Afghan scholars condemn ISIS’s use of Islamic symbols

KABUL -- The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) has been using the Shahada on its black flag in an attempt to present itself as an Islamic movement, even though its actions trample on Islam.

Religious scholars denounce ISIS as anti-Islamic and inhuman.

"Using the Shahada on the ISIS flag is blatant disrespect toward the sacred religion of Islam," said Mawlawi Sharafuddin Hakimi, an Afghan scholar from Ghor province. "The actions of this group do not resemble Islamic values in the slightest."

Hakimi condemned ISIS's exploitation of Islamic symbols to deceive and recruit uneducated and impoverished Muslims for its terrorist activities.

"This group's use of Islamic symbols, including the Shahada on its flag, is purely manipulative," he told Salaam Times. "Through its inhuman actions, ISIS is attempting to tarnish ... Islam."

Slaughtering innocent civilians

Over the past decade, ISIS almost exclusively has targeted innocent civilians.

In Afghanistan, a majority of the victims of ISIS's Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) have been Muslims.

For example, ISIS-K gunmen killed 14 civilians in Daikundi province, which has a predominantly Hazara community, on September 12.

The group was returning from a pilgrimage to Shia holy sites in Karbala, Iraq, according to Human Rights Watch.

Islam "condemns not only the killing of Muslims but also the murder of innocent non-Muslims," said Mawlawi Mohammad Akram Hanafi, a religious scholar in Herat. "No one has the right to spill the blood of an innocent person."

"We are witnessing the terrorist and criminal group ISIS massacre the innocent in various countries," he told Salaam Times.

ISIS aims to convey a harsh and terrifying image of Islam worldwide through its violence and bloodshed, Hanafi said. In reality, Islam rejects all actions of this terrorist group.

Deception and lies

ISIS seeks to deceive Muslims, thereby attracting recruits and financial support to expand its terrorism, analysts say.

"ISIS has deceived many young people in various countries by using Islamic symbols, such as the Shahada on its flag, as well as by citing verses from the Holy Koran to justify its actions," said Sayed Ashraf Sadaat, a civil society activist based in Sweden.

"These young [followers], lacking sufficient knowledge of their faith, have fallen for ISIS's deceptive slogans," he told Salaam Times.

The dissemination of ISIS's lies on social media in multiple languages targets the young worldwide, and the continuation of this trend seriously imperils global security, Sadaat warned.

"While ISIS claims to be an Islamic state, not one of its actions aligns with Islamic values," he said. "However, the propaganda and false claims of this terrorist group have deceived some Muslims and allowed its activities to continue."