Hasan Khurshid
Islam prohibits violence and promotes peace and justice. The Quran says “Prophet Hazrat Mohammad was sent to the world as a mercy to mankind” (21:107). It states categorically: “Allah abhors any disturbance of peace” (2:205). Since there's no provision of violence in Islam, why is terrorism across the globe is carried out in the name of religion and who are these terrorists wearing the cloak of Islam?
The answer is that just 50 years after the demise of Prophet Mohammad in 632 AD, the true essence of Islam had started yielding to criminal groups of virulent political power-wielders, who proclaimed themselves as caliphs by severely terrorising gullible Muslims through the might of the sword. For gaining mass support, these terrorists have been associating themselves as head of the religion and commander of the faithful, calling themselves “caliphs”. (Yazid's model of false caliph was recently copied by terrorist Abubakar Baghdadi of the ISIS). The true teachings of the Holy Prophet were sidelined and a pseudo Islam was projected by these terror groups to run parallel with the real Islam.
As such, the history of terrorists wearing the cloak of Islam is almost 1400 years old, the founder of which was one hardcore terrorist, the accursed Yazid ibn Muaviya, a self-proclaimed caliph who mischievously usurped the Caliphate of Islam by brutally killing the real successor of Caliphate, Hazrat Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad, in the desert of Karbala (Iraq).
When Yazid usurped the Caliphate of Islam, he demanded allegiance from Hazrat Imam Husain. He refused to subscribe to Yazid ibn Muaviya as the caliph of Islam as Yazid was a hardcore terrorist, a brute and a libertine. He was immoral to the extent that a bare mention of his evil deeds is taboo in civilised society.
When Yazid bargained hard for Husain to choose between allegiance or death, the latter knew that recognition of Yazid's immorality will permanently disfigure the true faith and a pseudo religion will emerge in the guise of Islam. Husain was known throughout the Arab land for his wisdom, compassion and piety. Had he encountered no opposition, Islam was bound to get acclimatised to the paralysing atonality from Yazid's degenerated symphony.
Husain was mercilessly assassinated in the desert of Karbala along with 71 family members and companions on the 10th of Muharram, 61 of Hijri era (October 10, 680 AD), after being kept hungry and thirsty for three days. Among the martyrs was Husain's six-month-old son Ali Asghar, the buoyancy of whose innocent blood refloated the sinking ship of Islam. Imam Husain declared: “Do not submit to exploitation of any kind, maintain a tenacious grip on veracity; better die with honour than live in shame.”
The modern-day scenario of revival of terrorism can best be explained in the words of British historian Charles Allen who, in his book ‘God's Terrorists — The Wahhabi Cult and the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad', writes: “Wahhabi is the guiding ideology behind modern Islamist terrorism. In the late 18th century, a violently intolerant re-interpretation of Islam took root in the Arabian desert. Its followers became known after their founder, Sheikh Najdi ibn Abd-al- Wahhab, as Wahhabis. The creed was then exported to India and its north-west frontier Afghanistan.” So Wahhabism is nothing but pseudo- Islam with the sole object to acquire political power through terrorism and by misusing the name of Islam for getting mass support of gullible Muslims across the globe.
However, when opposition mounted against his satanic ideology for ulterior motives, Sheikh Najdi was shrewd enough to find a patron in Ibn-e-Saud, a Bedouin tribal chief, who made use of his vitriolic version of Islam for illicit power. Saud was the ancestor of present-day Saudi rulers, who actually belonged to the Zionist tribe of Anza Ben Wael. Thereafter, the ideology was of Sheikh Najdi and the sword was of Saud. A dynastic government was established as a result of this partnership, which is still continuing in the name of Saudi Arabia.
Charles Allen further writes Wahhabi or Salafi ideology is enshrined in Kitab-al-Twahid (book of unity), which prescribes the forceful conversion of Muslims from other sects as well as others to the Wahhabi ideology, wherein he manifestly says: “Follow my ideology, else get ready to be killed.” Charles Allen also pointed out that all terrorist organisations (such as ISIS, al-Qaeda and Taliban) follow the Wahhabi ideology.
Following the Wahhabi ideology on the pattern of accursed Yazid ibn Muaviya, Taliban have recently completed the sweep of Afghanistan. They're in full control of Afghanistan in a lightning offensive, and Kabul was knocked down in one fell swoop by the Taliban earlier this week. They are carrying out unprovoked attacks on civilians and executing the captured soldiers. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Taliban have asked communities to turn over their unmarried women to become “wives” of the terrorists.
Not only in Afghanistan, the virus of terrorism may spread to other parts of the world; hence it is necessary to eliminate the morbid ideology of Wahhabism alongside eliminating the terrorists. All sects of Muslims and their religious heads must come forward to prevent this disease.
(The writer is a legal journalist and author. The views expressed are personal.)
