Why didn’t they rise up en masse and cry out, “Islam is a Religion of Peace! You extremists are hijacking our religion!”? Why didn’t they cast this pro-Islamic State preacher out of the mosque and replace him with a moderate?
“Mosque-Goers Pledge Allegiance to ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi following Sermon in Al-Raqqah, Syria, MEMRI, July 29, 2014:
In this video-clip, the preacher at a mosque in Al-Raqqah, Syria, says: “The whole world has witnessed the greatest events in contemporary history: The caliphate has been declared, and the Muslims have been appointed a caliph.” Following the sermon, the mosque-goers pledged allegiance to the Emir of the Believers, and cried: “We pledge to hear and obey.”
Beagle says
“The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers…”
―Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Those learned analysts who think the IS will collapse under its own weight and overreach or whatever due to lack of manpower may want to consider the authentic Islamic pull the IS has with a substantial subset of Sunni Islam, or about 80% of over a billion people.
CogitoErgoSum says
On his deathbed, Alexander the Great was asked by his generals to name the one he wanted to leave in charge of his empire. Alexander’s reply is reported to have been, “To the strongest.” Likewise, neither did Muhammad appoint a direct successor to his authority . The Quran was to have been the only guide the Muslims would need after Muhammad. But who would explain this guide to the uneducated, illiterate masses of the time? In effect, Muhammad’s answer was the same as Alexander’s. Thus, the proper interpretation of the Quran and the leadership of Muslims goes “to the strongest.” Islam means submission. The allegiance of the Muslims goes to the strongest.
GP says
Specifically, how is a mosque a threat to the community within which it is built?
Every single mosque in the world, by definition, is modeled on the mosque of Muhammad in Medina in accordance with the Sunnah. The Sunnah interprets the Qur’an by reporting exhaustively on everything that Muhammad said, did, or consented to. Therefore, his Medina mosque, the first mosque, was a place where he gave judgments, where he decided who would be executed, where he instituted policy—domestic and military— where Jihad war strategies were designed. Consequently, it was a storage place for arms, a military training base, and was where troops were blessed and dispatched. Literally they were sent to conquer – Sam Solomon, former professor of sharia law.