Letter: Evil philosophy of ISIL is not Islam, it is anti-Islam

As an enlightened Muslim of 70 years, I would like to say that ISIL’s days are numbered and that Baghdadi’s caliphate will be demolished sooner than later, for the simple reason that he has brought death and destruction to not only his own followers, but to other minorities like Yazidis, Ahmadis and Shias in Iraq and Pakistan.

The Qur’an categorically declares that there is no compulsion in the matter of faith, yet ISIL, the Taliban and other militants have used violence to spread their evil creed in the Middle East and abroad. Scores of mosques belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslims have been desecrated, and the government remained a silent witness. Lately, a chip board factory belonging to the Ahmadiyya community was torched in Pakistan, and the police did nothing.

Indeed, the Qur’an promises peace and security through Caliphate to the righteous Muslims (see Al-Istakhlaf), but the fact that Baghdadi brought neither peace nor security proves that his approach is evil, and Muslims throughout the world should reject it out of hand. There is another caliphate that is based on righteousness, humanity, peace and security that has flourished for 107 years (see Alislam.org) — despite the tooth-and-nail opposition of the militants in Pakistan — and that is the Ahmadiyya Caliphate.

What happened recently in California and Paris was due to the evil philosophy of ISIL; it was not Islam, it was anti-Islam. Trump is fishing on the raw sentiments of Americans, and Americans should be aware of that. All enlightened Muslims in the United States should unite to condemn ISIL and ensure there is not a single soul or cell in the USA that subscribes to this philosophy.

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 7:11 AM with the headline "Letter: Evil philosophy of ISIL is not Islam, it is anti-Islam."