New Islamic Caliphate Declares Jihad on … Muslims

Raymond Ibrahim ^ | 7/17/2014 | Raymond Ibrahim

[markomalley]

The new “caliphate” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—the Islamic State, formerly “ISIS”—recently made clear that it means to follow in the footsteps of the original caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Sadiq (632-634), specifically by directing its jihad against fellow Muslims, in Islamic parlance, the “hypocrites” and “apostates,” or in Western terminology, “moderates.”

This came out in the context of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, with some Muslims asking the newly formed “caliphate” when it would launch a jihad on the Jewish state.

The Islamic State’s response? “Allah in the noble Koran does not command us to fight Israel or the Jews until we fight the apostates and hypocrites.”

On one of the Islamic State’s question-and-answer websites, some asked why it was “not fighting Israel but instead shedding the blood of the sons of Iraq and Syria.”  The new caliphate responded:

The greater answer is in the noble Koran, when Allah Almighty speaks about the near enemy.  In the majority of verses in the noble Koran, these are the hypocrites, for they pose a greater danger than the original infidels [born non-Muslims, e.g., Jews and Christians].  And the answer is found in Abu Bakr al-Sadiq, when he preferred fighting apostates over the conquest of Jerusalem [fath al-Quds], which was conquered by his successor, Omar al-Khattab.

There’s much to be said about this response, rife as it is with historical allusions.

First, it is true.  After the prophet of Islam died, a great number of Arabian tribes that had submitted to his rule by becoming Muslims—the word muslim simply means “one who submits”—thought they could now renege, and so they apostatized in droves.  This sparked the first Ridda, or “apostasy wars,” waged by Abu Bakr al-Sadiq, who became the first caliph on Muhammad’s death in 632.  For nearly two years, till his own death in 634, his caliphate’s entire energy was focused on waging jihad on all the recalcitrant Arab tribes, forcing them by the edge of the sword to return to the fold of Islam.

Tens of thousands of Arabs were burned, beheaded, dismembered, or crucified in the process, according to Islamic history, especially by the “Sword of Allah.”  It was only afterwards, under the reign of the second caliph, Omar al-Khattab (634-644), that the great Islamic conquests against the “original infidels”—those non-Arab peoples who had never converted to Islam, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, etc.—took place.

Islam’s war on the apostate, so little known in the West, figures prominently in Islamic history.  Indeed, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most influential Islamic clerics today, while once discussing the importance of killing any Muslim who apostatizes from Islam on Al Jazeera, correctly stated that “If the [death] penalty for apostasy was ignored, there would not be an Islam today; Islam would have ended on the death of the prophet.”

In short, and as the Islamic State is now arguing, the first and greatest enemy of Islam—the “nearest” enemy—is the “apostate” and “hypocrite,” for they are the most capable of subverting Islam from within.

This phenomenon of “pious” Muslims fighting and killing “lukewarm” Muslims, or Shia and Sunnis fighting one another—while the original infidel stands by or gets away—has many precedents throughout history.  For example, in its response, the Islamic State further justifies not fighting Israel by saying:

The answer is found in Salah ad-Din al-Ayubi [Saladin] and Nur ad-Din Zanki when they fought the Shia in Egypt and Syria before [addressing] Jerusalem.  Salah ad-Din fought more than 50 battles before he reached Jerusalem.  And it was said to Salah ad-Din al-Ayubi: “You fight the Shia and the Fatimids in Egypt and allow the Latin Crusaders to occupy Jerusalem?”  And he responded: “I will not fight the Crusaders while my back is exposed to the Shia.”

All of this history quoted by the Islamic State is meant to exonerate the new caliphate’s main assertion: “Jerusalem will not be liberated until we are done with all these tyrants, families, and pawns of colonialism that control the fate of the Islamic world.”

Some observations:

• Although the Islamic State is trying to suggest that only autocrats like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad are “apostates” and “hypocrites,” and that most average Muslims are eager for Sharia, the fact is, a great many of the world’s Muslims fit under this rubric.  The largest revolution in history, Egypt’s June 2013 anti-Brotherhood revolution, attests to this.  Thus the new caliphate’s jihad is not just against “tyrants,” but many average Muslims as well, as the organization’s carnage in Iraq and Syria attests.
• The Islamic State’s declaration justifying non-confrontation with Israel is not winning it much popular support in the Arab world and is naturally portrayed as a copout. It further validates the popular Arab narrative that the United States is siding with the Islamists to create havoc in the region; to have the various sects (Sunni vs Shia, Moderate vs. Islamist) fight each other in order to divide and weaken the region.  Thus Dr. Ahmed Karima, a leading professor of Islamic jurisprudence in Al Azhar, said that the Islamic State’s position concerning Israel proves that “it is a creation of U.S. and Israeli intelligence” and that the new caliphate “is the biggest of all hypocrites.”
• Alternatively, others, especially Islamists, appreciate that the Islamic State is patterning itself after the first caliphate of Abu Bakr—hence why its first caliph chose that name—because it finds itself operating in the same circumstances.  Nascent and without much support, it first mission, like Abu Bakr, is to re-subjugate Muslims to Islam.  Only then can it focus on the “original infidels.”
• While this approach may be temporarily good for Israel (and all infidel states), in the long run, a fully functioning and unified caliphate with “reformed” Muslims next door is not a pretty picture.  After all, the Islamic State is not exonerating the infidel, but rather saying his turn will come once the caliphate is capable of an all-out assault.  At best, it’s a temporary reprieve.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Welcome back to the first century then...

[cripplecreek]

And while the media fixates on the Ukraine and Russia, Obama is the one who empowered this mess. And let’s not forget that Libya is currently in a state of civil war too.

[StormEye]

"Welcome back to the first century then..."

Seventh century, seventh century gov_bean_counter.

[Candor7]

Kill the infidels! Until they are dead!/S

Alahuapahoalawakbar!

[gov_bean_ counter]

Correct. Sleep meds kicking in...

[Rashputin]

Jihad has always turned inwards and slaughtered millions of Muzzies after starting by attacking non-Muzzies.

For a while it'll be really, really, bad as groups try to keep the focus on non-Muslims by getting ever more gory headlines but it won't be long before Muzzies are killing one another in ernest in numbers that haven't been seen since Pol Pot.

They serve Satan and are paid the usual Satanic wages, death and destruction.

[elcid1970]

Typical of muzzies. “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

And when they run out of “infidels”, they start killing each other for not being “Muslim” enough.

Bloody savages............!

[Fungi]

Islam, a false religion based on false book that does not make sense, written by an epileptic, thief, murderer, and child abuser.

A religion that denies Christ because “God cannot have a son.” Yet they conveniently forget about the daughters of allah: al’uzzah, allat and manat. I guess daughters are Ok but sons—no chance. That makes sense, the false “prophet” Muhammed loved those women especially the ones he stole from those he murdered, not to mention his child “bride” Aiesha, married at six and consummated at nine years old.

This “religion” is so messed up they cannot decide what is up or down.

Now a jihad against fellow muslims. This is nothing new; they have been doing this since the seventh century. Our only problem is making the west wake up to the Saracen horde. Of course the liberals always want freedom of religion—as long as that religion is not Christianity.

[Vince Ferrer]

Quarantine. Then let allah sort it out. No, fighting apostates will not make the islamic world stronger. At “best” it will turn the islamic world into a violent band of Amish. at “worst”, the region will self depopulate.

[faithhopecharity]

Perhaps the author or some other expert can fill this in but I recall that their Koran has Allah ( in his royal We voice) affirming that he’s given the land of Israel to the Jews. And telling his followers that the Jews would rebuild their land again someday. And either there or in some other Muslim teaching that it is the duty of all Muslims to help the Jews do this, that allah’s will be fulfilled This all from memory so I would appreciate the source quotes and citations Thanks.

[Cubs Fan]

muslkims fighting muslims, is that a bad thing?

[Cubs Fan]

muslims fighting muslims, is that a bad thing?

[RedHeeler]

That would be the 5th century AD. Islam is the great lie, of all lies.

[RedHeeler]

There are no new caliphates of Islam, only a rejoining. The in-fighting means nothing- only the advancement of the “idea” of Allah.

[Rashputin]

Islam is the religion of Satan so by definition it's self destructive.

Jihad against fellow Muzzies is nothing new but this time it'll be particularly bad due to the advanced weaponry available, their inability to exist without importing food, the coming oil glut draining the treasuries of the few who subsidize all the others, and most of all, the population density in the major Muzzie centers.

At some point the modern defenses against widespread disease outbreaks will be targeted right along with all the other "Western Infidel impositions" they go after. When that happens, there will be a significant reduction in the number of Muzzsies on the planet.

Satan works in pretty straight forward ways, really. Until a bit of resistance is obviously in the wings, he pushes forward. When he can see signs of resistance building, he'd much rather have the millions in his hand slaughter one another than risk having them learn the Truth while helping him go after still more.

When it was possible that Reagan signaled a turning point, Islamic Jihad was a good option to Satan. Now, Satan obviously doesn't need a false religion like Islam to conquer the West. We're murdering our future generations at an astonishing rate and wallowing in perversion anyway.

JMHO

[RichInOC]

There were no Muslims in the first century.

[SuziQ]

That would be the 5th century AD. Islam is the great lie, of all lies.

The 600s were the 7th century AD. We're in the 2000s, but it's considered the 21st century.

[jsanders2001]

Translation: The Muzzies are about to go hardcore with Islam

[DariusBane]

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/islam/allahs-sword-of-terror/

Cannibal.

This guy is admired in Muzzie land.