By
Sattar Rind
…”But what can we do regarding mindsets of our brethren Arabs who had enough money to shake the region?”, was a question from a reader of my article – sources for funding of ISIS, published recently in Tuck Magazine.
It was a genuine and realistic question as well as being shocking and thought provoking to think what exactly can we do in this regard? Or who are “we to think about the Arab rich countries” that they should stop the financial support to militants like Al-Qaeda and in particular ISIS and other militant groups who had destroyed the normal function-structure of Muslims societies, becoming the hallmark for creating a bad name worldwide.
Syrian refugees, or as I would like to call them, Arab refugees, after living for a long time in refugee camps, are now trying to flee to Europe. This accordingly has resulted in the current immigrant issue for Europe which is accepting that they have limited experience to deal with such a sudden and surprising refugee issue.
The refugees are seemingly not caring much about their lives and are ready to risk death in fleeing to Europe to become liberated from a worse life living in refugee camps in Muslim countries. Even in camps they are not living a protected life due to a number of reasons, in particular from some rich Arabs who underhandedly arrange for the purchase of beautiful girls from the dispossessed and evicted poor refugees.
Besides they have lost all hope of returning to their own war torn countries where they are again not safe, the constant threat waiting for them from militants and local groups, especially ISIS. Why then are they not going to live in or get asylum to live in oil rich Arab countries?
The answer is that they are aware that the rich Arab brothers would never allow them to live and if they did accept them as refugees, even then they would make their life hell to live. In European countries however their honour and life would be safe or they would be treated according to the law as being a refugee.
Do any Muslim scholars realise such a cause of action, or are they ready to acknowledge the reason for such trust and confidence in the European countries instead of not considering their Muslim faith brothers on the same level of conviction? It is a hard and undeniable reality that the Arab refugees and Arabs from rich oil countries belong to the same civilisation, culture, rituals, traits, language, ethnicity and historical background for centuries, even before Islam came into their life.
Besides, it is also an Islamic teaching that a Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. No one is superior in Islam except he who is doing a great job, which he is, fulfilling God’s duty honestly and hurting no one, caring for his neighbour, he who is just.
Arab refugees are still desperately running away from Arab countries to Europe, to non Muslim countries. They are dying to reach Europe and openly taking high risks. Is it not nerve-racking for Muslims to think and endeavour to know the causes of this? Is it not heart rendering or hard hitting to question the honour of Muslims?
No one is raising the question about ISIS, who have left the meaning of barbarism behind, having blurred the perception of how one human being could kill another and feel pleasure!!
Nor is anyone asking the question of what message ISIS is conveying to the world and what breed of people they are? As they imprison a Jordanian pilot in a specially built cage for the purpose of burning him alive, or chaining four people’s hands and feet, hanging and burning them alive and filming it, could we call this the medieval time of barbarians in the twenty first century?
They issued such pictures and videos for the world to see, yet is there any psychological theory that could be applied regarding their activity and mindset?
Besides, it was amazing that European Muslims recently protested against the comments of a female media anchor in which she stated that “all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim,’’ Muslims labelling such statement as Islamophobic. What was surprising though was that the female journalist had actually said something wrong.
Is it not a bare fact that all ‘Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim’? And, instead of protesting and feeling hurt by it, why is the fact not being considered that all terrorists regrettably are Muslim?
Why should we as Muslims not think about this and get ourselves out of the worst situation Muslims have ever been trapped in? They are following nothing but the total destruction and demolition of Muslim culture including an evident threat to the world.
We as Muslims have fallen deep into degeneracy and depravity and must be rational and sensible, choosing to be a normal human being. There are many ways of solving methods of conflicts, through reconciliation and reconsolidation of the issues as they arise.
Muslims living in Europe do not seem to have any idea that the great majority of Muslims living in Muslim countries are on edge and close to caving in. For some though I think it is another psychological abnormality and would be tempting fate to accept that society still has not had a nervous breakdown.
Hello Mr. Sattar! I liked your viewpoint in the article “An irrational Muslim World”. You are right as unfortunately the world is becoming more Islamophobic as the days pass by. And here, it proves the point what the female journalist said that all terrorists are unfortunately Muslim. With the prowess of ISIS, the point seems to generate more support. The questions come here are, why we aren’t able to put an end to the barbaric atrocities of IS yet? Does the onus lie on the western developed countries to take in Syrian refugees while the rich Arab world has detached themselves completely from the Syrian crisis? Are we witnessing a horrific shifting of power through ISIS? As its Christian population is declining so Germany is taking in refugees with the condition of baptizing them. But is it fair enough? Then where is secularism? Strangely such words like fair, good do not matter much when it comes to international politics. Also, as many reports suggest, majority of the citizens from Europe now fear the declination of their own existence because of their countries’ policy of taking large number of refugees. The women now fear that their civilized western countries might soon become Middle East with the outpouring of refugees. Also, as per news reports, almost 20,000 ISIS terrorists have entered Europe in disguise of refugees to attack the whole of western civilization. Drone attacks alone cannot solve this IS issue. So, I guess we are back in the days of Collective Security. Only, are we ready for that? I would welcome your comment in this regard.
these are thought provoking questions and i am rarely have required knowledge to answer... however being a simple person, i think one may be simple to see around and observe things simply. specially in the connection of the Europe which is playing an important role to adjust refugees of greatly disturb country .. we have to recognize and appreciate their humanitarian positive act. 2nd why they would Baptize muslims? has it happened before? i think no. 3rd being a developed country they are also equiped how to deal with criminal elements. therefore fear of ISIS elements who might have been entered along with refugees in Europe can be possible but europe will face them accordingly. besides, i think its political slogan rather than to actual fear... 4th, the declination of european people due to two or three hundred thousand people seems unjustified and one must be sured that Europeans are very much calculated and advanced to manage to this possible threat....