Islamic State is knocking at our Doors!

The blast on a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train that injured 10 people and marked the first-ever Islamic State (IS) terror attack in India, has sharply highlighted the threat posed by this Islamist extremist group to India’s national security. It was followed by arrests of operatives belonging to IS’s so-called Khorasan module. They in turn led security forces to one Saifullah who was holed up in a house in the Haji Colony, Thakurganj area of Lucknow.

The UP Police had to ultimately neutralise Saifulla after about 12 hours’ attempt to catch him alive! So strong was his indoctrination in his chosen path of terrorism that even after talking to his brother over phone, when he is said to have preferred to die than surrender! The men, the UP police said, were from ISIS Khurasan module and 8 pistols, more than 600 cartridges, bomb making instruments, pellets, timers, wires etc recovered from the spot where terrorist was killed. The 23-year-old youth was accused of triggering a blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train on Tuesday, and officers suspect he was an operative of the Islamic State terrorist group’s Indian wing.

India faced with rising Muslim population projected to gain majority status in 2050, is declared battle ground for Muslim jihadis claiming the ‘Gazba-e-Hind’ – the last Muslim crusade before world dominance will be fought in India. India is also the largest country with highest population of Kafirs (non-believers) who need to be defeated to bring ‘Khurasan’ to reality. The term ‘Khurasan’ refers to a region that encompasses large areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Iran. Jihadists consider the Khurasan to be the area where they will inflict the first defeat against their enemies in the Muslim version of Armageddon. The final battle is to take place in the Levant – Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.”

Khorasan module’s train blast shows that authorities can’t afford to let their guard down. All the more so because as IS crumbles in Iraq and Syria, it is likely to mutate into a conventional terror group like al-Qaida. In fact, in a recent statement attributed to the outfit’s chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, non-Arab IS fighters were urged to return to their home countries. These returning extremists are likely to pose a serious threat to India’s immediate neighbourhood and complicate India’s security calculus.

The “IS Lone Wolfs” in India:

The ‘lone wolf’ attacks by individual terrorist seem to have become the specialty of Islamic State’s decentralized terrorist operations in various countries from as far as the US and Europe. It uses individuals motivated by its massive propaganda on social media dished out through thousands of sites. It is perhaps the most cost-effective way to spread terrorist attacks far and wide using individuals living beyond the pale of local counter terrorism apparatus. It is ideally suited for Europe and the US to feed upon the existing grievances of conservative Muslim minority. Even with all the advanced technologies no nation to keep track of individuals whose jihadi sympathies only show up when they attack.

This is a dangerous trend as it could appeal to the net-savvy individuals who are brainwashed by web-based jihadi propaganda, particularly in countries like India where internet and smart phone usage is increasing by geometrical proportions. The Lucknow IS Terrorist Saifulla is said to be self-declared member of “IS Khurasan Council”.

India would do well to look tell-tale signs through close interaction with community leaders at the grass roots to understand the impact of jihadi propaganda among the vulnerable population. The vulnerable sections should be taken into confidence to spread general awareness of the threat to the whole community from such lone wolves with jihadi mind-set.

What is Khorasan?

The Islamic State jihadist group announced that it has established a province in Khorasan, a historic name for a region that covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of India, and other surrounding countries. Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, identified as an Islamic State spokesman, made the announcement in an audiotaped speech posted on jihadi forums. Reportedly, the ISIS spokesman said, “We bring the mujahidin the good news of the Islamic State’s expansion to Khorasan.” “The term ‘Khorasan’ refers to a region that encompasses large areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and India,” reported The Long War Journal in May 2012, before ISIS’s rise to prominence. “Jihadists consider the Khorasan to be the area where they will inflict the first defeat against their enemies in the Muslim version of Armageddon.

Islamic State plans to take over India by this year

The Islamic State plans to take over large parts of the world, including almost the entire Indian subcontinent, by the next five years, according to a chilling map that features in a new book on the dreaded terror group. According to the map, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plans to take control of the Middle East, North Africa, most of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Europe, within the next five years, to complete its caliphate. The caliphate - a state governed by Sharia law which ISIS plan to claim - covers areas from Spain in the west to China in the east; the Mirror reported citing the map.

The map reveals the calculated way ISIS plans to take over the world by 2020.

Solutions:

Now we know the threats India in special and world in general is facing from IS, let’s explore the possible measures to counter this menace – all with positive approaches and constructive manner!

We need to develop appropriate responses, through sharp enough instruments that are duly institutionalised, to make the launching of terrorists so costly that it becomes counter-productive for the perpetrators, whether they are non-state actors, typically a code-word for ISI-nurtured murderous gangs, or state actors behaving irresponsibly on the border. This certainly underlines the failure of state-craft on the Indian Side.

Without bothering about international opprobrium, our western neighbour has set up an effective terrorist infrastructure to be used against India. It also finds effective military and diplomatic cover for the depredations of its terrorists. This has gone on for three decades and has now been developed into a fine art. India has to willy-nilly follow same strategy! According to Shri KPS Gill, "We do not prepare for terror after it has taken place. We have to be ready all the time on the international borders in both the Western and the Eastern sectors".

Baghdadi’s ruling clashes head-on with the tradition of Eid celebrations observed during the life of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). It again proves that Baghdadi is an ignoramus with little knowledge of Islam or Islamic history and is out to destroy the culture and heritage of Islam and distort the original face of Shariat. The two rikaat Eid prayer was observed by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and his companions during the prophet’s lifetime. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) had also laid down principles and rules for observing the day of Eid and for celebrating the occasion.

The al Qaeda had recently been stealing a bit of jihadi thunder in the global limelight with victories in Yemen and Somalia through its affiliate groups Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and AL Shabaab respectively. Of course, in Afghanistan, the recent Taliban attacks come in the wake of its offensive in Kuduz province indicating the shape of things to come in a place near India. If this power struggle between the two jihadi groups is joined in earnest in al Qaeda’s home ground in Pakistan and across South Asia, the danger of India facing renewed jihadi terror attack is real. With Pakistan seething with anger against India, it may well provide the political backdrop for it.

The Bhartiya Citizens Security Council, a Think Tank organized a seminar last year on the subject of “Constructive Approach to Destructive IS” and following were the points of focus by various speakers -

?     Ideology of IS needs to be challenged.

?     It is time for revolution in Islam.

?     Muslims must remove bad interpretation of Islam.

?     Interpretation of Jihad in Islam must change.

?     Remove Islam from time warp.

?     Encourage moderate Muslims.

?     De-radicalisation of Muslim youth.

?     Counter radicalisation is also needed.

?     Revamping of security architecture needed to face IS threats.

?     Modernization and strengthening police force.

?     Presence of positive forces needed in social media.

·            Remain watchful of strangers involved in suspicious activities

·            Keep police informed of suspicious materials and vehicles

·            Have ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ program implemented in your localities

·            Prepare yourself for self-defence and that of your families and friends.

Conclusion:

Bhaghdadi and his followers have accepted their defeat in Iraq. Their hold in Syria is weakening! The Yemen dominance is crumbling! While on the run, they will naturally run to the land where they will find strong local support and week nation such as India. India is also full of so called ‘Kafirs’! So make your guess! For all the wrong reasons, India is the right choice!

Whole world needs to understand and counter the propaganda unleashed by the IS that sets out to prove their interpretation of Islam to be true and also highlight the inherent contradictions and confrontations spread by them. As it appears to day, IS is the most despicable enemy of their own religion and what has started within needs to be finished within.

The lasting Solution to degenerating IS will come from the religion itself!