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TomHolland:WemustnotdenythereligiousrootsofIslamicState

WORLD

17MARCH2015

TomHolland:Wemustnotdenythe
religiousrootsofIslamicState
Itsjihadiscallforaglobalcaliphate.Sowhydenyreligiondrives
Isis?

BYTOMHOLLAND
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Latein1545,ageneralcounciloftheWesternChurchwasconvened
byPopePaulIIIintheTyroleancityofTrent.Theambitionofthe
variousbishopsandtheologiansinattendancewastoaffirmCatholic
doctrineinthefaceoftheProtestantReformation.Accordingly,
whenthecouncilissueditsfirstsignificantdecreeon8April1546,it
wastargetedverypreciselyatwhatthedelegatessawasmost
noxiousaboutLutherandhisfollowers.WhereasProtestants,
followingLutherslead,aspiredtostripawaythecladdingof
traditionandlearnthewillofGodfromscripturealone,theCouncil
ofTrentcondemnedthisambitionasaperniciousheresy.Divine
revelation,itdeclaredfirmly,wasnotconfinedtotheBible.
Tradition,too,preservedintheCatholicChurchbyacontinuous

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succession,expressedtheessenceofChriststeachings.Todoubt
thiswasnolongertorankasChristian.

ItisinakindredspiritthatMehdiHasan,inhisarticleinlastweeks
issueoftheNewStatesman,woulddenythetitleofIslamicto
IslamicState,alsoknownasIsis.ThatIsismilitants,injustifying
theiractions,canquotetheQuran,ortheexampleorsayingsofthe
ProphetMuhammad,doesnotnecessarilymakethemorthodox
Muslims.Islam,likeChristianity,ismorethanthesumofits
scriptures.Overthecourseofitsnear1,500yearsofexistence,an
immensecorpusofcommentaryandinterpretationhasaccrued....
thereligionsteachingsineveryagearedeterminedbyscholarly
consensusonthemeaningofthecomplexscripturaltexts.So
declaresTimothyWinter,thedirectoroftheCambridgeMuslim
College,asquotedbyHasan.Itisanassertionthatwouldnothave
lookedoutofplaceinthedecreesoftheCouncilofTrent.

Theproblemfacedbytheorthodoxreligiousauthoritiesinthe
Muslimworld,however,isverysimilartothatwhichconfrontedthe
CatholicChurchinthe16thcentury:escapedgeniesaretrickythings
togetbackintobottles.ThesameimpulsethatpromptedLutherto
affirmtheprimacyofscriptureoverCatholicdoctrinehasalsolong
beenatworkinIslam.Asfarbackasthe13thcentury,ascholar
basedinDamascusbythenameofIbnTaymiyyaproposedthatthe
surestwaytoknowGodspurposewastostudythepracticesofthe
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firstthreegenerationsofMuslims:theforebears,orSalafs.
ReportsofwhatMuhammadandhisearliestfollowershaddone,so
heargued,shouldalwaystrumpsubsequenttradition.LikeLuther,
IbnTaymiyyawascondemnedasahereticbuthealso,againlike
Luther,blazedamomentoustrail.

SalafismtodayisprobablythefastestgrowingIslamicmovementin
theworld.TheinterpretationthatIsisappliestoMuslimscripture
maybeexceptionalforitssavagerybutnotforitsliteralism.
IslamicState,initsconceitthatithastrampleddowntheweedsand
briarsoftraditionandpenetratedtothetruthofGodsdictates,is
recognisablySalafist.WhenIslamicStatefighterssmashthestatues
ofpagangods,theyarefollowingtheexampleoftheProphetwhen
theyproclaimthemselvestheshocktroopsofawouldbeglobal
empire,theyarefollowingtheexampleofthewarriorsoftheoriginal
caliphatewhentheyexecuteenemycombatants,andimpose
discriminatorytaxesonChristians,andtakethewomenofdefeated
opponentsasslaves,theyaredoingnothingthatthefirstMuslims
didnotgloryin.

SuchbehaviouriscertainlynotsynonymouswithIslambutifnot
Islamic,thenitishardtoknowwhatelseitis.

AdmittedlytheactionsofthosesigneduptoIslamicStateare
unlikelytohavebeeninspiredexclusivelybyreligiousteachings.
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ManyofthosefightingforIsismayindeed,asHasanpointsout,be
varnishingtheirtasteforviolenceorpowerwithasheenofpiety.But
thesamewastrueofthoseinspiredbyLuthersteachingsnotto
mentiontheearlyMuslimsthemselves.

BackinthetimeoftheSalafs,avariceandreligiosityfrequently
coincided.WhenaslaverevolteruptedinSyriaandIraqlessthan50
yearsafterthedeathofMuhammad,theArabconquerorswere
outraged.Theseslavesareourbooty,oneofthemexclaimed.They
weregrantedusbyGod!

JihadisinRaqqahavetweetedinsimilartonesaboutuppityYazidi
slaves.Toimaginethatreligiousmotivationcansomehowbeisolated
fromthecomplexswirlofambitions,fearsanddesiresthatconstitute
humannatureistofallforanillusion:thatreligions,contingentas
theyare,andassubjecttoevolutionasanyothermanifestationof
culture,existplatonicallyasabstractideals.

ThetruthisthatinIslamtoday,asinChristianityduringthe
Reformation,thespectrumofthosewhopractisethefaithis
wideningtoconvulsiveeffect.HasansdismissaloftwoIsisrecruits
fromBirminghamasreligiousnovicesechoesthehorrorof
CatholicscholarssuchasThomasMoreatthepretensionsof
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Protestanttailorsandtinkers.Justasintheearly16thcenturythe
printingpressandtheeffortsoftranslatorssuchasLutherand
TyndaleservedtodemocratiseknowledgeoftheBible,sointhe21st
centuryhasthereadyavailabilityontheinternetoftheQuranand
thehadithsinthevernacularenabledrappers,securityguardsand
schoolgirlsalltobandyscripture.Tocomplainthatquranicverses
whichmandatecrucifixionorbeheadingarebeingcitedwithout
referencetothetraditionsofIslamicjurisprudenceistomissthe
point.ItispreciselybecauseIsismilitantsimaginethemselvesthe
equivalentofMuhammadscompanions,blessedwithanunadorned
understandingofGodscommands,thattheyfeelqualifiedto
establishacaliphate.

Mypeople,soMuhammadisoncesaidtohavewarned,are
destinedtosplitinto73factionsallofwhich,exceptone,willend
upinhell.Who,then,Muslimshaveoftenwondered,willgain
paradise?Isis,likesomanyofthevariousothersectsthathave
emergedinthecourseofIslamichistory,appearsconfidentofthe
answer.

ItisnotmerelycoincidencethatIScurrentlyboastsacaliph,imposes
quranicallymandatedtaxes,topplesidols,chopsthehandsoff
thieves,stonesadulterers,executeshomosexualsandcarriesaflag
thatbearstheMuslimdeclarationoffaith.IfIslamicStateisindeed
tobecategorisedasaphenomenondistinctfromIslam,iturgently
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needsamanifestandimpermeablefirewallraisedbetweenthem.At
themoment,though,Ifailtoseeit.

TomHollandisahistorianandtheauthorofIntheShadowofthe
Sword(Abacus).ThisisaresponsetoMehdiHasansNS
essayHowIslamicisIslamicState?

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