الحق أبو كتاباتثامن من وثالثون حادي

2014

ISIL & The Caliphate Dream

Edited By: Riadh Alayyoobi, in response for Mr. Khaled Diab and his editorial on Chronikler: ( a successful Caliphate in six simple steps ), http://chronikler.com/reflections/belief/isis-caliphate/.

Mr. Khaled Diab proposed to ISIL in his editorial on Chronikler for a Caliphate that maintains six issues according to his perspective, ones that would dazzle ISIS leaders and make them reconsider it since all six issues do not comply with the radical organization ( according to the editor’s point of view and the contexts he picked as examples). Having read his editorial that varied between subjective content and satirical one I think Mr. Diab needs to update his understanding of ISIL’s objectives . ISIL’s targeted Caliphate is none of Umayyad or Abbasid dynasties as his editorial has presumed. Mosul streets reflect the embedded image of a slogan that reads ( ISIL: An Islamic State In The Course of The Prophecy) . Abu Nu’ass , the gay poet died some 150 years after the first Caliphate . Likewise : Omar Alkhayyam lived and died some 4-5 centuries after the first Caliphate,

too far to consider within any Caliphate that ISIS are after ! This elaborated response is mainly about historical faults and how an Islamic Caliphate was at those times. I picked what needs clarifications out of Mr. Diab’s six points and avoided the rest ,sort of agreeing to its contents.

1. The examples Mr. Diab brought regarding wine taboo being allowed within Caliphs court with the “unabashed” poetry style of Abu Nu’ass are mentioned in history and arts books. The question is how far can we go in crediting all those tales about Haroun Alrasheed who pissed the Persian Baramika family to the extent of causing too many forging and made up jokes? Abu Nu’ass was related to that family of authority whom Alrasheed executed, he fled Baghdad next to their downfall ! Arabian poetry is a huge and dependable verbal and written register or archive approved by most Muslim scholars of so many societal conducts, dialects and living styles, but mind it that most of Arabs/Muslims history and poetry had been relayed as memorized texts rather than documented and written down , which suggests too much deviation from the original texts , but the lines Mr. Diab picked from Abu Nu’ass poetry form only a very narrow caption of the vast wavelength of events within the court of the Abbasid Caliph Haroun Alrasheed who used to receive great poets with magnificent poems in contrast . Mr. Diab used the exception here in stead of the majority which makes his example any but unbiased ! If there is one poem for Abu Nu’ass or Omar Alkhayyam that is wine-bound then there are some thousand folds of counter poems that are all about Islamic themes of chastity, high esteems and ethics, piety, wisdom and else, none of which deviates from Islamic teachings and Shari’a scope . Additionally, Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates that Mr. Diab based his editorial on do not appeal to the Wahabi ISIL. ISIL is an acid fundamentalist entity seeking the first century of Islamic state ( at least according to their declared propaganda) and not anything next to the first four Caliphates. I even doubt it that the latter two Caliphates ( namely of Othman Bin Affan & Ali Bin Abi Talib) are included like the first two Caliphs for the very controversial armed conflicts that form black pages in Islamic history. Since this editorial is expected to reach too many outsiders who know little about Islam, it is important to clarify that the first four Caliphs are generally agreed to be the best that Muslims ever had next to their Prophet’s reign in Medina. Their combined reign is called ( Righteously-Led Caliphate, or Alkhilafa Alrashida). What followed as Umayyads and Abbasids can hardly be called Caliphate, both dynasties ruled in partly Islamic pattern but never common to the humble and devoted Abu Bakr & Omar . Still, ISIL choice of bringing back that early Caliphate does not fit life in the second Millennia , that is for sure, but what the Arab world needs today is something far better than the current style of regimes ruling all over the Middle East ,the ones ISIL is after toppling . The Caliphate style looks appealing to all Arab citizens who lost any hope in reforming of the current regimes since the theme of justice and equity is the common misgiving to all peoples of Arab countries . I don’t think that it is the Islamic conquests and waging wars that people are after, it is justice and having devoted rulers in stead. The most prominent cornerstone and shiny thing to recall from the days of the second Caliph, Omar Bin Alkhattab, for instance would be

his approval of what one man responded with while the Caliph was doing a sermon, that if the Caliph strays away from right Muslims would use their words to correct him. It did not harass the caliph nor did it cost the Bedawin his life like is the case for a counter scenario these days ! To judge all Caliphates through those wine-bound poems during Abbasid reign contradicts what all four Caliphs ( as well as too many Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphs too) where regarding the issue of wine . Omar derived a punishment for drunken Muslims based on interpolation and analogy because no Muslim dared to show drunken in days of the prophet and the first Caliph Abu Bakr Alsiddeeq too . Alternately, the suggestion of appointing a gay court poet is also one stance that Mr. Diab had picked and generalized as if a rule of thumb for any Islamic Caliphate. In fact Abu Nu’ass was repeatedly imprisoned for the loose style he had, whether by Haroun Alrasheed or his successor and son, Mohammad Alameen. Abu Nu’ass himself repented and there are beautiful poems of him pleading to God for forgiveness and repenting . Umayyad & Abbasid Sultans (and not Caliphs, since each of them was a monarchy based on a tribal dynasty rather than Islamic Caliphate, most of them used the Caliph title since it would grant them a divine authority) in general were said to have a tendency to enjoy a very loose night time partying engaging liquor, humor, music playing and dancing of female slaves , but this was not the case with the first four Caliphate as relayed through ages . We are talking about two extremely different styles of governors here, both using the Caliphate title. Reverting back to the editor’s idea of allowing poets into the Caliphs courts, poetry was sort of a taboo during the first four Caliphates. It was mainly because Holy Quran excluded poetry out of Mohammad’s dialect and being ( 69:36) as well as mentioning poets as ( ones who preach what they don’t practice amongst a few other shortcomings ( 224,225,226 & 227: 26).

2. The diversity part is indisputable .Apparently, ISIS is after a monochromatic state with only Arab Muslims as the main constituent. This may be a counter act for what Shiites have been after since 2003 downfall of Iraqi state in Baghdad and down south . Other minorities residing in ISIS strongholds seem to face the option of paying the Jizia tax or convert to Islam. The Christians favored a third option as they fled in masses all the way to Kurdistan . But ISIS is missing one thing here. Iraqi Christians are not prone to Jizia tax because they are not any other Christians of those early times whose country has just been conquered and annexed to a larger Islamic empire like was the case during early Islamic conquests. The fact that we are living in this second Millennia demands viewing life as it is and dealing with it in an open mind style . Somehow, it is worth contemplating here that the Jizia tax is not a very costly tax compared to any taxation system in European countries , Sweden for instance . In fact the Iraqi Christians seem to be subjected to a much higher cost of living in Kurdistan that they found refuge in! The overall balance seems to be in favor of Jizia, funny finding ! The converting to Islam part is not convincing too, since it contradicts the Holy Quran itself, that those who opt to believe let them do and those who opt not let them do too. In fact there is at least one ‘Aya in Holy Quran that tells us to leave judgment for God Himself on Judgment Day ( 5:69) while another ‘Aya credits Jews & Christians who practice their faith righteously ( 2:199). The thing

to mention regarding Jizia tax is that, at those early decades the only revenues of the Islamic enfant state were those spoils of war mainly. Now we have oil , minerals , agriculture, industry and customs of trade. The whole system is completely altered so why stick to the past with this Jizia issue ?

3. The Tolerance part: It is a credit to review how Islam and the prophet himself focused on patronizing all Thimmies ( Jews & Christians living within an Islamic society or state) but the context had never been the same all the time since then, and according to that the status of Christians and Jews differed too. When Omar Bin Alkhattab conquered Jerusalem he avoided praying in a church lest Muslims would confiscate that church later on, but his rules organized too many things pertaining to Christians, things like their formal dress, religious events and the church bells ringing . Although Omar was not a prophet but his rules were considered a rule for a context that had been there for the first time to Muslims, having expanded in size so enormously to include all those factions and incapacitate them one way or another. It was a new order with improvised rules of course . This context got altered once again during and after the nine Crusades, it created a new understanding of accepting Christians as I tend to believe . Jews themselves got prosecuted same as Muslims during the Inquisition of Spain next to the downfall of Andalusia for the high degree of freedom they enjoyed under the rulership of Umayyads of Andalusia . The relation between Muslims, Jews and Christians witnessed too many changes and switching of roles with the pass of time .

4. i. The Jihad thing: Mr. Diab overlooked the fact that Israel had been waging a Holy War of its own since 1948. ISIS is using the same doctrine rather than introducing it for the first time , i.e. the Religious State style. The late Gaza war is but an example where more than two thousands Palestinians paid for only three casualties on the Israeli side suggesting a much higher value for a Jewish casualty compared to a “worthless 650 Palestinians in contrast . This ideology leaves no space for reasoning and opens the gates of vengeance chain reactions . Any ISIL-like radical organizations resorting to violence does not look spiteful to Arabs and Muslims. In stead, it inspires retaliation and positive struggle . Not only Israel ,almost all Arab regimes in the Middle East resort to extreme suppression techniques against any resistance to guard upon their thrones . The torture within the security dungeons is what we need to condemn at first if we were to figure out why ISIL prevailed . If we were to analyze ISIS we need to view the Syrian and Iraqi regimes before in order to understand why do they get all that applause and acceptance of youth . ii. The Ijtihad thing: Although Ijtihad (theological legislation ,that is, coming out with new religious regulations and interpretations according to the progress of time and the introduction of new issues) is vital for the Shari’a and for life to go on , it had always been a source of division and deviation to extremes amongst scholars due to each faction viewing history from an alternate perspective and source . History is an infrastructure for Shari’a since they dwell in the same space (Arabic language too) . Most terms of Holy Quran are very suggestive of this and that at the same time, hence the difficulty of trying to deduct and interpolate without further divisions caused. What Muslims need today is a miracle in deed.

It is partly due to the fact that Muslims had delegated their clerics for ages by now, to do the (Read) part of their religion and come out(Write) with dogmas and personal views quite often when in fact every Muslim is mandated to be his own cleric, Holy Quran orders all Muslims to do so ! ISIS has their own vision apparently, they had settled on one interpretation for each set of conflicts, hence the extremely radical theology.

5. The Secularism Part: I think that Mr. Diab needs to first define “Secularism” here since we are talking about an oriental habitat that lacks much, especially the Shiite faction more than else . It does not accept the western secularism and would fight any side trying to impose it . You can’t impose a secular regime on an ignorant society that had long been taught to consider clerics as revered as God himself ! Too many average Arabs (and Muslims too) mix secularism with atheism for the long time all those clerics from both schools kept on targeting Secularism with rejection and stigmatizing . Almost all Iraqi governments that proceeded the 2003 war were secular, but some were based on a military coup d’état thus hardly called secular. In around eighty years Iraq tried monarchy, military authorities, republican regime and totalitarian one too. None of them allowed religious clergy churches to intervene but the Shiite church had always been out of harmony with any government of those . The secularism alternative that Mr. Diab is suggesting here is a potential winner provided that both churches are neutralized and left for mere religious duties and minor details and no more than that . The question is: Is it any feasible to apply in a tribal habitat like ours where religion is very prevalent ?A habitat in which both churches derive their powers from the ignorant masses? ISIS is but a third player here when it comes to using religion as a cover or a basis for governance so the treatment should be comprehensive, no theological governance at all and for all rivals . The question is: who can implement it and how?

A successful caliphate in six simple steps 

By Khaled Diab

ISIS really doesn’t get what restoring the caliphate means. Here’s how in six simple steps, from Caliphornian wine to cultural melting pots.

Painting by Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-WâsitîImage source: Yorck Project

Tuesday 17 June 2014

To the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS),

I understand you wish to restore the caliphate in Iraq and Syria. But are you sure this is really what you want? As a secular, liberal Arab living in the 21st century, I’m not keen on turning back the clock in this way, but I think I’m better prepared for it than you.

Judging by your brutal and bloodthirsty behaviour and the twisted rulebook you’ve released, I have this sneaking suspicion that you have no idea what bringing back the caliphate actually means or involves. Let me give you a clue, it would entail thriving in diversity, penning odes to wine, investing in science, patronizing the arts… not to mention appointing a gay court poet.

For your benefit and other jihadist novices, here is my guide to how to build a successful caliphate – or “bring back glory of the Islamic Caliphate”, to quote you – in half a dozen simple steps:

1. Caliphornian wine and Caliphornication

In spring if a houri-like sweetheart

Gives me a cup of wine on the edge of a green cornfield,

Though to the vulgar this would be blasphemy,

If I mentioned any other Paradise, I’d be worse than a dog.

Omar al-Khayyam (translated by Karim Emami)

ISIS has banned alcohol, as well as drugs and cigarettes, in the domain under its control. But what these fanatics seem to misunderstand is that alcohol may be prohibited religiously (haram) in Islam, but there was plenty of full-bodied Caliphornian wine around,  as the above verse by Omar al-Khayyam illustrates, which follows in the tradition of khamariyat, or wine poetry.

“Commanders of the faithful” they may have been but Caliphs were known to indulge in the unholy grape. These included the Umayyads and the Abbasids. Even Harun al-Rashid, who is regarded as the most “rightly guided” of the later caliphs, is reputed to have drunk. And even if al-Rashid himself did not partake, his court did, as mythologised in many stories of the 1,001 Arabian Nights, especially his gay court poet Abu Nuwas, who definitely preferred wine to girls.

Don’t cry for Leila and don’t rejoice over Hind

Instead drink to the rose from a rosy red wine.

A glass which, when tipped down the drinker’s throat,

Leaves its redness in both the eye and the cheek.

Camp, outrageous, irreverent and witty, Abu Nuwas was considered the greatest poet of his time and is still up there among the greats, despite the more puritanical age we live in, where his odes to male love would make a modern Muslim blush.

Come right in, boys. I’m

a mine of luxury – dig me.

Well-aged brilliant wines made by

monks in a monastery! shish-kebabs!

Roast chickens! Eat! Drink! Get happy!

and afterwards you can take turns

shampooing my tool.

During to the apparent jealousy of his mentor in Harun al-Rashid’s court, Ziryab, the Sultan of Style, fled to the rival Umayyad court in Cordoba, where, among other things, he taught Europeans how to become fashion slaves.

2. Strength in diversity

Diversity and multiculturalism were the hallmark of Islam’s most successful caliphates and caliphs. In fact, the lightning speed with which the Arabs were able to conquer a vast empire was partly faciliated by the greater freedom and lower taxes they offered local populations compared to the bickering former imperial masters. This was coupled with an early form of welfare state established by the second caliph, the austere Umar Ibn al-Khattab who lived in a simple mud hut to be close to the poor and believed in social and economic equality.

Under the Umayyads, whether centred in Damascus or Cordoba, and the early Abbasids, Islam’s “golden age” was characterised, rather like today’s America, by a complex synthesis and symbiosis between the cultures which fell under Islamic control as well as neighbouring civilisations. It incorporated Christian, Jewish, ancient Greek, Byzantine, Persian and even Chinese ideas and added to them to create a new, dynamic whole. The Ottomans were also at their most successful when they tolerated and promoted diversity.

This is a far cry from the uniform puritanism ISIS seeks to impose on its self-described caliphate.

3. Tolerance is a duty

The ISIS advance has resulted in the mass flight of Christians from northern Iraq. And the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul fears they will never return, while the ancient Assyrian community of Bartella wait in terror.

This fear is hardly surprising given the treatment ISIS has meted out on fellow Muslims, such as the mass executions of Shi’a soldiers, not to mention the oppressive rules ISIS has outlined for Muslims in its conquered territory.

This is very different from the ideals of religious tolerance which Islam’s various caliphates often aspired to, with probably the Umayyads and Ottomans in their heydays winning top prize in this category, and qualifying as the most enlightened of their age.

Even the traditional notion that non-Muslims are dhimmis (protected minorities) who are free to practise their faith but are inferior to Muslims contradicts the principles of equality embedded in Islam. This is amply illustrated in the Constitution of Medina drafted by Muhammad himself which stipulates that Muslims, Jews, Christians and pagans all have the same political and cultural rights. So it would seem that Islam, as practised by its prophet, gave Muslims an advantage in the hereafter, not the here and now.

Moreover, the Quranic injunction on “no compulsion in religion” also means that ISIS has no right to force Muslims to pray, whether in the mosque or otherwise.

4. Ijtihad and the greater jihad

ISIS and other violent jihadists not only conduct “holy war” incorrectly, inhumanely and for the wrong reasons, they also ignore the “greater jihad”, the struggle to build a better self and society.

In addition, their fixation on implementing “sharia” is baffling. This is partly because their interpretation of it is at odds with traditional scholarship. Moreover, sharia has differed significantly over time and place.

More fundamentally, the bulk of what is regarded as Islamic law today was reached through the reasoning of early Islamic scholars. Since we live in radically different times, it is high time to reopen the gates of ijtihad – which were sealed by the Abbasids in a bid to cement their authority – and to rethink and reinvent the Islamic legal system.

In its heyday, the Abbasid Caliphate’s capital Baghdad – which ISIS are perilously close to conquering – was a centre of science, culture, philosophy and invention. This was epitomised by the Bayt al-Hekma, which was a world-leading institute of learning until the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258, devastating Abbasid society to a similar degree as the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

5. A woman’s place is in… public

ISIS has informed women that their place is in the home and that outdoors they must wear “full, wide Islamic dress”.

Well, they should start with themselves and wear the hijab too, since, if it is an obligation at all, it is one that applies to men too.

Although Islam is a typical patriarchal society, women’s place has never been solely in the home, except in a minority of cultures. It might shock ISIS to learn that the idea of cloistering women out of the public eye may not have been an Islamic idea at all but one borrowed from the Byzantines.

Women played a key role in the spread of Islam by the word, such as Khadija and Aisha, and by the sword, such as Hind bint Utbah and Asma’a bint Abi Bakr - sort of Kill Bill characters of the medieval world – who were instrumental in the defeat of the Byzantine forces in one of the most decisive battles in history.

In addition, women made important contributions to science, philosophy and society throughout Islamic history – a role that has been under-researched but is eliciting more interest today. They even ran empires, albeit discretely.

Most importantly, Islam’s attitudes to women have varied according to local culture. Iraqi and especially Syrian women have been on a long road towards emancipation, and even the faithful among them see no contradiction between their religion and gender equality.

6. Secularism is the solution

Muhammad never nominated a successor (caliph) nor spelt out a method for identifying one, hence Islam does not prescribe, nor does it need a caliphate. In addition, the caliphate often led to instability due to the absence of clear rules for the transfer of power, and contributed to the absolutists attitudes the region’s leaders traditionally have to power.

In addition, the prophet never established an “Islamic state”. In fact, his rule of Medina was incredibly secular. Moreover, Islam’s greatest successes were achieved by rulers who were largely secular, especially when compared to their times.

In fact, it could be argued that the only truly Islamic state, is a spiritual state, a state of mind.

Contrary to what Islamists tell us, secularism is the solution – but I don’t mind if you call it a “caliphate”.

In fact, if you build a caliphate like this, I can guarantee you, judging by the interest on Twitter, that you’ll be drawing immigrants from all over the Muslim world.

____