Islamic Atheism Way Before ISIS

Some would like us to believe that ISIS is to blame for Muslims flocking to atheism in droves. It would be a credible charge had we not been witnesses to a shift in Islamic rhetoric and behavior that began almost a century ago with the Wahhabi movement and the Muslim Brotherhood. Under the guise of western inequality, the creation of Israel and what it ensued of injustice against Palestinians, many groups came to exist and thrive since.

These are complex ideologies run by sophisticated ideologues with a clear agenda to take over the world with Islam as a base and the Islamic sharia as its sabre and guide. They hide behind the belief that the religion and its book will not be criticized to spread their message of hate and division as they set out on their mission.

A majority of Muslim practitioners do not relate to these groups and pretend they do not share their religion. When they have expressed their dismay over the years, it was in whispers rather than loud condemnations coupled with decisive actions to halt these groups. Some even joined the fundamentalist circus by creating versions of the radical original. Thus, downgrading god to the level of their shameless vanity and mundane existence in a variety of languages and geographies.

Thanks to them god now has armies and parties, soldiers and troops. God also has banners that conjure up images of murdering of innocents, beheading of children and uprooting of families.

Muslims watched motionless the morphing of political Islam into a bloody militant Islam. In turn we watched as, one at a time, Muslims retired themselves. First, they distanced themselves from the groups. Then, they distanced themselves from the holy verses those groups used to justify their un-godly acts. After a while, Muslims distanced themselves of Imams preaching hate openly in mosques. They could not identify with the media-hungry and instant Internet celebrity mullahs, sayyeds, sheikhs, imams and caliphs.

Years ago, wise Muslims warned that Muslim youth are becoming atheists because religious authorities are driving them away. Indeed, how can anyone with their right mind accept that great countries that provide them with schooling, technologies and entertainment are “Satan?”

Who has brain and accepts to die just because a “clergy” says to do so for god while s/he knows that is unacceptable by the very god they worship?

What ISIS did is only expose all Islamic fundamentalist groups and god-traders. As a result, Islam fights an existential battle to cleanse itself of all imposters and their bad followers or risk losing more of its good and faithful.