Part 17
Author: Ihsan Arab
The Consolidation of Authoritarian Regimes Under the Pretext of Combating Daesh
For a considerable period, the Islamic Ummah has endured the iron grip of a handful of tyrannical and despotic rulers. With each passing day, the suffering of the Muslim world deepens—its roots unmistakably embedded in the policies and oppression of these very dictators.
Undeniably, the continued rule of such regimes has inflicted immense harm upon the Muslim world. Yet, paradoxically, these same regimes have proven advantageous to the interests of the disbelieving powers. Their survival hinges on Western support, transforming them into instruments of disbelief—used to suppress Islamic resurgence and shield foreign interests under the veneer of legitimacy.
In the modern era, the Islamic world faces unprecedented trials, among which the emergence of Daesh stands as one of the most perplexing and destructive. Cloaked in false slogans of defending Islam and Muslims, this group evolved into a strategic asset—deployed to preserve the dominance of authoritarian regimes and derail authentic Islamic movements.
While Western powers publicly denounced Daesh as a threat to global security—broadcasting its atrocities through media channels, delivering fierce condemnations through political platforms, and forming military coalitions under the banner of its eradication—an alternative reality unfolded behind closed doors. In many instances, Daesh emerged precisely where and when it best served the geopolitical and strategic aims of the West and its allies.
In Syria, as the Assad regime teetered on the edge of collapse amidst a widespread and impassioned popular uprising, the sudden rise of Daesh dramatically shifted the balance. Rather than confronting Assad’s brutal regime, the group disproportionately targeted opposition factions, thereby justifying Russian airstrikes and facilitating Iranian military intervention.
Simultaneously, under the pretext of counterterrorism, Western governments granted Assad de facto permission to ruthlessly suppress his population. A similar pattern unfolded in Iraq, where years of Sunni-led protests against the tyranny and corruption of Nouri al-Maliki’s administration were abruptly delegitimized following Daesh’s emergence—rebranded as acts of terrorism to be crushed with impunity.
With the assistance of the United States and its allies, the Iraqi government devastated Sunni-majority regions, killing and displacing thousands of innocent civilians in operations purportedly aimed at eliminating Daesh. Even in Afghanistan—where Daesh’s presence was relatively limited—the West invoked its name to rationalize prolonged military deployment, sow division among local factions, and undermine established jihadist resistance.
Further compounding suspicions, reports surfaced revealing that advanced weaponry and equipment, ostensibly designated for anti-terror operations, had inexplicably fallen into Daesh’s hands. Fundamental Islamic concepts such as the Caliphate, Jihad, Shariah law, and Islamic identity itself were distorted through their association with this extremist group. Consequently, any genuine discourse on Islam was immediately tainted by the grotesque image of the modern-day Khawarij.
This distortion was not incidental—it was deliberate. The West’s objective was to malign Islam, instill fear of its tenets among the masses, and legitimize the domination of the Muslim world through proxy dictators. In truth, Daesh was a mask—concealing a grand project engineered to uphold the prevailing global order, stifle grassroots Islamic movements, and coerce Muslim societies back into the clutches of oppressive regimes that had once been on the verge of collapse due to their own corruption and brutality.
