Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 26

ruling, many soldiers were still unsure if they might
go to hell for their actions. Today, more than half
the world’s Muslims believe they will live to see the
return of the Mahdi.67

Defeating Daesh
Interpreting a single word to include the numerous,
non-contradictory meanings that it can carry is without a
doubt the correct approach here.68
—Article in Dabiq magazine
Words and ideas are the most effective weapons of
Daesh. It uses them to recruit and to spread its message in
the domain of deen, where it enjoys freedom of movement.
Therefore, this article gives several recommendations for
countering Daesh, not with physical weapons, but with
words and ideas, which we could use more effectively than
any physical weapon.
To start, we should refer to the “Islamic State” as Daesh.
This simple word expresses the organization’s true identity,
as a group of brutal blasphemers who bastardize Islam. We
should refer to Daesh’s leader not by the name he prefers,
but by the name he deserves: ad Dajjal.69 This name represents an evil figure Muslims fear will one day appear as a
false messenger.
Next, our messaging should expose the abundance
of religious fraud in Daesh’s jihadist propaganda,
most of which justifies fighting based on religious
authorities. Raising doubts about tenuous religious
rationales might dissuade potential recruits who want
to adhere to their holy scriptures. Daesh’s propaganda
frequently mentions jihad—the report by the Centre
on Religion and Geopolitics found jihad mentioned
in 71 percent of the propaganda studied.70 However,
like the Saudi troops who hesitated in 1979, potential
Daesh recruits and current Daesh members might
think twice if they knew the sura on which they rely
for authority to wage jihad is missing God’s invocation, and if they thought they might be sent to hell
instead of paradise for their actions.71 We should call
their attention to the fact that the ninth sura is the
only sura missing the bismillah.
A Quranic reference that does not help Daesh, and one
they have taken pains to avoid, is the express prohibition on
suicide, or intihar.72 Again illustrating how words matter,
Daesh avoids the word intihar to describe suicide missions,
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and instead it uses the term inghamaasi, roughly translated
as “to submerge, or to go deep into something.”73 Narratives
focusing on the Quran’s explicit prohibition of intihar, along
with the omission of the bismillah in the ninth sura, are
powerful refutations that should be used to counter the
Daesh narrative.
Islamic history should also be used to undercut
the Daesh narrative that says infidels should be killed.
In fact, the family of Mohammad’s first wife Khadija
were Christian, and some refused to convert.74 Even
Mohammad’s uncle and great protector Abu Talib
refused to convert to Islam, despite his great love and
affection for his nephew.75 However, none of them were
killed for their refusal to convert to Islam. Additionally,
the positive treatment of Christians at the time of
Caliph Mansur, Harun’s grandfather, is exemplified
by Mansur’s relationship with his Christian doctor,
Georgius Bakhtishua. Mansur revered Bakhtishua,
naming him the new founder of Baghdad’s medical
school, and he and his family were allowed to practice
their religion “for more than 300 years.”76
Nasheeds (or anashid) should be used to counter
Daesh, as they are extremely effective in recruiting. In
2011, a shooter who killed U.S. military personnel at
the Frankfurt airport was listening to a nasheed on his
way to the airport, and at his trial said, “It made me
really angry,” referring to the lyrics of the nasheed.77
Nasheeds could be just as effective in turning people
away from Daesh.
Bombs and bullets alone cannot defeat Daesh.
To defeat these terrorists, we must engage them in
the domain of deen where they maintain freedom
of movement, and we must counter words with
words. We need to use the same weapons, including
knowledge of Islam, Islamic history, and language,
to defeat them. Unfortunately, U.S. soldiers are seldom, if ever, instructed on the proper use of these
weapons, and until they are, Daesh will continue to
dominate the domain of deen—its primary source
of power.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s
own and do not represent the views of the Department of
Defense, U.S. Special Operations Command, or the U.S.
Army. The author gratefully acknowledges Col. Gene Del
Bianco, U.S. Army Reserve, for providing feedback during
the development of this manuscript.
March-April 2016  MILITARY REVIEW