President Obama and more than several Muslim leaders have decried the actions of ISIS as being ‘un-Islamic.’ The capturing and selling of non-Muslim Yazidi women into sexual slavery is particularly abhorrent to everyone in the West including most Muslims. Nevertheless, ISIS in a recent declaration gives Islamic theological support for their outrageous actions. From the UK Telegraph:
A new article in the Islamic State English-language online magazine Dabiq not only admits the practice but justifies it according to the theological rulings of early Islam.
"After capture, the Yazidi women and children were then divided according to the Sharia amongst the fighters of the Islamic State who participated," the article says.
It says there is a difference between women from Muslim sects the jihadists regard as heretical, who can be considered as "apostates", and the so-called mushrikin – polytheists and pagans.
"Their women could be enslaved, unlike female apostates."
Response: It would seem that the ISIS folks are tired of folks claiming that they are ‘un-Islamic.’ Fact is that ISIS supports nearly all of its actions, even the selling of Yazidi women into slavery, by citing the Quran but particularly the Hadith which are the sayings and actions of Muhammad. So it would seem that if ISIS is ‘un-Islamic’ so is Muhammad and all of the early Muslims.
Frankly it is time for Western Muslim leaders to own up to an ongoing needed ‘reformation’ of Islam similar to what Christianity went through to identify the real teachings of Christianity and separate the church from ‘un-Christian’ historical actions of former popes and leaders which included burnings at the stake, pogroms, Inquisitions and religious wars which were actually contrary to the teaching of Jesus.
In the case of Islam, modern Muslim leaders need to decide whether all of the sayings and actions of Muhammad are still relevant and should continue to have authority in addition to the Quran in 21st century Islam. ISIS says ‘yes’ while many Western Muslims would seem to say ‘no’ by their opinions and actions without officially saying so and owning up to it. *Top