I'll start by quoting Shaykh Muhammad Al Yaqoubi, "Islam has never been challenged from the inside as it is being now." The Syrian Islamic scholar also says "the ideology of ISIS is based on a complex system of fallacies that cut out the sacred text from their context and on a series of devious stratagems that select from the corpus of the law which satisfies their twisted minds."
It is neither Islamic nor a state, but a deviant group of gangsters that's driven by anger, hatred and a thirst for power using Islam as a pretence to reach their goals.
The foundational ethics of Islam are based on mercy, wisdom and justice. The messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was only sent with mercy and wisdom. He said Allah, the most merciful, is merciful to only those who show mercy. Be merciful to all on Earth and the master of heavens will show mercy to you.
ISIS consider themselves to be the only true followers of Islam and have anathematized anyone who fights or questions them. Anyone who opposes them, they label them disbelievers.
They have no respect at all for Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. An ISIS figure called Kamal Zarruq in a Friday sermon openly expressed disbelief and shamelessly insulted the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He also said, "If Muhammad was with us, he would have joined ISIS." He had total belief in his statement and supplemented it by saying "By Allah, I'm not bothered about this statement. Indeed I'm certain that we are upto truth." This warrants a judgment of clear disbelief in Islam, and is an insult to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, after which no repentance is accepted.
ISIS deem themselves to be about the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. And such statements are unmistakably proclamations of disbelief.
ISISI are basically "
khawarij" (misguided and disobedient to Allah almighty and his messengers).
That is why I have called ISIS "dogs of Hell".
The atrocities they have committed are indescribable: the burning of the Jordanian pilot in January 2015 - you cannot burn a human being as per Islam; the killing of numerous scholars in Syria and Iraq; raping women; kidnapping for ransom and slaving non-Muslims. Islamic jurists have unanimously agreed that slavery is invalid and impermissible. It is an evil which has to be stopped. It is a threat to the whole of mankind.
But in India, investigating agencies should not harass young Muslim men and make arrests without having concrete evidence of alleged links to ISIS. They must exercise utmost caution. If arrests are made, there should be no delay in filing a charge-sheet and starting a trial so that there can be quick judgment.
Having said this, the credibility of the National Investigation Agency is very low after how they handled the Malegaon blast case of 2006 and 2008, stating that they have no evidence against some of the key accused. This is very different from the handling of the Mecca Masjid blast case in 2008 in which they did appeal against the bail of the accused.
The emergence of ISIS wouldn't have happened had Bush and Blair not invaded Iraq and after invading, left it in shambles The military capacity of ISIS will be defeated but the challenge is to eradicate its ideology.
The youth should not get carried away by their fantastic social media campaign. If they have a desire to really learn about Islam, they should go to the classical Islamic scholars. They should not get carried away by their so-called call of jihad. The biggest jihad is the jihad against your own self which is called Jihad al-Akbar.
My earnest request to the youth is - let us eradicate social evils - the dowry system, illiteracy and health issues. If you are educated, use your education to make Muslims educated, if you are financially strong, help to make sure Muslim girls get married.
It is very important that we accept and understand this problem called ISIS. An ISIS member in a Saudi jail had said that the moment we get a nuclear device we will use it. This is the kind of mind-set ISIS has. It sent a suicide bomber to Medina, which is the second-holiest place for Muslims - the suicide bomber detonated himself only 200 meters from the Prophet's grave. It should be an eye-opener to one and all that this evil organisation has nothing to do with Islam.
The latest video release by ISIS has shown photos of Maulana Mahmood Madani, Maulana Arshad Madani, Badruddin Ajmal and me, stating that these are the agents of Hindu nation. This is how they are running their campaign. My advice to the Muslim youth is - live for Islam and live for Allah, for the Prophet, and for India to become stronger. Stay alive to keep your nation's secularism alive.
Islam is a religion of life, not death. Islam disowns ISIS; the messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, disavows ISIS; scholars disavow ISIS.
Asaduddin Owaisi is president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party (AIMIM) and member of Parliament, Lok Sabha.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.