Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Tough stand against IS group required' that was published in Newsband

Tough stand against IS group required

There is need to stop the Islamic State (IS) group from striking roots among its young. The arrest of two suspected Islamic State associates on Sunday from Gujarat makes one wonder whether the terrorist group is finding support in India. IS is gaining some influence at least among a handful of youth in India. In recent months, anti-terror officials have arrested young people from different parts of the country.

The IS thrives on support from foreign jihadists, largely the young. Ever since the organisation declared a ‘Caliphate’ in 2014, it has attracted tens of thousands of fighters from around the world. Intelligence report says that the number of Indians who have joined the IS was 23, compared to 760 from the U.K. and 150 from the U.S.

The IS is not recruiting people through madrasas. The IS’s medium is the Internet. It reaches out through online propaganda. To prevent the group from gaining a foothold on its territory, India needs high-level intelligence and counter-terror operations to continue and also better coordination between the state and Muslim religious leaders.

Actually Indian Muslims are not considered Muslims at all by Iranian, Saudi Arabian Muslims. Indian Muslims are considered impure and only Saudi Arabian Muslims are considered pure Muslims. So even if a Muslim leader in Kerala or anywhere in India advocates peace and non-violence original Muslims will ignore them. Because Indian Muslims are originally Hindus and they are treated with contempt by real Muslims.

It is time that the liberal narrative is put on the back burner, and some tough questions be asked on Islam. It is the only major religion that hasn't undergone any reform movement. It is very easy to manipulate young Muslim men and women by giving false interpretation of Kuranic verses. Moderate Muslim intelligentsia must be more active and should define the new narrative of more tolerant and peaceful Islam. It would help tackle the increasing menace of terrorism as well as the consequent Islamophobia.

All the Indian ISIS recruits are educated, they learn the koran and then they get radicalized. Indeed radical Islamist activities are nothing but mis-interpretation of real Islamic values. Indian values are more strong and there are less chances for ISIS to succeed in its propaganda, but a high level vigil needs to be there and community, teachers, friends and most importantly parents must keep a close watch on their wards regarding their behavioral changes, though it’s not possible to catch up with what they are using on Internet.

If you take a weak approach against IS you are going to fail. Only a tough stand is required. ISIS is a product of radicalism within the Islamic faith. Jihad, Martyrdom and fighting for the spread of Islam is an inherent tenet within Islam and is written in the Koran. No amount of excuses and fault-finding will explain the reasons for the growth of Islamic terror groups. Only the main Mullahs of the World will have to change the Islamic narrative and stop their youth from being radicalised.

Before taking action on the youth moving towards IS, the root causes of the circumstances which led then to join the group should be ascertained. Muslims, particularly youth, are being increasingly alienated from the mainstream. The attacks on them have alarmingly gone up. The cow vigilantes and Hindutva forces are pushing them to a corner where they are forced to seek alternatives. The employment problem, the cultural hegemony, the animosity, etc are forcing Muslim youth towards fanaticism and the IS is alluring them with ' comfortable' future. Thus, the problem has its roots in socio - economic and political situation rather than community level

This is precisely the 'Muslims are victims' mentality which has prevented the community from shedding its conservatism. For instance, the proportion of middle class Muslim women who go for higher education or even choose a mainstream job is pretty small in comparison to other communities. Even the 'progressives' cannot dispute that the progressiveness of a community depends on the education and independence of their women folk.