime in Baghdad will fill the coffers of the Islamists with not only more oil money but also modern weapons that were gifted to Baghdad by the US.
These funds and weapons will flow into the hands of Islamists in Afghanistan and eventually into Pakistan, Kashmir and the rest of India. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party — which is in Opposition — and Islamist groups in Bangladesh that have been waiting to resume their offensive against the ruling Awami league regime led by Ms Sheikh Hasina will also gain.
India should also take into account the pockets of militant Islamist opposition in Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia, as well as a Islamist groups in Malaysia waiting for the right opportunity to strike against their Government that has successfully suppressed militant groups until now.
In view of the ramifications of an ISIS victory in Iraq and the boost it will give to terrorist activity across the world, any international action to stem the tide of militant groups in that country should be welcomed globally. Whether it is Russia, China, the US, the UK, Europe, India, Bangladesh, Thailand or Indonesia — all have Islamist groups lurking in the corners, waiting to spread violence. We need a global response to this global threat.