The Islamic State group is responsible for killing thousands of innocent people around the world. Execution of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto is the latest example of its barbarism. Being a political researcher and for having fascination for these rebellious groups, I wanted to delve deep to determine the relationship between them and our religion, Islam. The Islamic State is a radical Islamist group that has seized large swathes of territory in eastern Syria and across northern and western Iraq. The main objective of the ISIS group is to establish 'caliphate' which means the country would be ruled by a single person considered to be a political and religious successor to the prophet Muhammad (SM) and a leader of the entire Muslim community. The Rashidun caliphs, who directly succeeded Muhammad (SM) as leaders of the Muslim community, were chosen through Shura, a process of community consultation which some consider an early form of Islamic democracy. After the Rashidun period, many Muslim states, almost all of them hereditary monarchies, have claimed to be caliphates. Some people considered that ISIS is a part of AL-Qaeda, but it is actually not. ISIS is different from Al-Qaeda; it is significantly worse than that. Al-Qaeda has been the touchstone for the Western understanding of terrorism ever since 9/11, but the ISIS differs from it philosophically, organizationally, and even officially, as it has declared itself an entirely separate body.
The ISIS operates as a half-mafia-style commercial enterprise, half pious international charity, looking for wealthy donors in the Gulf States and throughout the globe. It is certainly not lacking in opportunism in commercializing its military activities. In 2012 the ISIS --- or ISI as it was then--- took over oil fields in Syria, reaping profits from selling the oil at discounted prices to anyone willing to pay. It has traded in the raw materials in areas it has captured, and even dabbled in selling antiques from monuments under its control.
With the number of people between 20,000 and 31,500 the ISIS has become a world concern. A United Nations report highlighting the human rights violations of the Islamic State's jihadist campaign in Iraq found that while over 24,000 (many more could be unreported) Iraqi civilians have been injured or killed by ISIS in the first eight months of 2014, and the extremists have taken up the practices of recruiting 12- and 13-year-old soldiers and forcing women and girls into sex slavery. The United States of America has responded ISIS's violation by launching joint air strikes with their alliance, but it does not seem to come to an end.
The activities of the ISIS are severely putting down the image of Muslim community in western countries. Islam is a religion of peace. It does not allow any type of violence among people. All that ISIS is doing is taking benefit by using the name of Islam. They are misrepresenting the meaning of Islam.
After recent terrorist attack in Paris, a majority of European people protested with anger against the Muslims without knowing that these killers does not have any political ideology as well as religious identity. These rebellious people are motivated by mafia or institution such as Osama Bin Laden or AL-Qaeda etc who motivate them physiologically to kill people for nothing. People with other religious beliefs apart from Muslim should understand that terrorist does not have any religious identity. Islam is a religion of peace which does not allow violence. The entire Muslim community should not be held responsible for some so called psychologically cracked Muslims. However, it is a demand that those who disregard the great man of all time, Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM), should be brought into justice by the respective authorities.
ATM Haidar Khan is a political researcher. He is presently working on South Asian politics and
political economy