Is not Islamic State benefiting Islam?

If the Islamic State militants are so bad than why thousands and thousands of young and mid-age people from the Middle East are joining them? If their ideology is so dire than why people from Australia, Europe, and Asia are heading towards Syria and Iraq to join the fight against government forces? If motive of Islamic State militants are so bad than why there are millions and millions of views on their YouTube releases? If the Islamic State militants are doing terrible things then why many young girls and mature women from the western world want to merry them? If it has no potential as a force than why wealthy donors from across the globe are giving it millions of dollars? 

Answer to these questions in a plain sentence is – because the fake image that Islamic State militant have managed to highlight is quite fascinating and much appealing. Answer in an intricate way would be – because Islamic State militants are using religion to their defense in the most wicked and crude way. The fact that amateurish human-beings, that too who has no sense of what is right and what is wrong, can be easily manipulated by any bunch of evils. And this is what has been happening.

In reality Islamic State militants are the exact opposite of what ‘Islam’, as a religion, teaches. But brain-dead people of the Middle East and of many parts around the world are incapable of realizing it; hence they are flocking to Syria and Iraq. Plus the fact that many people eventually like destruction and violence, as basic human instinct, is being used effectively by the Islamic State spokespersons. And sex, that too in from of rape is a bonus. The foot soldiers of Islamic State are in fact told that they are free to have sex and rape captive women. In one instance, they took about 450 women and girls from the Yazidi and Christian communities and later transported all of them to Syria. Some were given to ISIL commanders as a reward and others were sold as sex slaves. This all happened in the name of religion, all in the name of Islam.

The Islamic State militants are saying that they are protesting against the oppression on the Muslim world but in point of fact they are helping the decisive non-Muslims in taking harsh stand on Muslims. In an audio speech released in July, the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, mentioned instances of alleged oppression of Muslims around the world behind his group’s aggressive stand. He described the Islamic State as the force that will return dignity, might, rights and leadership to the Muslims. In reality, his group is destroying the remaining dignity, might, rights and leadership that Muslim world has. Activities of Islamic State are not jihad at all, but rather are acts of severe warmongering and criminality.

In late September 2014, 120 Islamic scholars signed an open letter to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, overtly rejecting and refuting his group's interpretations of the Quran and hadith to justify its actions. The letter disapproves and admonishes Islamic State for its execution of prisoners, describing killings as dreadful war crimes and its hounding of the Yazidis of Iraq as horrible. The scholars also accused the group of instigating fitna, otherwise known as sedition, by instituting slavery under his rule. Does Baghdadi care? No, he does not. He and his commanders are continuing to use Islam to justify their brutal and criminal acts.

Is Islamic State a bigger threat than al-Qaeda? Yes it is. It is much richer; it operates a modern and more effective media arm; and currently holds much more territory than al Qaeda could ever manage. al-Qaeda operates on the basis of a loose network of various cells in different countries but Islamic State is a centralized terror cell as of now. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his team have taken full recompense by introducing something unique to diluted Muslims. It operates as a half-mafia-style commercial enterprise and half pious international charity. Getting funds from mainly wealthy crooked donors in the Gulf States and throughout the globe has become quite easy for them. And it has seized many assets including oil fields so far. Interestingly but unfortunately, the U.S. authority destroyed 4,530 chemical weapons sites in Iraq after the 2003 invasion but missed at least four. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s team seized one of those chemical weapons site in June.

At the moment, Islamic State group holds roughly a third of Iraq and Syria, including several strategically important cities. In March 2013, Islamic State terrorists took over the Syrian city of Raqqa. In January 2014, it seized the predominantly Sunni city of Fallujah in Iraq. It also seized large sections of the provincial capital, Ramadi, and has a presence in a number of towns near the Turkish and Syrian borders. Now it earns a significant amount from the oil fields it controls in eastern Syria, selling some of the supply back to the Syrian government. The foot soldiers earn quick cash by selling looted antiquities from historical sites.

It is unfortunate that Islam is being used in the criminality of Islamic State. It is more unfortunate that people are falling for the trap. Then again religion has always been used by fanatics throughout the world. Islam / teaching of Quran to majority of people in the Muslim world is like a manual of a medicine bottle in hand of a four year old. The kid has the manual and can read the A.B,C there but can not figure out meaning of the sentences written there. So the kid drinks the medicine because it comes in a beautiful bottle and tastes sweet.

Yes, I used ‘beautiful bottle’ and ‘tastes sweet’ as metaphors for destruction and rape. And answer to the title question of this article is 'no' in case you are still wondering.