Defeating Daesh, Reviving Education
Syria is a war torn country, caught up in a civil war between multiple factions, including the Assad government, Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusra (Al Qaeda), Kurds and Turkish tribes, among others. Whoever has been following the ongoing tragedy that is Syria today, knows this already. The accounts from Syrian mothers in this emotional plea confirm the horror that has overtaken their beloved country.
AoBM is deeply saddened by the mass slaughter, destruction and ongoing erosion of civilisation in Syria, not so long ago among the richest and most peaceful of Middle Eastern cultures. We hope Daesh will soon be defeated, for the violence to stop, and the tentative steps towards a peaceful resolution to strengthen and eventually rebuild Syrian society.
Daesh, along with similar ideological extremists operating elsewhere (for example, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and Taliban), oppose the education of girls and women. In this, they demonstrate how far removed they are from the Islam of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
The Qur’an teaches, “Read, and your Lord is the most generous, who taught by the pen” (The Qur’an 96: 34). Such is the importance of education within Islam – right at the heart of our deen (religion). Even in times of war, the Prophet commanded to free any prisoners who are willing to teach people to read, write, or accomplish other important skills. The Prophet’s wife Lady Ayesha was herself a renowned scholar, who people relied on after the Prophet’s passing for her wealth of knowledge of Islam.
Influential 20th-century American Muslim leader El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) always placed great emphasis on education. He said: “Educate a man and you educate one person; educate a woman and you educate and liberate an entire generation!”
Education is so vital within Islam, that one could say that without it, there is no Islam.
