News & Comment
The Jakarta Attacks – What Must Be Clearly Understood

News

After the bombing of Paris in November last year that killed more than 100 people, the world was once again rocked by attacks in Thamrin, Jakarta, on Thursday, January 14, 2016 which killed seven, including the five attackers. Sure enough, as soon as the bomb exploded, the Western media was quick to accuse the attacks as an act of "Muslim terrorists". Even the governments of the Islamic world continue to blame it on "Muslim terrorists". Expectedly, the formal exercise of finding ‘evidences’ linking the perpetrators of the attacks to Islamic movements then ensued. In Malaysia, this exercise was further justified with a video received from the Malay speaking wing of ISIS soon after the attacks in Jakarta. In this strongly defiant video posted in Malay, the Malaysian-Indonesian unit of ISIS, called the Katibah Nusantara, threatened revenge for the arrests of its members. Titled "Mesej Awam Kepada Malaysia" (Public Message for Malaysia), the video warned: "If you catch us, we will only increase in number but if you let us be, we will be closer to our goal of bringing back the rule of the Khalifah (caliph). We will never bow down to the democratic system of governance as we will only follow Allah's rules".

Comment

Before the advent of ISIS in the international arena, we have seen how the West, as the enemy of Islam, makes Taliban and al-Qaeda as targets in their campaign against Islam. After Taliban was 'disabled' and Al-Qaeda ‘buried’ ensuing the death of Osama bin Laden, ISIS emerged as the new target. In fact ISIS is not just a new target, it is also a more ‘systematic’ and ‘global’ target for the West. Today, ISIS is a great justification for the West to continue their war against the Muslims in the name of war against terrorism. The fight against ISIS has become a tool of legitimacy not only by the Americans, but also by those who make America their master, as a means to counter any elements that are able to threaten the status quo of their seats of power. America and the West promotes ISIS as a very dangerous organization, as if ISIS is the perpetrator of the most fearsome violence in the universe and that ISIS has a worldwide terror network and is able to strike anywhere in this world with vicious force. Thus, if ISIS exists in any country, the power of ISIS is perceived to be able to overcome the country with lightning speed, even if there is only one individual supporting ISIS in it!! This is the myth invented by the West, which, unfortunately seems to be working and taken as a fact! Hence it is not surprising that with such acts of violence, as had happened in Paris and Jakarta, the human mind has been "programmed" by the West to continue to associate them with ISIS, by default. And within this chain of thought, other Islamic movements may also be implicated, if not as perpetrators themselves, these movements would be deemed as ‘conveyor belts to terrorism’. Within this chain of thought as well, someone can be found "guilty" of terrorism if he or she has been to Syria or Iraq or Afghanistan, spoke or wrote something that is anti-Western or anti-Jewish or for criticizing democracy. Today, this formula is the law. No clear evidence is required – suffice with the reasons mentioned above, a person or a movement can be deemed a supporter, or worse, perpetrator of terrorism.

By declaring an illegal Khilafah "Caliphate" and portraying images that profaned the true nature of the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate", ISIS has given full justification to the West to declare war against Islam in the name of war against terrorism. In the name of war against ISIS, Western imperialist countries managed to strengthen their occupation and the murder of Muslims. The US and its allies, including Russia, continue to commit murder on Syrian civilians in the name of fighting ISIS. The fight against ISIS has also been used by despotic rulers in the Muslim countries to maintain their grip on their throne and their people.

As far as the West is concerned, the existence of ISIS has been beneficial to them in their war against Islam. ISIS has been a potent instrument of the West in establishing and reinforcing their occupation, in the form of direct military intervention, intelligence cooperation with the Muslim world, or as a tool for them to smear a negative stigma on the pure Islamic thoughts and laws of Sharia and the Khilafah "Caliphate". Yes, what happened in Jakarta was a despicable act that is clearly contrary to Islam, whatever the intentions and objectives of the perpetrators are. They have clearly committed murder and that is forbidden in Islam. Whomever were the perpetrators and the masterminds behind the attacks, if they are reprimanded, must be severely punished in Islam. However, we as Muslims who are declared by Allah as the best Ummah, must not sit still and allow the Western propaganda to continuously undermine Islam, to continue to undermine the Islamic Sharia and the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate". Indeed the Khilafah "Caliphate" is an obligation in Islam.

The Ummah has to be made clear of this obligation, the methodology of establishing her and her responsibilities on the Ummah and the Ummah’s obligation upon her. It has to be made clear that the legitimate way to establish the Khilafah "Caliphate" is through a political and intellectual struggle, not by indiscriminate violence, killings or bombings. Anyone who claims to revive the Khilafah "Caliphate", but takes a path other than the one shown by the Prophet (saw) (political and intellectual struggle followed by talab al-nusrah), then surely he has erred. InshaAllah, the true Khilafah "Caliphate" (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood will be established soon. Then, truth will be apparent, those who have erred will be brought to the right path and the real terrorists (The Western powers, the Jewish entity and their allies) will be eradicated and the Islamic world will be overshadowed by the grace of Allah (swt).

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Dr. Muhammad - Malaysia