Question:
Across the world we see terrorism carried out by groups like ISIS. Are these not Muslim organizations? If Muslims themselves are running such movements, does that not show that Islam promotes violence?
Answer:
First of all, is ISIS truly an Islamic organization? Does it really represent Islam? Many people argue that it does not represent Islam at all. According to this view, ISIS is actually a creation of geopolitical forces designed to create chaos within Muslim societies and damage the reputation of Muslims around the world.
It is argued that such organizations are created in order to divide Muslim countries, destabilize them internally, and then portray Islam itself as violent before the global community. Some even claim that the leadership behind these groups is not genuinely Islamic at all.
For example, they say the man presented as the leader of ISIS — Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — was portrayed as a Muslim religious leader, but according to some critics he was actually connected to Zionist interests and foreign intelligence structures. In that argument, ISIS is described not as an Islamic movement but as a political project created by external powers.
Those who make this argument say that the weapons used by ISIS often trace back to foreign sources. Some analysts claim that many of their weapons were manufactured by countries allied with Israel or Western military industries. According to this interpretation, such weapons and resources did not appear out of nowhere; they came through international political channels.
Another point often raised in this argument is the behavior of ISIS itself. If ISIS truly represented Islam, they ask, why did it not fight against Israel, which many Muslims see as occupying Palestinian land? Israel lies very close geographically to the regions where ISIS operated. Yet ISIS rarely directed its violence toward Israel. Instead, the vast majority of its attacks were directed against other Muslims and Muslim countries.
That raises a question: if the movement truly represented Islam, why were Muslims themselves the main victims?
According to the critics of ISIS, this is precisely because the organization was designed to destroy Muslim societies from within while presenting itself as Islamic.
There are also claims that a judge once publicly alleged that 25 crore rupees were transferred from ISIS to Mohan Bhagavat, the head of the RSS. The claim was reportedly made openly in a public forum. Those who repeat this claim argue that if such a serious allegation were false, legal action would have immediately followed. They ask: if it was untrue, why was it not strongly denied or challenged in court?
The purpose of mentioning such allegations in the speech is to argue that ISIS cannot simply be labeled as an Islamic organization without examining the political forces behind it.
But beyond all these political arguments, there is a more fundamental point.
Even if we ignore all conspiracy claims and look only at Islamic teachings themselves, the actions of ISIS directly contradict Islamic law.
In Islam, even in warfare there are strict ethical rules.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ clearly instructed that during war:
- Women must not be killed.
- Children must not be killed.
- Non-combatants must not be harmed.
- Religious clergy and civilians must not be attacked.
Yet what did ISIS do?
They killed civilians.
They killed children.
They executed journalists who had come merely to report the news.
They broadcast brutal killings in order to create fear.
Such actions stand in direct contradiction to Islamic teachings.
Therefore many Muslim scholars across the world have openly condemned ISIS. Islamic organizations in many countries issued statements declaring that ISIS does not represent Islam.
In fact, the speaker points out that his own organization in Tamil Nadu publicly announced years earlier that ISIS ideology would not be allowed to spread in the state. They issued statements declaring that such extremist movements should not be allowed to take root among Muslims.
So the question must be asked: if Muslims themselves are condemning ISIS, how can ISIS be used as evidence against Islam?
The actions of ISIS violate the core ethical principles of Islam. They do not represent the religion.
Therefore blaming Islam for ISIS is like blaming a religion for the crimes of people who are acting in opposition to that religion’s teachings.
In conclusion, ISIS should not be presented as proof that Islam promotes violence. According to this argument, it is either a political manipulation designed to discredit Muslims or an extremist group acting completely outside the teachings of Islam. In either case, its actions cannot be taken as representative of the Islamic faith.