The sudden surge of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) has shocked everyone. The ultra-radical Islamist organization tricked the experts and practitioners in camouflaging and keeping a low profile for a number of years especially after 2010. The rise of ISIS is now the most-talked-about and most concerning issue as the number of Islamist militants joining the organization’s fold is increasing by everyday so as its sphere of influence with more and more territories coming under its control.
Two civil war ravaged countries Iraq and Syria do not appear to have the muscles to confront the zealots of ISIS. Interestingly there is a widespread misconception that the ISIS is a new Islamist jihadist militia emerged after the injustices of Shia-dominated Iraqi government of former President Noor ul Maliki. After proclaiming Islamic Caliphate over the territories it has carved out of Iraq and Syria (almost the size of Belgium) the jihadist outfit is nor vying for power in the whole of Levant and Arabian peninsula. US Secretary of Defense described ISIS as, “as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen[1].” Its ranks are swelling with both militant Islamist young men and women joining in from all over the world and as one official of the US U.S. Special Operations Command said,
“They’re incredible fighters. ISIS teams in many places use special operations TTPs, tactics, techniques and procedures.[2]”
Smashing the misconception and myths about the ISIS is the primary objective of this paper. Taking into consideration the roots of ISIS vis-à-vis it becomes imperative to understand the teachings of ISIS ideologue Issam al Barqawi alias Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi. ISIS’s original name was Tawheed wal Jihad which was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2002 after the US invasion of Iraq, Maqdisi ideologically mentored ISIS’s founder and groomed his Salafist views.
The Jihadist Godfather
There is no such entity as worldwide network of jihadist movement. Al-Qaeda has attempted to become the umbrella of jihadi organizations, and to some extent it turned into a transnational jihadi franchise for other Islamist terrorist movements. Jihadist organizations interact with each other for seeking ideological motivations, safe havens, weapons, training and logistics; Al-Qaeda has provided them brand name, cover, publicity, safe havens, financial support, training and recruitment facilities, and reinvigorated them in case of failures. But this does not mean that their leaders despite of having similar Wahabi/Salafi ideological tendencies of waging global jihad tend to work together. The alliances are tactical and at times opportunistic.
As far as jihadi ideologues are concerned each has its own regional radical jihadists to mentor. Islamist militant leaders bank upon writings and teachings for boasting the morale and dedication of their rank and file. Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, a Jordanian cleric of Palestinian origin has its own aura of jihadi thoughts and has been able to inspire many by his writings, speeches and sermons in and around Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Syria. Maqdisi is also one of the strongest clerical voices on internet jihadi scene. Zarqawi, the leader of Iraqi radical Islamist movement Tawheed wal Jihad came in contact with Maqdisi in a Jordanian prison in early 1990s. Zarqawi, a petty thief and loafer with no understanding of religion got inspired of Maqdisi and on the other hand Maqdisi also mentored him.
Born in Barqa, West Bank, in 1959, Maqdisi had to flee his hometown because of the Israeli military incursions and migrated to Jordan where he became a naturalized Jordanian citizen. Studying religion at a local Jordanian madrassah moved to Kuwait during 1970s as Kuwaiti government was passionately supporting the Palestinian cause and hosting more than 250,000 Palestinian refugees in Kuwait. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 Maqdisi decided to join the flank of Arab Afghans fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Before moving to Peshawar, Pakistan, then the hub of Islamists in the world, Maqdisi wandered around Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
In Pakistan
Maqdisi like thousands of jihadi foot soldiers and ideologues landed in Pakistan during the heydays of Afghan War (1979-89). The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on December 27 1979, and then formation of Soviet-backed Afghan government in Kabul allowed US intervention in the region, mainly to avenge the Vietnam War defeat. Saudis, already on the verge of Islamist insurgency stepped in to get rid of their radical Islamist youth[3]. Saudi scholars at the behest of royal government issued Fatwas against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and declared jihad a Farz-e-Ain (obligatory) on all able-bodied Muslim men. Palestinian scholar Abdullah Yousaf Azzam became Saudi Arabia’s point whereas Maqdisi joined hands with Kuwait charity organizations in Peshawar, Pakistan heavily involved in financially and logistically supporting the Arabs coming to Peshawar[4]. The result was astonishing as thousands of radicalized Saudi and Kuwaitis flocked to Pakistan to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan. While discussing the Zarqawi phenomenon and emergence of ISIS, renowned Pakistani scholar Khaled Ahmed describes Maqdisi as,
“He (Zarqawi) also met for the first time another personality who had arrived there from Jordan, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Maqdisi was violent, attacking Western modernism, particularly its liberal democracy. Eighteen of his articles were found in the personal effects of Mohamed Atta, the leader of the Hamburg Cell, who attacked the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. He was close to Azzam, who taught at the IIU. The two were seen eating at restaurants in Islamabad. Maqdisi’s second close friend in Pakistan was Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the man who planned the 9/11 strikes.[5]”
Thoughts and works
Maqdisi has written voluminously on the topics related to jihad, democracy, apostasy and relations with non-Muslims. Ideologically Maqdisi is Takfiri. His main focus is on Jihad and issues related to jihad such as killing of civilians, unarmed non-Muslims, apostate Muslims and destruction of property.
On Suicide Attacks
The controversial issue of suicide bombings is also hotly-debated in jihadi circles. Muqadisi threw light on the subject by declaring suicide attacks legitimate and purely Islamic. He considers suicide attack or what he calls them in typical jihadi jargon ‘fidayeen’ attack as highest form of jihad which could be conducted by any Mujahid. He rejects recklessness if involves in conducting suicide attacks. According to Joas Wagemakers,
“He explicitly confirms that they are a legitimate means to fight the enemy, as long as they are used for the right purpose[6].”
He believes in the legitimacy of the suicide operations as long as the Mujahid adopts the tactic to inflict maximum damage to the Kafir (infidel) enemy. He further elucidates the conditions.
- “One’s intention is sincere and pure—to raise the Word of Allah.
- One is reasonably sure that the desired effect cannot be achieved by any other means which would guarantee the preservation of his life
- One is reasonably sure that loss will be inflicted on the enemy, or they will be frightened, or the Muslims will be emboldened
- One should consult the war strategy experts….for otherwise he may upset a plan and alert the enemy to their presence.
- If the first condition is absent, the deed is worthless, but if it is satisfied while some others are lacking, then it is not the best thing, but it does not necessarily mean the Mujahid is not shaheed.[7]”
According to Militant Ideology Atlas,
“al-Maqdisi accepts suicidal attacks as a legitimate means of opposition to the
aforementioned groups. Indeed, he rejects the notion that such acts are suicidal acts, since
he defines suicide as an inherently selfish act motivated by fear and desperation. He asserts
that the Mujahidin are not acting out of selfishness, their actions are out of necessity—the
necessity, he argues, that arises when a small, weak, isolated individual has to stand up to alarger force. He offers historical examples, hadith, and quotes from the Qur’an in support
of his stance. He focuses especially on Palestine and jihad against the Jews. Regarding the
killing of children and non-combatants—though he is not enthusiastic about killing them, he
acknowledges the inevitability, and indeed necessity of such acts. In short, “suicidal” attacks
are a legitimate means of jihad[8].”
Despite his radical Islamist beliefs Maqdisi’s approach remained intellectual in justifying suicide attacks. It was Ahmad Fadil al-Khalayilah alias Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, one of his protégés who implemented his jihadi ideas with revisions like what Lenin did to Marx during Islamist insurgency in Iraq. A Jordanian national like Maqdisi, al-Zarqawi went to Afghanistan in 1989 to wage jihad against the Soviets. Unfortunate enough for him that by that time the Soviets were withdrawing and nothing much remained for jihadis like him. He received training and then established his jihadi network in Amman, Jordan in 1994. He planned to bomb hotels in Amman but got arrested before the execution of his plans. In prison he met al-Maqdisi[9] who was serving for preaching jihadi ideologies and inciting violence against the King. Al-Maqadisi mentored Zarqawi and strengthened his jihadi beliefs. Zarqawi materialized the suicide bombing concepts, propounded by Maqdisi as soon as he got out of the prison.
After getting released as a result of a general amnesty granted by new King Abdullah-II in 1999, Zarqawi went back to Afghanistan, now being ruled by the Taliban. Al-Qaeda’s Emir Osama Bin Laden knew Zarqawi from Afghan jihad days and offered Zarqawi to pledge allegiance to him, which Zarqawi refused and instead opened his own training camp in Herat with Taliban permission. Zarqawi’s thinking as a result of his association with Maqadisi was so radical that even Al-Qaeda’s ideologues could not compete with him. He was arrogant, ultra-radical, violent, and uncompromising concerning his set of beliefs.
After the fall of Taliban in December 2001, Zarqawi escaped to Iran and then managed to reach Iraq where a US invasion was about to begin. Zarqawi had enough time to prepare for launching an Islamist insurgency. His former trainees from Herat also joined his new organization Tawhid wal Jihad. In a shrewd manner Zarqawi asked Bin Laden to give him Al-Qaeda’s Iraq franchise. Bin Laden left with no choice but to recognize Zarqawi’s organization as he had no or negligible support base in Iraq. Zarqawi in return pledged oath to Bin Laden and changed his organization’s name to Al-Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers.
In conjunction with al-Maqdisi’s thoughts on suicide bombings, Zarqawi unleashed a wave of suicide attacks across Iraq. Shia Muslims primarily became target of suicide attacks and along with US and Iraqi security forces. The situation worsened to a level that the whole country was at the brink of sectarian war. The Shias and moderate Sunnis in Iraq in lieu of such deteriorating situation started to support the US military[10]. Zawahiri even wrote a letter to Zarqawi and warned him of not indulging in sectarian conflicts, as Al-Qaeda Core wanted to avoid drifting into a sectarian war. He explicitly wrote, making his point clear to Zarqawi,
“As for the sectarian and chauvinistic factor, it is secondary in importance to outside
aggression, and is much weaker than it. In my opinion-which is limited and which is
what I see far from the scene-the awakening of the Sunni people in Iraq against the Shia
would not have had such strength and toughness were it not for the treason of the Shia
and their collusion with the Americans, and their agreement with them to permit the
Americans to occupy Iraq in exchange for the Shia assuming power.[11]”
The impact of Maqdisi on Zarqawi’s jihadi endeavours was immense. He did not follow the Al-Qaeda playbook rather banked upon Maqdisi, whom he considered far more advanced in terms of Sharia laws for conducting suicide attacks.
Democracy is Religion
Apart from participation in Jihad and explaining virtues of jihad and suicide bombings, Maqdisi focused on condemning democracy as a system of Kufr or unbelief. He considered democracy as the biggest hurdle in implementing the Sharia laws and compared it with Islamic ideology as if it is a separate religion at odds with Islam. Since in democracy people voice their opinions and try to make, amend and implement laws which are manmade and parliament, councils, and legislation of laws are in direct contradiction of Islam and an innovation. He compared democracy with polytheism. He wrote of democracy as:
“ One of these religions is democracy. It is a religion that is a contradictory to Allah’s
religion. Following this text, there are some brief points that outline the errors of this
innovated, invented religion, which many people are fascinated by – including those people
who claim Islam is their religion (i .e. claim that they are Muslim s). They know that
democracy i s a religion different from the True monotheistic religion of Islam, and they
know i t i s one of the misguided ways, and that Shaytan (Satan) stands at every door of these
ways, calling to the Hell f i re[12].”
Maqdisi also states reasons for his contempt for democracy.
- In democracy laws are legislated which is contradictory to Islamic laws, which, according to him cannot be allowed.
- Democracy upholds peoples’ judgement not God’s judgement which makes democracy an equivalent of polytheism
- Democracy promotes secularism, which Maqdisi considers ‘evil, illegitimate and fake doctrine[13]’
- Democracy gives freedom to people which he believes contradictory to Islamic teachings.
He concludes his debate by saying,
“Therefore, democracy i s a religion that i s different from All ah’s religion. It i s the
judgement of the deity, but not of All ah. It is a law of different, separate gods, but not the law of Allah, the One, the Subduer. Everyone who accepts democracy, means that he
accepts to be ruled by legislation that is written according to the constitution, and accepts
that legislation to be preferred to the legislation of Allah, the One[14].”
Millat Ibrahim (The Religion of Ibrahim)
In another voluminous work concerning the issue of Jihad is Millat Ibrahim. Maqdisi goes in details to explain the virtue of Jihad by elaborating the concept of Al-Wala wal Bara: enmity and disavowal. Maqdisi presents his thesis on the basis of Quranic verses: “So Obey not the disbelievers and make Jihad against them with it (the Quran); the greatest Jihad[15]” and “For us our deeds and for you your deeds[16].”
Maqdisi strongly rejects any kind of rapprochement with Kufar (unbelievers) and also with apostates. In a sense he is emphasizing over Jihad against infidels, apostate Muslims and anyone flirting with un-Islamist ideas. Wilayah or allegiance is pivotal in Maqdisi’s discourse and no compromise could be reached between the forces of Taghut (Kuffar) and believers. There is an ‘us’ and ‘them’ division between the two. Another focus of his treatise is on disavowal (Barah) from the Shirk (associating with God). He repeatedly quotes 17th Century Arabian scholar Mohammad ibn ul Wahab, the founder of Wahabi sect of Islam concerning shirk. Echoing Ibn ul Wahab, Maqdisi fiercely promotes the use of Takfir declaring that person or group of persons he deems involved in practicing innovations as apostates.
Maqdisi asks Muslims to show their disdain, hatred, enmity and disavowal to Mushrikin (infidels) and polytheist, ultimately by waging Jihad against them. For Maqdisi the best thing to draw God’s attention is aggression towards God’s enemies and jihad against them. Mujahid’s job is to frighten the forces of Taghut. He quotes Quran here,
“To you be your religion and to me my religion[17].”
Maqdisi believes that it is not only Islam but followers of the Millah of Ibrahim that are the most tested people because they apply the methods of Dawah and Jihad of Prophets[18]. Therefore the destruction of Taghut and Wasiq (apostate constitution) and anything related to their ‘evil deeds’ is obligatory upon all Muslims. Maqdisi tries hard to convince Muslims for not obeying the Taghuti forces, and do not incline towards them, and that would be the highest level of religious conviction.
Conclusion
Zarqawi did what he could in the light of the teachings of his mentor and Godfather Maqdisi. The jihadi journey he started in Pakistan during Afghan War (1979-89) culminated in Iraq in 2003. He was running his own camp in Herat, Afghanistan on a territory allotted to him by Afghan Taliban. He could not manage to establish warm relations with Osama Bin Laden. Instead he opted to organize his own Islamist group directly in line with the teachings of Maqdisi. It appears that by the time he was residing in Afghanistan Bin Laden could not convince him or he could not recognize the jihadi talents of Bin Laden. After the 9/11 attacks he started to collude with Al-Qaeda and fought briefly alongside Al-Qaeda’s Brigade 055 in Afghanistan against the US-backed anti-Taliban Northern Alliance forces. He slipped into Iran after the collapse of Taliban regime as a result of US invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. He then joined hands with Ansar al-Islam in Kurdish regions of Iraq where he tried to reinvigorate an Islamist insurgency long before the US invasion of Iraq. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 in fact targeted Ansar al-Islam from the very beginning, leaving Zarqawi with no option to organize the Islamist insurgency in urban centers of Iraq. Zarqawi launched its new organization Tawhid wal Jihad in late 2003. The organization was initially composed of former trainees of Zarqawi’s Herat camp. The organization managed to surpass all other insurgent groups in Iraq in launching a bloody destructive spree of suicide bombings, accelerating the number of allied forces’ casualties. By January 2006, Zarqawi was the most wanted man in US-controlled Iraq, with a $25 million bounty. He was involved in killing the Western troops, private contractors and Shias in Iraq[19]. His death in a daisy cutter strike in 2006 near Baghdad ended an era of terror.
Zarqawi’s lieutenants could not manage to run the organization he founded on terror. Abu Ayub al-Masri aka Abu Hamza al-Muhajir and Al-Rashid al-Baghdadi’s consecutive deaths in 2010 almost ended the organization then called Islamic State of Iraq. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi aka Abu Dua took over in 2010. Unlike Zarqawi and other leaders of ISIS, Baghdadi is a local Iraqi native. More educated and unconventional in approach, Baghdadi made tactical decision to move the depleted group to Syria where a civil war had begun by 2011. In Syria he managed to reinvigorate Islamic State of Iraq. Baghdadi like his predecessors is more into Maqdisi’s thought and apart from ideological issues he developed personal rifts with Mohammad al-Joulani the leader of Al-Qaeda’s Syria franchise Nusrah Front. Baghdadi then moved back to Iraq after regaining the momentum.
The impact of Maqdisi’s thoughts is still prevalent on ISIS modus operandi. Maqdisi in a statement on his personal website refused to accept the Baghdadi led Islamic State, he said,
“Whoever hastens something prematurely will be punished by being deprived of that for which he fights.[20]”
He further called Islamic State a ‘rush job’, ‘forced’, and ‘illegitimate’[21]. Instead Maqdisi asked Al-Qaeda leader Ayman and Zarqawi and ISIS’s Baghdadi to reconcile, “I also wrote to our beloved brother, the Sheikh, the Commander, the Mujahid Ayman al-Zawahiri (may Allah protect him), and I put him in the picture regarding my efforts at a reconciliation initiative or adjudicating between.[22]”
Despite Maqdisi’s effort of reconciliation from Jordanian prison cell[23] the ISIS is geared up to implement Maqdisi thought in full letter and spirit.
Dr Farhan Zahid is an associate research fellow at CRSS. A police officer by profession, Dr.Zahid did his Ph.D. in Counter Terrorism from University of Brussels, Belgium.Dr Zahid has authored more than 20 research papers and articles. He writes on counter-terrorism, al-Qaeda, Pakistani al- Qaeda-linked groups, and Islamist violent non-state actors in Pakistan, Jihadi Ideologies and the Afghan Taliban.
[1] James Gordon Meek, “ISIS an ‘incredible ‘ fighting force, US Special Ops Sources say”, ABC News, August 25, 2014, available at: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/isis-incredible-fighting-force-us-special-ops-sources/story?id=25116463
[2] Ibid
[3] That in fact started after the Siege of Mecca event in 1979 when Wahabi zealots, many of them members of Saudi National Guard, took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The siege continued for more than a month and ended only with the help of French Special Forces who flushed out the Islamist militants after a fierce battle inside the mosque, the holy of the holies for Muslims
[4] Maqdisi had moved to Kuwait from Jordan during mid-1970s seeing the opportunities provided by Kuwaiti government to settle thousands of Palestinians in Kuwait.
[5] Khaled Ahmed, Terror Connection, The Indian Express, July 31, 2014, available at: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/terror-connection/99/
[6] Joas Wagemakers, “Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi: A Counter-Terrorism Asset?”, CTC Sentinel, May 15 2008, Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) West Point, available at: https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/abu-muhammad-al-maqdisi-a-counter-terrorism-asset
[7] “Suicide as a Weapon”, Center for Excellence Defense against Terrorism, Ankara, Turkey, IOS Press, 2007, p.67
[8] “Militant Ideology Atlas: Research Compendium”, Combating Terrorism Center, West Point, 2006, p.170-171
[9] Zarqawi and Maqdisi knew each other from Afghanistan, but their relationship strengthened during their time in Suwaqah prison, 85 km south of Amman in the middle of desert
[10] The Awakening Movement (Anbar Awakening) was indeed a movement of Sunni tribes in Anbar province to counter the growing influence of Al-Qaeda which was controlling the state of affairs, and constituting of Iraqis and non-Iraqis in 2007-8
[11] Zawahiri’s Letter to Zarqawi (English Translation), Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), 2010, p.5, available at: https://www.ctc.usma.edu/v2/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Zawahiris-Letter-to-Zarqawi-Translation.pdf
[12] Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Democracy is a Religion (English translation), p.9, available at: http://www.haverford.edu/library/reference/mschaus/jihadimvt/DemocracyReligion.pdf
[13] Ibid, p.11
[14] Ibid, p.12
[15] The Holy Quran, Al-Furqan:52
[16] The Holy Quran: Ash-Shurah: 15
[17] The Holy Quran, Al-Kafirun: 6
[18] Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, Millat Ibrahim, p.85
[19] Khaled Ahmed, “Terror Connection”, The Indian Express, July 31, 2014, available at: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/terror-connection/
[20] Elisa Oddonne, “Jordanian Jihadist leader condemns ISIS Caliphate”, Al Monitor, July 7, 2014, available at: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/jordan-maqdisi-jihad-iraq-isis-caliphate-qaeda.html
[21] Ibid
[22] Thomas Joscelyn, “Jailed jihadist ideologue says the ISIS is a ‘deviant organization’”, The Long War Journal, May 28, 2014, available at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/jailed_jihadist_ideo.php
[23] Abu Maqdisi has recently been released from Prison by Jordanian authorities but still in safe custody