COL R HARIHARAN @colhari2 | DailyO | POLITICS | 4-minute read |
04-02-2015
With the burning of a captive Jordanian fighter
pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh yesterday, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS
– I prefer this name because it is more accurate than the grandiose
"Islamic State") has added yet another feather to its cap of
ignominy. The video put on the internet by the ISIS publicity department showed
the young man kept in a cage set on fire.
The young pilot was praying when the heinous act was carried out, according to some media reports. The gruesome video was not shown on many international news channels because of its forbiddingly horrible content. They were probably following their own unwritten decision not to show such videos because they would be aiding the ISIS which uses them as propaganda tools.
Unlike the ISIS’ beheading of Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist,
which set off a wave public outrage in Japan a few days back, the burning of
the 27-year-old Jordanian may cause many more ripples in the turbulent waters
of West Asia. He was an Arab, Muslim and belonged to the proud Jordanian armed
forces. But most importantly he belonged to a tribe that steadfastly supports
the ruling Hashemite monarch. Islam forbids burning or cremating a Muslim
because it is against Quranic injunctions. Burning is considered an act of
disrespect and dishonour to the dead.
Even cremating a non-Muslim (kaaffir) is not permitted in Islam. In fact, many Muslim countries do not allow Hindus to cremate their dead in their countries for this reason. And young Mouath was a devout Arab Muslim belonging to a large religious family of an important tribe.
Even cremating a non-Muslim (kaaffir) is not permitted in Islam. In fact, many Muslim countries do not allow Hindus to cremate their dead in their countries for this reason. And young Mouath was a devout Arab Muslim belonging to a large religious family of an important tribe.
Whether it would have a backlash among Muslims, particularly among Arabs, is an open question because the ISIS has already committed many such despicable acts against Muslims. However, in Jordan it has stoked a strong sense of revenge in the country as whole. Jordanian authorities swiftly carried out the death sentence of the two terrorists held in captivity on learning of the death of the Jordanian prisoner. And that included the Iraqi woman suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi; the Jordanian authorities were ready to swap with the ISIS for the release of their F-16 pilot Mouath.
The king of Jordan cut short his tour of the US after a meeting with US President Obama soon after he learned of the pilot’s death. The king’s statement that the pilot was killed “in defence of his religion, his country and his (Islamic) nation” showed the way Jordan sees the killing of their pilot. Jordan has been a pillar of support to the effort of the US against the ISIS; it is a member of the five-nation Arab coalition involved in airstrikes against the ISIS in Syria.
The 100,000 strong Jordan armed force
is perhaps one of the most modern forces in the Arab world. It has a small but
efficient air force. So Jordan has the capability to deliver at least a short
and swift blow to the ISIS. Jordan has one of the most competent spy agencies
in West Asia; it has been closely working with the US and Western intelligence
agencies.
Jordan’s special operations forces are a professional body for carrying out swift operations. So the “strong, earth-shaking and decisive” response promised by the Jordanian government spokesman would probably in the form of a special intelligence operation to eliminate some of the top ISIS leaders or destroy a major asset that adds to the Jihadi groups military capability.
Jordan’s special operations forces are a professional body for carrying out swift operations. So the “strong, earth-shaking and decisive” response promised by the Jordanian government spokesman would probably in the form of a special intelligence operation to eliminate some of the top ISIS leaders or destroy a major asset that adds to the Jihadi groups military capability.
However, Jordanian troops are
unlikely to be involved in land operations. There are two reasons for this. An
estimated 4,200 ISIS followers are believed to be inside Jordan according to an
American report. If this is correct, the ISIS can probably create a potentially
dangerous situation internally. Moreover, sections of Jordanian public are
already against Jordan joining its American and Arab allies in the fight
against the ISIS; they feel there was no reason for their country to get
involved in it. The king is a great survivor because he always considers public
opinion in making decisive moves.
The burning of the Jordanian pilot
brought back memories of another burning by the LTTE we saw on day of the
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operations started in Sri Lanka in 1987. The
Tamil Tigers in those days had revelled in burning of their enemy with a
garland of tyres which was set on fire. First hand, we saw the smoking bodies
of some members of a Sri Lanka Rupavahini TV crew tied to a pole and set ablaze.
It was a cruel, wanton and inhuman act against the media men. In the
interrogation of the LTTE captives I had always found that such incidents
stirred no feeling of guilt or remorse. On the other hand they had a casual
approach to “dying” for the cause rather than “living” and fighting for it (to
borrow a dialogue from the movie epic The Bridge on the River Kwai.)
That is what terrorism does; it
glorifies death; the more gruesome it is the more thrilled is the terrorist.
This is the difference between the terrorist and the soldier, though both live
and die with a gun. They are as different as chalk and cheese; let us not
glorify terrorists.
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