Radicals are hijacking Muslims’ faith

We all are living in a complicated world that has shrunk into a small global village due to rapid advances in technology. Extremists and terrorists make headlines across the world every day, but the brutalities of ISIS are setting new standards of savagery and barbarism. If non-Muslims think what’s happening with ISIS is both confusing and terrifying, the same is true for Muslims, who also are heartbroken that their faith is being hijacked and defamed by well-funded radicals.

Not long ago Pakistan, my land of birth, was a bastion of Sufi culture with devout Sunni Muslims enjoying music and poetry at the shrines of their revered saints. People of different sects and faiths would live in harmony. Things started changing, eventually turning Pakistan into a land of intolerance. Killing is a routine matter. No day passes without bloodshed on sectarian basis.. This transformation didn’t occur overnight. A Saudi Arabia-funded global Wahhabi movement promoted this brand of Islam in the Muslim world.

This project of brainwashing was started after the Iranian revolution in 1979. Saudis invested in Wahhabi-oriented scholars and organizations in Pakistan to preach their version to counteract the rising influence of Shiite Islam.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a golden opportunity for them to execute this project of Wahhabism with a blessing from the West to produce jihadi fighters from thousands of seminaries. These madrassas later on became the birthplace of the Taliban, who forced their brand of Islam upon fellow Muslims and violated the rights of citizens, especially women and minorities.

Wahhabism is referred to the teachings of Ibn-e-Wahhab. He had joined hands with the ancestors of current royal Saudi family by giving them religious justification to rule Saudi Arabia. This favor was reciprocated through promoting his brand of Islam.

Wahhabism is based on a strict, literal interpretation of Quran. The believers of this school of thought consider it as a pure form of Islam. They are not willing to dive deep into the spirituality of Islam that has capacity to accommodate Muslims with varying interpretations and concepts.

Philosophers like Ibne Arabi and mystics like Rumi are considered heretics by Wahhabis. The Muslims who celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), visit shrines of Sufi saints and indulge in anything close to art and music are labeled as non-believers.

Ibne Saud, founder of the current Saudi monarchy, demolished all graves after occupying Hijaz province of Arabia in 1925. Among them were also the mausoleums of companions and family of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that dated back to the seventh century.

This treatment can explain the ideology that led to the recent bombings of historic statues of Buddha in Afghanistan and Sufi shrines in Pakistan and Mali by extremists.

Now ISIS, being a subscriber of the same ideology, has demolished tomb of Prophet Jonah and shrines of other revered saints in Mosul and surrounding areas.

Wahhabis are mainly concentrated in Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. They represent only a small minority of Sunni Muslims. But with the help of petro dollars from Saudi charities this austere version of Islam is influencing Muslims from Indonesia to Western countries. They use all means including violence to force their ideology upon fellow Muslims.

Saudi Arabia has invested over $10 billion to promote its Wahhabi agenda through charitable foundations, found a report released by the European Parliament in June 2013. This huge flow of petro dollar poses a serious challenge to moderate Muslims in countering extremism in the countries governed by incompetent and corrupt political leaders.

ISIS adheres to same the same Wahhabi ideology. It has taken terrorism to the next level, employing brutal and barbaric tactics including the beheading of brave American journalist James Foley.

They have displaced and killed thousands of Iraqis belonging to minorities including Yazidis, Christians, Turkmen and Shabak Shiites.

Their heinous crimes include rape, executing the elderly, child abuse and silencing learned voices of peaceful Muslims among them.

They have ruthlessly killed law Professor Mahmoud Al ‘Asali of the University of Mosul, who objected to the looting and burning of properties of Christian citizens.

Their pseudo religiosity is depicted by the fact that for the first time in 1,600 years, Sundays have passed without a Mass in Mosul and other areas held by ISIS.

Moderate Muslims all over the word are facing a dilemma. They have been caught between extremists who kill dissent without remorse and incompetent political leaders who are leading them to an economic death. Eventually, they have assumed the role of silent spectators, a silent majority.

Speaking up against extremism can result in dire consequences including death due to lack of law and order in their home countries. ISIS, Taliban, Al Shabab, Boko Haram and their affiliates have killed more Muslims than any other faith group — but it hardly gets the attention of the media.

The world — especially the West — will have to curb this extremism by suffocating financial support to extremist organizations from charities based in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in the same way it dried up the flow of donations to al-Qaida.

I believe it is the only way to eradicate extremism by giving a level playing field to moderate Muslims who have no choice but to speak up and fight back against these agents of the Stone Age.

Muhammad Babar of Louisville is a physician and specializes in geriatric medicine. He is president of the Pakistani American Alliance for Compassion and Education (PACE). He is an active member of the Louisville Rotary Club and a board member of the Center for Interfaith Relations, Fund for the Arts and Louisville Public Media.