There are ways that the ISIS propaganda war can be won

The entire world is traumatized by the ongoing acts of violence by the self-styled “Islamic State” (ISIS or ISIL) and related terrorist groups. The ISIS terrorists are waging a surprisingly sophisticated, successful propaganda war against the rest of humanity. Meanwhile, we in the West debate various reactive police and military actions, while failing to grasp and fully engage in the propaganda war. 

You can, if you wish to volunteer in the ISIS “jihad,” purchase a 50-page guide, “Hijrah to the Islamic State” (Prequel Books, 2015), teaching you whom to contact, where to go, how to pack and more. Then you’ll be ready to realize and release your inner self by participating in shocking terrorist acts of violence, including indiscriminate mass killings, kidnapping, torture, beheadings and burning alive of prisoners.

How is this to be squared with the original concept of Islam, as the religion of “Peace” and “Submission to the Will of God”? How can we understand and combat such evil? The first step is to understand the enemy. The second step is to exploit the enemy’s weakness. The final step is to use the propagation of truth to defeat the propaganda of evil. Where to begin?

One reputable Western source of background information on this subject is “Islam: Its History, Teaching and Practices” by S. Nigosian (Indiana University Press, 2004). Useful detailed commentary is also found in “The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English” by Ali Unal (Tughra Books, 2013). This is lengthy, complex, sophisticated reading. But it provides the truth that is our best weapon against ISIS.

So what, according to these sources, does the Qur’an actually say about the rules of warfare, and in particular about the treatment of prisoners? The Prophet Mohammad, Messenger of God, speaking through the Holy Qur’an, prohibits indiscriminate killing. The Qur’an does state, however, that in time of war, when under attack from your “unbelieving” enemies who have initiated hostile actions against you, in such case you should “kill them wherever you come upon them,” but only “until they desist,” and always subject to “ the bounds decreed by God.”

What about the treatment of prisoners during war, “jihad” (struggle), or at any other time? The Qur’an says in essence that “upon capture, prisoners must be guarded, taken safely to the rear, treated well, fed and clothed, as they may come to know Allah, the one true God of mercy.” (This puts together phrases from different parts of the Qur’an.) No torture. No beheadings. No stoning. No poisoning with chemicals. No killing by fire — ever. Finally, the freeing of captives is recommended by the Qur’an “for expiation of sins and as an act of benevolence.”

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It is clear from the forgoing precepts in the Qur’an that the recruits to and militant practitioners of ISIS-style terrorism are themselves victims of vile propaganda, total misinformation and false indoctrination about Islam. The militants think they are fighting for a new “caliphate,” that is, God’s empire on earth, and for their own reward and everlasting salvation. In truth, by violating the above Quranic precepts of Islam, they are, in the actual words of the Qur’an, proceeding not on the “straight path to Heaven,” but on the “crooked road to Hell.” Therein lies our best weapon to defeat ISIS-style terrorism. Do we have any example of how this might work?

I’ve used the following example in a previous column on this topic, but it’s worth repeating again here, because it makes the argument and illustrates how we can successfully use diplomacy and religious scripture to defeat terrorism: Back in the late 1980s, I was personally involved with World Health Organization (WHO) colleagues in helping to free six Doctors Without Borders taken hostage by nomadic tribesmen in the Ogaden desert between Ethiopia and Somalia, and then 12 International Red Cross workers taken hostage by warlords in the mountains of Afghanistan during the civil war in that country between the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul and the mujahideen or “freedom fighters” including “Talib” proponents of the Holy Qur’an.

What was done, and what was the outcome? WHO used the conventional negotiation methods of “carrot and stick” (e.g. to withhold aid, or not), but a significant winning factor was the language and meaning of the Qur’an, as conveyed to us by concerned Islamic scholars, condemning hostage taking for ransom. We used propagation of the truth to combat the propaganda of evil. In both instances, all prisoners were released without harm — no money exchanged hands; no blood was shed. This, on a very small scale, is now what has to be done on a global scale to defeat ISIS-style recruitment and acts of terrorism worldwide. We must engage in the propaganda war. We must use religion to defeat irreligion. 

Boots and bombs are needed to win individual pitched battles with known enemies, but we can still lose the overall war if we fail to grasp the nettle. Islamic leaders and scholars now have to take the lead in clarifying and pronouncing with authority on the true precepts and meaning of Islam. Then all of us, Christians, Jews, true Muslims and others, must rally around true Islam, and mobilize all means of communication, from the pulpit and mass demonstrations, to television, the printed media and cyberspace, to “counter-message” the false indoctrination about Islam. This is a war of ideas, convictions and fundamental morality. If we choose our weapons wisely, it is a war we can win. 

Sharon resident Anthony Piel is a former director of support program for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, and general legal counsel of the World Health Organization.