Battle of the [self-proclaimed] caliphs!

Crescent International

Claiming to be the Khalifah (caliph) of Muslims is not a trifle matter; it carries grave responsibilities in Islam. Unfortunately, even a venerable institution like the Khilafah has been turned into a plaything by mass murderers at the behest of their Wahhabi-Najdi masters as well as imperialists and Zionists. We examine the case of two self-proclaimed caliphs: Mullah Omar and Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

Peshawar,
Saturday June 05, 2015, 14:49 DST

Who is the real Khalifah (Caliph): Mullah Muhammad Omar of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or Abu Bakr al Baghdadi (real name Ibrahim al Badri) of the self-proclaimed ‘Islamic State’ that controls chunks of territory in Iraq and Syria?

From the Islamic point of view, it is a serious issue. There cannot be two caliphs at the same time; one has to be eliminated because he is illegitimate, but which one?

It is not an academic debate. While Daesh, the group that prefers to call itself the ‘Islamic State’ exists predominantly in Syria and Iraq and has occupied some territory, the Taliban leader Mullah Omar holds sway in parts of Afghanistan.

There have not only been clashes between the two groups in parts of Afghanistan recently but some Taliban fighters have gone over to Daesh.

Money talks and the takfiri terrorists are flushed with it, thanks to generous handouts from the Najdi Bedouins from “Saudi” Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and a host of other medieval tribesmen in the Muslim East (aka Middle East) region.

Let us look at it chronologically. Mullah Omar has been around much longer (since 1996) and has been called ‘Amirul Mumineen’ while al Baghdadi was still in diapers!

Sorry, we do not know whether he ever used diapers but that is a different story.

Mullah Omar also has a much longer history of struggle, first against the Soviets in the 1980s in Afghanistan and later against the Americans.

True, the US drove his group out of Kabul in November 2001 but politically and militarily that was clearly a wise move otherwise they would have been pulverised in their mud huts by American B-52 bombers. The Taliban gradually regrouped and re-launched the fight against the Americans in 2005.

Regardless of one’s opinion of their outlook, the Taliban have been quite successful militarily against the Americans and their ‘coalition of the willing’ (coerced!) from 43 countries and have driven almost all of them out of Afghanistan.

The Americans are now begging them to hold talks. There are reports that in recent days, some contacts have been made in Qatar.

Al Baghdadi (al Badri) is a recent caliph on the block. He erupted in June 2014 and while his group has made spectacular gains in Iraq and Syria, there are serious questions about his genuineness. He spent time in the American-run camp in Bucca where he was recruited by them and then unleashed in the Levant.

Al Baghdadi remains in purdah (might that explain why all women under their control are also in purdah?). He has seldom been seen in public except for his brief appearance in a mosque in Iraq soon after he declared his caliphate. His supporters would argue Mullah Omar has also not been seen in public. So at this level, the two are equal.

But who is more ‘genuine’? If we look at Islamic history, Abu Bakr preceded Omar as the Khalifah of Muslims. Would that explain why al Baghdadi chose this name? After all, there was no khalifah by the name of Ibrahim. Omar was the second khalifah of the Muslims but Mullah Omar did not assume this name; he was given this at birth.

Are al Baghdadi’s supporters hinting that since Abu Bakr came before Omar that Mullah Omar should defer to their caliph?

Unlike al Baghdadi’s terrorists, the Taliban have not beheaded people in the streets, ripped their bodies to chew their organs or burned people to death.

Such barbarism is the exclusive practice of the takfiri terrorists brandishing guns, their pockets stuffed with petro-dollars and their brains with Wahhabi nonsense. Unlike Baghdadi’s terrorist allies, the Taliban have also not branded others as kafirs. While we would not choose either, the fact is al Baghdadi’s crowd is definitely much worse.

Their encroachment into Afghanistan (and Pakistan) may spell serious problems for them. People in neither country subscribe to their racist, hate-inspired barbaric practices inspired by the Bedouin Wahhabi savages.

The two-billion-strong Muslim Ummah deserves better.

END