Islam, ISIS & The Paris Attacks
The Majlis ul Ulamaa (Council of Scholars) of Trinidad and Tobago notes the attacks perpetrated on Friday November 13th, 2015, in Paris that have since dominated the headlines of major media reports, as well as social media discussions, internationally.
We recognise that these attacks were part of a wider series of (on-going) attacks that were conducted in Beirut, Tunisia, Kenya and Nigeria, and alongside volatile and mostly severe instability currently manifest in Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.
We have seen unverified reports in which responsibility for these attacks were claimed by ISIS, according to international media.
As is the case in recent related events, the conversation and thrust that followed – by many persons in western societies such as ours – are done within the context of Islamic ideology and Muslims in general. Many equate Islam and Muslims with violence and warfare, whilst others defend Islam and relegate perpetrators of such actions to extremist groups.
This incident raises two critical issues:
- What is the Islamic position and justification relative to such actions?
- How do we deal with the backlash from a hostile society following such actions?