Scott Vitkovic, researcher and theologian, says Daesh was created and nurtured by Washington and the Zionist regimes to justify their military presence in West Asia.
Faraan: Speaking in an interview with FNA, Professor Vitkovic said, “The US Global War of Terror […] over the past 20 years became synonymous with War against Islam, and more recently, with a war against humanity and anyone who may oppose these Zionist US global dictates.”
Ali Scott Vitkovic, PhD, Islamic Studies and Philosophy, is a researched and university lecturer. He teaches comparative theology and philosophy, and political philosophy and theology at the University of Religions in Qom, Iran. He is a Muslim convert from the Czech Republic.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Q: How is martyrdom different from suicide attacks according to Islam?
A: Martyrdom is a level of perfection of a human soul granted only by God. The question may be better understood if asked, “What happens to a soul when God awards it a martyrdom (shahadah)?”
When individuals’ intentions and acts are solely for God, and their souls reach a high spiritual level, God may grant them martyrdom. Contrary to some popular beliefs commonly found in the US and EU, a person can become a martyr, even if not killed on a battlefield or in war. Shahadah is the capacity of a soul to realize the Complete Reality – God. For a shahid, the Complete Reality is apparent and not hidden, while for many people, the Complete Reality is totally hidden or only partially transparent.
Islam forbids aggression and offensive war and permits only properly declared defense (Jihad) under particular circumstances. In the past, the Prophet of Islam (saw) and Ahl al-Bayt (as), and in the present, only Wali-el Faqih, the Supreme Leader, may legally commence a defense. The current Supreme Leader, Imam Khamenei, is authorized to command defense worldwide. However, his authority as the Supreme Leader must be freely and willingly recognized, accepted, and followed by the people on whose behalf the protection is sought. Only then can he order professional military officers, and if necessary, able volunteers who have been adequately trained and gained the required military expertise, to engage in a defense.
Furthermore, only those combatants who wage war against God may be fought against and taken prisoners, or if impossible, killed in the fighting. Any retaliation against enemy prisoners is forbidden. They must be afforded the same (or better) level of care as the soldiers; And if the defense is possible without killing the enemy combatants, it is obligatory to defend without bloodshed. Killing them is the very last measure. It goes without saying that, it is strictly forbidden to harm or kill civilians, non-combatants, priests, monks or nuns, or enemy soldiers who surrender, run away, or refuse to fight against God, or to destroy natural resources, animals, trees, or city infrastructure (collateral damage), as well as to use weapons of mass destruction. Only the absolute minimum of effective defensive force is permissible, and peace is always preferable.
Q: How are Daesh ideology of killing people and true Jihad distinguished?
A: Martyrdom is praised by Qur’an, but Qur’an absolutely forbids Suicide (attack). Martyrdom is awarded by God only; however, a suicide attack is perpetrated by humans. Whereas martyrdom is a level of perfection of a human soul and requires a very high spiritual level and knowledge, a suicide attack is marked by a lack of religious knowledge on the part of the suicide attacker and susceptibility to manipulation and brainwashing. While martyrdom may be reached only in the course of defense and also in the absence of armed conflict or war, a suicide attack is almost always carried out in the course of armed fighting.
Defense (Jihad) has been officially declared and legally commenced only on the authority of the Prophet (saw) and Ahl al-Bayt (as). At present, only Wali-el Faqih, the Supreme Leader, has this legal authority; however, suicide attacks are undeclared and devoid of any religious and legal authority. Defense (Jihad) can only be undertaken if the people freely and willingly recognize, accept, and follow Wali-el Faqih, the Supreme Leader; suicide attacks do not have the willing acceptance of the people and are usually carried under duress and against the population’s will, though.
Technically speaking, defense is conducted by professional military officers, and if necessary, able volunteers who are appropriately trained and have the required military expertise; but, suicide attacks may be perpetrated by untrained civilians, even children, used by other combatants. Also, defense is possible only against those combatants who wage war against God; suicide attacks are often perpetrated against civilians and civilian infrastructures, such as markets, schools, churches, public transportation, and hospitals.
Finally, unlike defense which uses the absolute minimum of effective defensive force, suicide attacks seek the most damage and bloodshed.
Q: Why do the US and EU mainstream media call Daesh members Jihadi fighters?
A: The US and EU mainstream media are in the service of the Zionist elites who have been and continue to employ its political propaganda and psychological warfare to brainwash, manipulate, use, and abuse susceptible populations for their own economic, political, and military power grabs. It is no longer a secret that the US and Zionist regimes created, trained, armed, equipped, supported, and used Daesh in unleashing its bloody campaigns in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Iraq, in unsuccessful attempts to:
Isolate and cut the cooperation between Iran and Lebanon;
Fragment existing ME countries, including Iran, into several smaller civil-war consumed regions;
Justify the US perpetual military occupations of the ME in general, and the Zionist military occupation of Palestine in particular;
Thoroughly ethnically cleanse the native population of Palestine by the Zionists;
Institute puppet regimes in the ME under the US dictate;
Gain control of the resources of the ME in the services of the US and the Zionist entity.
Gain strategically important access to launch future attacks against Russia and China.
Since the foundation of the US only 245 years ago, on the genocide of the Native American populations and blood of black slaves, it continues to exist only due to its wars of aggression. After the end of the Cold War, in the 1990s, the US, with the assistance of and training by the Zionist entity, invented a theoretically 100% success-proof perpetual military conflict. It hoped that this multi-trillion-dollar racket would allow for a control of both the friendly and enemy forces in the ME by using various armed groups leftover from the Cold War, and precisely, from the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Thus, first, al-Qaida and then Daesh were born, marking the US military transition from the Cold War to the US Global War of Terror, which over the past 20 years became synonymous with War against Islam, and more recently, with a war against humanity and anyone who may oppose these Zionist US global dictates. The US government systematically demonstrated how in the name of “the US national security”, it indiscriminately labels both foreign nationals and US citizens, even newborns, as “terrorists”, to justify its attempted world conquest through extrajudicial drone assassinations and indefinite detentions, tortures, and murders, which now constitute the sole raison d’etre of the collapsing US and Zionist regimes.
