ISIS wants to delete the world

ISIS destroying 2000-year-old statues in a Mosul museum because they were “un-Islamic” idols. (Photo: The New York Post)

Earlier this year, ISIS members gleefully demolished ancient artefacts of dead gods and forgotten civilisations in Mosul, Nimrud and other historical sites. They tore out the rich history and culture of not only Iraq, but humanity; they believe that Allah would have wished it so, but neither Muhammad nor Abraham, his prophets on earth, wiped out the histories of such rich civilisations.

ISIS and other Islamist groups want to turn humanity back to the Stone Age; they have allegiance from Boko Haram, a radical group against western education, and they seek to undermine human culture wherever it is. Some examples over the years have been the destruction of 6th century Buddha statues in Swat and Bamiyan destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, statues even the Mongols appraised, and the destruction of the manuscripts of Timbuktu by Ansar Dine, another Islamist group operating in Mali (with links to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb).

The 6th century Buddha statues, before and after the Taliban’s destruction of them in 2001. (Photo: Wikimedia)

A man attempts to salvage some of the ancient manuscripts after the sacking of Timbuktu.

But recently ISIS has moved toward this trend of demolishing the ancient, historic, cultural prides of Iraq, one being Nimrud, the capital of Assyria on the plains of Nineveh. Nimrud’s destruction will resonate in history as it was one of the first civilisations in existence, dating thousands of years back to the time of pharaohs. They believe that God decreed the destruction of idols; but statues of gods from redundant civilisations are not referred to in Islam’s 10 commandments. 

It is a clear insult to human nature and society. Our identity is being demolished with no remorse for the future. The arrogance ISIS shows in its belief that they alone are right, when murdering, looting and razing is all they do, is unfathomable. One wonders where they got their bloodthirsty believes from – what they preach certainly cannot be called Islam.

ISIS is making gains throughout Syria; using British and US weapons sold by the Free Syrian Army, they pave a path of destruction and death on their bloody march to Damascus. Their aim; capture a capital and make the world tremble. Their mission; get Western ground troops to Dabiq, where the Qur’an states apocalypse will ensue. As much as their actions pain us, if the “Romans” i.e. Christians – Western troops – go to Dabiq and are stalled by ISIS, the Islamic world may crumble as their twisted interpretation of this prophecy comes true.

The prophecy states: The Last Hour would not come until the Romans (Christians) land at al-A’maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them).

For this reason we must stand strong and urge the moderate and civilised of the Middle East to fight against the barbarism that threatens them. IS believes they are doing God’s work and driving the ‘infidels to the sea’, but in reality they are destroying an integral part of human history without justification for its consequence.