2014

ISIL & The Caliphate Dream

Edited By: Riadh Alayyoobi, in response for Mr !haled Diab and his editorial on
Chroni"ler: # a s$%%essf$l Caliphate in si& simple steps ',
http:((%hroni"ler%om(refle%tions(belief(isis)%aliphate(
Mr !haled Diab proposed to ISIL in his editorial on Chroni"ler for a Caliphate that
maintains si& iss$es a%%ordin* to his perspe%ti+e, ones that ,o$ld da--le ISIS leaders and
ma"e them re%onsider it sin%e all si& iss$es do not %omply ,ith the radi%al or*ani-ation
# a%%ordin* to the editor.s point of +ie, and the %onte&ts he pi%"ed as e&amples' /a+in*
read his editorial that +aried bet,een s$b0e%ti+e %ontent and satiri%al one I thin" Mr Diab
needs to $pdate his $nderstandin* of ISIL.s ob0e%ti+es ISIL.s tar*eted Caliphate is none
of 1mayyad or Abbasid dynasties as his editorial has pres$med Mos$l streets refle%t the
embedded ima*e of a slo*an that reads # ISIL: An Islami% State In The Co$rse of The
2rophe%y' Ab$ 3$.ass , the *ay poet died some 456 years after the first Caliphate
Li"e,ise : 7mar Al"hayyam li+ed and died some 8)5 %ent$ries after the first Caliphate,
too far to %onsider ,ithin any Caliphate that ISIS are after 9 This elaborated response is
mainly abo$t histori%al fa$lts and ho, an Islami% Caliphate ,as at those times I pi%"ed
,hat needs %larifi%ations o$t of Mr Diab.s si& points and a+oided the rest ,sort of
a*reein* to its %ontents
4 The e&amples Mr Diab bro$*ht re*ardin* ,ine taboo bein* allo,ed ,ithin
Caliphs %o$rt ,ith the :$nabashed; poetry style of Ab$ 3$.ass are mentioned in
history and arts boo"s The <$estion is ho, far %an ,e *o in %reditin* all those
tales abo$t /aro$n Alrasheed ,ho pissed the 2ersian Barami"a family to the
e&tent of %a$sin* too many for*in* and made $p 0o"es= Ab$ 3$.ass ,as related to
that family of a$thority ,hom Alrasheed e&e%$ted, he fled Ba*hdad ne&t to their
do,nfall 9 Arabian poetry is a h$*e and dependable +erbal and ,ritten re*ister or
ar%hi+e appro+ed by most M$slim s%holars of so many so%ietal %ond$%ts, diale%ts
and li+in* styles, b$t mind it that most of Arabs(M$slims history and poetry had
been relayed as memori-ed te&ts rather than do%$mented and ,ritten do,n ,
,hi%h s$**ests too m$%h de+iation from the ori*inal te&ts , b$t the lines Mr Diab
pi%"ed from Ab$ 3$.ass poetry form only a +ery narro, %aption of the +ast
,a+elen*th of e+ents ,ithin the %o$rt of the Abbasid Caliph /aro$n Alrasheed
,ho $sed to re%ei+e *reat poets ,ith ma*nifi%ent poems in %ontrast Mr Diab
$sed the e&%eption here in stead of the ma0ority ,hi%h ma"es his e&ample any b$t
$nbiased 9 If there is one poem for Ab$ 3$.ass or 7mar Al"hayyam that is ,ine)
bo$nd then there are some tho$sand folds of %o$nter poems that are all abo$t
Islami% themes of %hastity, hi*h esteems and ethi%s, piety, ,isdom and else, none
of ,hi%h de+iates from Islami% tea%hin*s and Shari.a s%ope Additionally,
1mayyad & Abbasid Caliphates that Mr Diab based his editorial on do not appeal
to the >ahabi ISIL ISIL is an a%id f$ndamentalist entity see"in* the first %ent$ry
of Islami% state # at least a%%ordin* to their de%lared propa*anda' and not anythin*
ne&t to the first fo$r Caliphates I e+en do$bt it that the latter t,o Caliphates
# namely of 7thman Bin Affan & Ali Bin Abi Talib' are in%l$ded li"e the first t,o
Caliphs for the +ery %ontro+ersial armed %onfli%ts that form bla%" pa*es in Islami%
history Sin%e this editorial is e&pe%ted to rea%h too many o$tsiders ,ho "no,
little abo$t Islam, it is important to %larify that the first fo$r Caliphs are *enerally
a*reed to be the best that M$slims e+er had ne&t to their 2rophet.s rei*n in
Medina Their %ombined rei*n is %alled # Ri*hteo$sly)Led Caliphate, or Al"hilafa
Alrashida' >hat follo,ed as 1mayyads and Abbasids %an hardly be %alled
Caliphate, both dynasties r$led in partly Islami% pattern b$t ne+er %ommon to the
h$mble and de+oted Ab$ Ba"r & 7mar Still, ISIL %hoi%e of brin*in* ba%" that
early Caliphate does not fit life in the se%ond Millennia , that is for s$re, b$t ,hat
the Arab ,orld needs today is somethin* far better than the %$rrent style of
re*imes r$lin* all o+er the Middle East ,the ones ISIL is after topplin* The
Caliphate style loo"s appealin* to all Arab %iti-ens ,ho lost any hope in
reformin* of the %$rrent re*imes sin%e the theme of 0$sti%e and e<$ity is the
%ommon mis*i+in* to all peoples of Arab %o$ntries I don.t thin" that it is the
Islami% %on<$ests and ,a*in* ,ars that people are after, it is 0$sti%e and ha+in*
de+oted r$lers in stead The most prominent %ornerstone and shiny thin* to re%all
from the days of the se%ond Caliph, 7mar Bin Al"hattab, for instan%e ,o$ld be
his appro+al of ,hat one man responded ,ith ,hile the Caliph ,as doin* a
sermon, that if the Caliph strays a,ay from ri*ht M$slims ,o$ld $se their ,ords
to %orre%t him It did not harass the %aliph nor did it %ost the Beda,in his life li"e
is the %ase for a %o$nter s%enario these days 9 To 0$d*e all Caliphates thro$*h
those ,ine)bo$nd poems d$rin* Abbasid rei*n %ontradi%ts ,hat all fo$r Caliphs
# as ,ell as too many 1mayyad & Abbasid Caliphs too' ,here re*ardin* the iss$e
of ,ine 7mar deri+ed a p$nishment for dr$n"en M$slims based on interpolation
and analo*y be%a$se no M$slim dared to sho, dr$n"en in days of the prophet and
the first Caliph Ab$ Ba"r Alsiddee< too Alternately, the s$**estion of appointin*
a *ay %o$rt poet is also one stan%e that Mr Diab had pi%"ed and *enerali-ed as if
a r$le of th$mb for any Islami% Caliphate In fa%t Ab$ 3$.ass ,as repeatedly
imprisoned for the loose style he had, ,hether by /aro$n Alrasheed or his
s$%%essor and son, Mohammad Alameen Ab$ 3$.ass himself repented and there
are bea$tif$l poems of him pleadin* to ?od for for*i+eness and repentin*
1mayyad & Abbasid S$ltans #and not Caliphs, sin%e ea%h of them ,as a
monar%hy based on a tribal dynasty rather than Islami% Caliphate, most of them
$sed the Caliph title sin%e it ,o$ld *rant them a di+ine a$thority' in *eneral ,ere
said to ha+e a tenden%y to en0oy a +ery loose ni*ht time partyin* en*a*in* li<$or,
h$mor, m$si% playin* and dan%in* of female sla+es , b$t this ,as not the %ase
,ith the first fo$r Caliphate as relayed thro$*h a*es >e are tal"in* abo$t t,o
e&tremely different styles of *o+ernors here, both $sin* the Caliphate title
Re+ertin* ba%" to the editor.s idea of allo,in* poets into the Caliphs %o$rts,
poetry ,as sort of a taboo d$rin* the first fo$r Caliphates It ,as mainly be%a$se
/oly @$ran e&%l$ded poetry o$t of Mohammad.s diale%t and bein* # AB:CA' as
,ell as mentionin* poets as # ones ,ho prea%h ,hat they don.t pra%ti%e amon*st a
fe, other short%omin*s # DD8,DD5,DDA & DDE: DA'
D The di+ersity part is indisp$table Apparently, ISIS is after a mono%hromati% state
,ith only Arab M$slims as the main %onstit$ent This may be a %o$nter a%t for
,hat Shiites ha+e been after sin%e D66C do,nfall of Ira<i state in Ba*hdad and
do,n so$th 7ther minorities residin* in ISIS stron*holds seem to fa%e the option
of payin* the Fi-ia ta& or %on+ert to Islam The Christians fa+ored a third option
as they fled in masses all the ,ay to !$rdistan B$t ISIS is missin* one thin*
here Ira<i Christians are not prone to Fi-ia ta& be%a$se they are not any other
Christians of those early times ,hose %o$ntry has 0$st been %on<$ered and
anne&ed to a lar*er Islami% empire li"e ,as the %ase d$rin* early Islami%
%on<$ests The fa%t that ,e are li+in* in this se%ond Millennia demands +ie,in*
life as it is and dealin* ,ith it in an open mind style Someho,, it is ,orth
%ontemplatin* here that the Fi-ia ta& is not a +ery %ostly ta& %ompared to any
ta&ation system in E$ropean %o$ntries , S,eden for instan%e In fa%t the Ira<i
Christians seem to be s$b0e%ted to a m$%h hi*her %ost of li+in* in !$rdistan that
they fo$nd ref$*e in9 The o+erall balan%e seems to be in fa+or of Fi-ia, f$nny
findin* 9 The %on+ertin* to Islam part is not %on+in%in* too, sin%e it %ontradi%ts
the /oly @$ran itself, that those ,ho opt to belie+e let them do and those ,ho opt
not let them do too In fa%t there is at least one GAya in /oly @$ran that tells $s to
lea+e 0$d*ment for ?od /imself on F$d*ment Day # 5:AB' ,hile another GAya
%redits Fe,s & Christians ,ho pra%ti%e their faith ri*hteo$sly # D:4BB' The thin*
to mention re*ardin* Fi-ia ta& is that, at those early de%ades the only re+en$es of
the Islami% enfant state ,ere those spoils of ,ar mainly 3o, ,e ha+e oil ,
minerals , a*ri%$lt$re, ind$stry and %$stoms of trade The ,hole system is
%ompletely altered so ,hy sti%" to the past ,ith this Fi-ia iss$e =
C The Toleran%e part: It is a %redit to re+ie, ho, Islam and the prophet himself
fo%$sed on patroni-in* all Thimmies # Fe,s & Christians li+in* ,ithin an Islami%
so%iety or state' b$t the %onte&t had ne+er been the same all the time sin%e then,
and a%%ordin* to that the stat$s of Christians and Fe,s differed too >hen 7mar
Bin Al"hattab %on<$ered Fer$salem he a+oided prayin* in a %h$r%h lest M$slims
,o$ld %onfis%ate that %h$r%h later on, b$t his r$les or*ani-ed too many thin*s
pertainin* to Christians, thin*s li"e their formal dress, reli*io$s e+ents and the
%h$r%h bells rin*in* Altho$*h 7mar ,as not a prophet b$t his r$les ,ere
%onsidered a r$le for a %onte&t that had been there for the first time to M$slims,
ha+in* e&panded in si-e so enormo$sly to in%l$de all those fa%tions and
in%apa%itate them one ,ay or another It ,as a ne, order ,ith impro+ised r$les of
%o$rse This %onte&t *ot altered on%e a*ain d$rin* and after the nine Cr$sades, it
%reated a ne, $nderstandin* of a%%eptin* Christians as I tend to belie+e Fe,s
themsel+es *ot prose%$ted same as M$slims d$rin* the In<$isition of Spain ne&t
to the do,nfall of Andal$sia for the hi*h de*ree of freedom they en0oyed $nder
the r$lership of 1mayyads of Andal$sia The relation bet,een M$slims, Fe,s
and Christians ,itnessed too many %han*es and s,it%hin* of roles ,ith the pass
of time
8 i The Fihad thin*: Mr Diab o+erloo"ed the fa%t that Israel had been ,a*in* a
/oly >ar of its o,n sin%e 4B8H ISIS is $sin* the same do%trine rather than
introd$%in* it for the first time , ie the Reli*io$s State style The late ?a-a ,ar
is b$t an e&ample ,here more than t,o tho$sands 2alestinians paid for only three
%as$alties on the Israeli side s$**estin* a m$%h hi*her +al$e for a Fe,ish %as$alty
%ompared to a :,orthless A56 2alestinians in %ontrast This ideolo*y lea+es no
spa%e for reasonin* and opens the *ates of +en*ean%e %hain rea%tions Any ISIL)
li"e radi%al or*ani-ations resortin* to +iolen%e does not loo" spitef$l to Arabs and
M$slims In stead, it inspires retaliation and positi+e str$**le 3ot only Israel
,almost all Arab re*imes in the Middle East resort to e&treme s$ppression
te%hni<$es a*ainst any resistan%e to *$ard $pon their thrones The tort$re ,ithin
the se%$rity d$n*eons is ,hat ,e need to %ondemn at first if ,e ,ere to fi*$re o$t
,hy ISIL pre+ailed If ,e ,ere to analy-e ISIS ,e need to +ie, the Syrian and
Ira<i re*imes before in order to $nderstand ,hy do they *et all that appla$se and
a%%eptan%e of yo$th
ii The I0tihad thin*: Altho$*h I0tihad #theolo*i%al le*islation ,that is, %omin* o$t
,ith ne, reli*io$s re*$lations and interpretations a%%ordin* to the pro*ress of
time and the introd$%tion of ne, iss$es' is +ital for the Shari.a and for life to *o
on , it had al,ays been a so$r%e of di+ision and de+iation to e&tremes amon*st
s%holars d$e to ea%h fa%tion +ie,in* history from an alternate perspe%ti+e and
so$r%e /istory is an infrastr$%t$re for Shari.a sin%e they d,ell in the same spa%e
#Arabi% lan*$a*e too' Most terms of /oly @$ran are +ery s$**esti+e of this and
that at the same time, hen%e the diffi%$lty of tryin* to ded$%t and interpolate
,itho$t f$rther di+isions %a$sed >hat M$slims need today is a mira%le in deed It
is partly d$e to the fa%t that M$slims had dele*ated their %leri%s for a*es by no,,
to do the #Read' part of their reli*ion and %ome o$t#>rite' ,ith do*mas and
personal +ie,s <$ite often ,hen in fa%t e+ery M$slim is mandated to be his o,n
%leri%, /oly @$ran orders all M$slims to do so 9 ISIS has their o,n +ision
apparently, they had settled on one interpretation for ea%h set of %onfli%ts, hen%e
the e&tremely radi%al theolo*y
5 The Se%$larism 2art: I thin" that Mr Diab needs to first define :Se%$larism; here
sin%e ,e are tal"in* abo$t an oriental habitat that la%"s m$%h, espe%ially the Shiite
fa%tion more than else It does not a%%ept the ,estern se%$larism and ,o$ld fi*ht
any side tryin* to impose it Io$ %an.t impose a se%$lar re*ime on an i*norant
so%iety that had lon* been ta$*ht to %onsider %leri%s as re+ered as ?od himself 9
Too many a+era*e Arabs #and M$slims too' mi& se%$larism ,ith atheism for the
lon* time all those %leri%s from both s%hools "ept on tar*etin* Se%$larism ,ith
re0e%tion and sti*mati-in* Almost all Ira<i *o+ernments that pro%eeded the D66C
,ar ,ere se%$lar, b$t some ,ere based on a military %o$p d.Jtat th$s hardly
%alled se%$lar In aro$nd ei*hty years Ira< tried monar%hy, military a$thorities,
rep$bli%an re*ime and totalitarian one too 3one of them allo,ed reli*io$s %ler*y
%h$r%hes to inter+ene b$t the Shiite %h$r%h had al,ays been o$t of harmony ,ith
any *o+ernment of those The se%$larism alternati+e that Mr Diab is s$**estin*
here is a potential ,inner pro+ided that both %h$r%hes are ne$trali-ed and left for
mere reli*io$s d$ties and minor details and no more than that The <$estion is: Is
it any feasible to apply in a tribal habitat li"e o$rs ,here reli*ion is +ery pre+alent
=A habitat in ,hi%h both %h$r%hes deri+e their po,ers from the i*norant masses=
ISIS is b$t a third player here ,hen it %omes to $sin* reli*ion as a %o+er or a basis
for *o+ernan%e so the treatment sho$ld be %omprehensi+e, no theolo*i%al
*o+ernan%e at all and for all ri+als The <$estion is: ,ho %an implement it and
ho,=
A successfu c!"#$!%e "& s"' s"(#e
s%e#s

By !haled Diab
ISIS really doesnt get what restoring the caliphate means. Heres how in six simple
steps, from Caliphornian wine to cultural melting pots.
2aintin* by IahyK ibn MahmLd al)>KsitM
Ima*e so$r%e: Ior%" 2ro0e%t
T$esday 4E F$ne D648
To the Islami% State in Ira< and ?reater Syria #ISIS',
I $nderstand yo$ ,ish to restore the %aliphate in Ira< and Syria B$t are yo$ s$re this is
really ,hat yo$ ,ant= As a se%$lar, liberal Arab li+in* in the D4
st
%ent$ry, I.m not "een on
t$rnin* ba%" the %lo%" in this ,ay, b$t I thin" I.m better prepared for it than yo$
F$d*in* by yo$r br$tal and bloodthirsty beha+io$r and the t,isted r$leboo" yo$.+e
released, I ha+e this snea"in* s$spi%ion that yo$ ha+e no idea ,hat brin*in* ba%" the
%aliphate a%t$ally means or in+ol+es Let me *i+e yo$ a %l$e, it ,o$ld entail thri+in* in
di+ersity, pennin* odes to ,ine, in+estin* in s%ien%e, patroni-in* the artsN not to
mention appointin* a *ay %o$rt poet
Oor yo$r benefit and other 0ihadist no+i%es, here is my *$ide to ho, to b$ild a s$%%essf$l
%aliphate P or :brin* ba%" *lory of the Islami% Caliphate;, to <$ote yo$ P in half a do-en
simple steps:
4 )!"#$*+&"!& ,"&e !&- )!"#$*+&"c!%"*&
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, Id be worse than a dog.
7mar al)!hayyam #translated by !arim Emami'
ISIS has banned al%ohol, as ,ell as dr$*s and %i*arettes, in the domain $nder its %ontrol
B$t ,hat these fanati%s seem to mis$nderstand is that al%ohol may be prohibited
reli*io$sly #haram' in Islam, b$t there ,as plenty of f$ll)bodied Caliphornian ,ine
aro$nd, as the abo+e +erse by 7mar al)!hayyam ill$strates, ,hi%h follo,s in the
tradition of khamariyat, or ,ine poetry
:Commanders of the faithf$l; they may ha+e been b$t Caliphs ,ere "no,n to ind$l*e in
the $nholy *rape These in%l$ded the 1mayyads and the Abbasids E+en /ar$n al)Rashid,
,ho is re*arded as the most :ri*htly *$ided; of the later %aliphs, is rep$ted to ha+e dr$n"
And e+en if al)Rashid himself did not parta"e, his %o$rt did, as mytholo*ised in many
stories of the 4,664 Arabian 3i*hts, espe%ially his *ay %o$rt poet Ab$ 3$,as, ,ho
definitely preferred ,ine to *irls
ont cry for !eila and dont re"oice over #ind
Instead drink to the rose from a rosy red wine.
$ glass which, when tipped down the drinkers throat,
!eaves its redness in both the eye and the cheek
Camp, o$tra*eo$s, irre+erent and ,itty, Ab$ 3$,as ,as %onsidered the *reatest poet of
his time and is still $p there amon* the *reats, despite the more p$ritani%al a*e ,e li+e in,
,here his odes to male lo+e ,o$ld ma"e a modern M$slim bl$sh
%ome right in, boys. Im
a mine of lu&ury ' dig me.
(ell-aged brilliant wines made by
monks in a monastery) shish-kebabs)
*oast chickens) +at) rink) Get happy)
and afterwards you can take turns
shampooing my tool.
D$rin* to the apparent 0ealo$sy of his mentor in /ar$n al)Rashid.s %o$rt, Qiryab, the
S$ltan of Style, fled to the ri+al 1mayyad %o$rt in Cordoba, ,here, amon* other thin*s,
he ta$*ht E$ropeans ho, to be%ome fashion sla+es
D .%+e&/%$ "& -"0e+s"%1
Di+ersity and m$lti%$lt$ralism ,ere the hallmar" of Islam.s most s$%%essf$l %aliphates
and %aliphs In fa%t, the li*htnin* speed ,ith ,hi%h the Arabs ,ere able to %on<$er a +ast
empire ,as partly fa%iliated by the *reater freedom and lo,er ta&es they offered lo%al
pop$lations %ompared to the bi%"erin* former imperial masters This ,as %o$pled ,ith an
early form of ,elfare state established by the se%ond %aliph, the a$stere 1mar Ibn al)
!hattab ,ho li+ed in a simple m$d h$t to be %lose to the poor and belie+ed in so%ial and
e%onomi% e<$ality
1nder the 1mayyads, ,hether %entred in Damas%$s or Cordoba, and the early Abbasids,
Islam.s :*olden a*e; ,as %hara%terised, rather li"e today.s Ameri%a, by a %omple&
synthesis and symbiosis bet,een the %$lt$res ,hi%h fell $nder Islami% %ontrol as ,ell as
nei*hbo$rin* %i+ilisations It in%orporated Christian, Fe,ish, an%ient ?ree", By-antine,
2ersian and e+en Chinese ideas and added to them to %reate a ne,, dynami% ,hole The
7ttomans ,ere also at their most s$%%essf$l ,hen they tolerated and promoted di+ersity
This is a far %ry from the $niform p$ritanism ISIS see"s to impose on its self)des%ribed
%aliphate
C 2*e+!&ce "s ! -u%1
The ISIS ad+an%e has res$lted in the mass fli*ht of Christians from northern Ira< And the
Chaldean Catholi% Ar%hbishop of Mos$l fears they ,ill ne+er ret$rn, ,hile the an%ient
Assyrian %omm$nity of Bartella ,ait in terror
This fear is hardly s$rprisin* *i+en the treatment ISIS has meted o$t on fello, M$slims,
s$%h as the mass e&e%$tions of Shi.a soldiers, not to mention the oppressi+e r$les ISIS
has o$tlined for M$slims in its %on<$ered territory
This is +ery different from the ideals of reli*io$s toleran%e ,hi%h Islam.s +ario$s
%aliphates often aspired to, ,ith probably the 1mayyads and 7ttomans in their heydays
,innin* top pri-e in this %ate*ory, and <$alifyin* as the most enli*htened of their a*e
E+en the traditional notion that non)M$slims are dhimmis #prote%ted minorities' ,ho are
free to pra%tise their faith b$t are inferior to M$slims %ontradi%ts the prin%iples of e<$ality
embedded in Islam This is amply ill$strated in the Constit$tion of Medina drafted by
M$hammad himself ,hi%h stip$lates that M$slims, Fe,s, Christians and pa*ans all ha+e
the same politi%al and %$lt$ral ri*hts So it ,o$ld seem that Islam, as pra%tised by its
prophet, *a+e M$slims an ad+anta*e in the hereafter, not the here and no,
Moreo+er, the @$rani% in0$n%tion on :no %omp$lsion in reli*ion; also means that ISIS
has no ri*ht to for%e M$slims to pray, ,hether in the mos<$e or other,ise
8 34%"$!- !&- %$e /+e!%e+ 4"$!-
ISIS and other +iolent 0ihadists not only %ond$%t :holy ,ar; in%orre%tly, inh$manely and
for the ,ron* reasons, they also i*nore the :*reater 0ihad;, the str$**le to b$ild a better
self and so%iety
In addition, their fi&ation on implementin* :sharia; is bafflin* This is partly be%a$se
their interpretation of it is at odds ,ith traditional s%holarship Moreo+er, sharia has
differed si*nifi%antly o+er time and pla%e
More f$ndamentally, the b$l" of ,hat is re*arded as Islami% la, today ,as rea%hed
thro$*h the reasonin* of early Islami% s%holars Sin%e ,e li+e in radi%ally different times,
it is hi*h time to reopen the *ates of i"tihad P ,hi%h ,ere sealed by the Abbasids in a bid
to %ement their a$thority P and to rethin" and rein+ent the Islami% le*al system
In its heyday, the Abbasid Caliphate.s %apital Ba*hdad P ,hi%h ISIS are perilo$sly %lose
to %on<$erin* P ,as a %entre of s%ien%e, %$lt$re, philosophy and in+ention This ,as
epitomised by the Bayt al)/e"ma, ,hi%h ,as a ,orld)leadin* instit$te of learnin* $ntil
the Mon*ols sa%"ed Ba*hdad in 4D5H, de+astatin* Abbasid so%iety to a similar de*ree as
the 1S in+asion of Ira< in D66C
5 A ,*(!&5s #!ce "s "&6 #u7"c
ISIS has informed ,omen that their pla%e is in the home and that o$tdoors they m$st
,ear :f$ll, ,ide Islami% dress;
>ell, they sho$ld start ,ith themsel+es and ,ear the hi"ab too, sin%e, if it is an obli*ation
at all, it is one that applies to men too
Altho$*h Islam is a typi%al patriar%hal so%iety, ,omen.s pla%e has ne+er been solely in
the home, e&%ept in a minority of %$lt$res It mi*ht sho%" ISIS to learn that the idea of
%loisterin* ,omen o$t of the p$bli% eye may not ha+e been an Islami% idea at all b$t one
borro,ed from the By-antines
>omen played a "ey role in the spread of Islam by the ,ord, s$%h as !hadi0a and Aisha,
and by the s,ord, s$%h as /ind bint 1tbah and Asma.a bint Abi Ba"r ) sort of !ill Bill
%hara%ters of the medie+al ,orld P ,ho ,ere instr$mental in the defeat of the By-antine
for%es in one of the most de%isi+e battles in history
In addition, ,omen made important %ontrib$tions to s%ien%e, philosophy and so%iety
thro$*ho$t Islami% history P a role that has been $nder)resear%hed b$t is eli%itin* more
interest today They e+en ran empires, albeit dis%retely
Most importantly, Islam.s attit$des to ,omen ha+e +aried a%%ordin* to lo%al %$lt$re Ira<i
and espe%ially Syrian ,omen ha+e been on a lon* road to,ards eman%ipation, and e+en
the faithf$l amon* them see no %ontradi%tion bet,een their reli*ion and *ender e<$ality
A .ecu!+"s( "s %$e s*u%"*&
M$hammad ne+er nominated a s$%%essor #%aliph' nor spelt o$t a method for identifyin*
one, hen%e Islam does not pres%ribe, nor does it need a %aliphate In addition, the
%aliphate often led to instability d$e to the absen%e of %lear r$les for the transfer of po,er,
and %ontrib$ted to the absol$tists attit$des the re*ion.s leaders traditionally ha+e to
po,er
In addition, the prophet ne+er established an :Islami% state; In fa%t, his r$le of Medina
,as in%redibly se%$lar Moreo+er, Islam.s *reatest s$%%esses ,ere a%hie+ed by r$lers ,ho
,ere lar*ely se%$lar, espe%ially ,hen %ompared to their times
In fa%t, it %o$ld be ar*$ed that the only tr$ly Islami% state, is a spirit$al state, a state of
mind
Contrary to ,hat Islamists tell $s, se%$larism is the sol$tion P b$t I don.t mind if yo$ %all
it a :%aliphate;
In fa%t, if yo$ b$ild a %aliphate li"e this, I %an *$arantee yo$, 0$d*in* by the interest on
T,itter, that yo$.ll be dra,in* immi*rants from all o+er the M$slim ,orld
RRRR