The nikah of jihad
Only Da’ish could outdo its own horror. Its practice of mass killings, especially frightening beheadings, has become so routine that it is readily accepted as everyday news. But the killing in Iraq of approximately 150 women recently – also brutal beheadings – because they refused jihad marriage marks a new low for the Iraqi government as well as the international coalition battling the expanding so-called caliphate. The Arab and British press also cited a pamphlet floated by Da’ish. It is an in-depth manual about capturing, holding and sexually abusing female slaves. Yet, strangely, the extremist group continues to attract members from around a hundred countries. Both traditional Muslims and converted westerners are now part of its military force.
It is worth noting, though, that despite the thousands publically killed and mass-buried by the Islamic State, it took one American murder to spark the American reaction. And disturbingly, seeing how the allied bombardment campaign has not done much to dent the advance or appeal of Da’ish, it seems the American adventure was directed more towards their local public than the caliphate advancing on Baghdad. Besides being ineffective, the American push has failed to factor in wider regional implications, and alliances. Paradoxically, Washington remains opposed to the only force that has kept Da’ish from completely overrunning the region – the Assad regime in Damascus. And, as Iranian air force has also wisely entered the fray, America continues to shy away from military cooperation – which could go a long way in achieving the aim – in favour of domestic politics.
Pakistan is no stranger to the senseless death and destruction of the al Qaeda and Taliban type. That tragedy that visited us this week has only one parallel in modern history; the Chechen shootout in the quiet town of Beslan, in Russia, ten years ago. We are also the best example of how fast things can deteriorate if this particular evil is not nipped in the bud. This realisation seems missing from the combined international effort aimed at countering the murderous caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The Americans, through their ’03 invasion of Iraq, have undoubtedly played the lead role in creating circumstances that al Qaeda exploited to its advantage. It must now act more responsibly and formulate strategies, and alliances, that can wipe out Da’ish, and the like, before more throats are cut.