Refuting Da’esh properly: a critical review of the “Open Letter to Baghdadi”

• Published in: Journal of international humanitarian action Vol. 1; no. 1
• Main Author: Muhammadin, Fajri Matahati
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-12-2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Climate Change; Commentary; Human Rights; International Humanitarian Law; International Relations; Islam; Islamic law; Law; Law and Criminology; Law of Armed Conflict; Migration; Natural Hazards; Schools; Terrorism; Jihad; Terrorism; The “Islamic State”; Islamic law
• ISSN: 2364-3412; 2364-3404
• DOI: 10.1186/s41018-016-0012-x

The emergence of the “Islamic State” or Da’esh in the Syrian war brought a whole new dimension to the war on terror. To counter the “Islamic State” ideology, Islamic scholars from all around the world issued a document titled “Open Letter to Baghdadi” containing refutations towards the “Islamic State”. There are a number of issues that this document may have clarified, such as the refutation towards the “Islamic State” claim of “global caliphate”. However, there are quite a number of problematic points which may be counterproductive to the purpose of this letter in the first place. It is the objective of this article to identify some of these problems which may include a lack of representation of prominent Islamic schools of thought, incorrect application of Islamic law, or lack of observation on actions conducted by the “Islamic State”.