Dr. Abdul Malak Sukkaria Speaks on Takfirism and the Battle for Public Opinion

Fatimah Haydar

New words, trends and even ideologies emerge as our societies become tackled and exposed to the West. Not long ago did the term Takfiri appear; nor did the Takfiri ideology happen to come to life by coincidence.

To talk about Takfirism and how it should be dealt with in mass media, al-Ahed News interviewed Dr. Abdul Malak Sukkaria - head of the March to Palestine group - who spoke of the battle of media outlets to win public opinion, not to mention the "Israel"-"ISIL" alliance during the Syrian Crisis.

1. When asked about the origins of Takfirism Dr. Sukkaria said:

Historically speaking, we can talk about two instances related to the emergence of the Takfiri thought and its breadth and presence on the ground as groups that practice Takfirism and terrorist violence against the other: Ibn Taymiyyah and Mohammed ibn Abd al-Wahab in Saudi Arabia. These two instances founded the grounds and practically presented the existence of Takfirism. They tried to expand and dealt bloodily against the other who opposed their beliefs.

In the present time, the alliance of imperialism and international Zionism with this Wahhabi Takfiri ideology via Al Saud translated this Zionist plot by finding a crack in the Muslim world and instigated fighting and sedition among Muslims - something which the enemy has long yarned for - to weaken and cause a strife among us in order to extend its control and dominance and for the West to loot our wealth thereby securing "Israel's" safety and stability for generations to come.

2. How should mass media portray Takfiris and Takfirism without promoting them? What are the means of countering the issue?

Unfortunately, most of the media is in the hands of the enemy. Therefore, the role of the majority of the media funded by Gulf and Saudi oil or those associated with the West and especially the US was the promotion of these terrorist Takfiri groups, ratifying their image and presenting them as national liberation movements endorsing democracy and freedom; in Syria for example, the West disseminated the terrorist groups although they claimed that they were fighting them; the most obvious proof is that the US had engaged in the war against "Daesh" ["ISIL"] for over a year, yet we have not see any decline in "Daesh's" strength; on the contrary, their power as well as their deployment increased in addition to their ability in fighting multi-front battles.

Henceforth, our media outlets must confront the war with knowledge and awareness; to shed light on the origins of terrorism and the Takfiri ideology, to repudiate and refute the intellectual foundations that has nothing to do with the real Islam and fortify our societies with awareness to be able to pose strong and logical arguments with opponents as means to prevent them from being Takfiris or supporters of Takfirism. This battle is strenuous, complex and interrelated.

3. Taking into consideration the ideological differences between the Muslim East and the West, what are the reasons behind the growing number of European and American nationals taking part in the Takfiris' so-called "fight against infidels"?

The vast majority of Western recruits in "Daesh" ["ISIL"] and al-Nusra Front are of Islamic origins or Islam converts. These groups, as a result of incitement and open platforms in the West under the pretext of freedom of opinion, were permitted to exercise disinformation, incitement and recruitment of young people and send them to Syria and Iraq to fight us. Henceforth, the role of Western intelligence is clear and is evidenced by the intense monitored migration of young people from Europe, America and Canada by the intelligence services which did nothing to stop them; the reason for this is that these young people are engaged in the war on behalf of the Western states: If they are killed, the West would have gotten rid of them; in case they were victorious, the West would be credited - Eventually, the West did not put forth money or blood. It's a win-win situation for the West no matter what the outcome was.

4. In the light of the coordination between the US and the so-called "moderate Syrians", what do you think the consequences of this issue on the US are?

The United States masters the art of deception and beguilement; they do not acknowledge their support for the extremists but "moderates" according to the US who unlike the extremists are peaceful, cultured and conscious. Here comes the role of the Western-backed media outlets that endorse the so-called "moderates" as an alternative to the repressive dictator regime. But these "moderates" in addition to the Syrian opposition abroad are linked to the intelligence of the countries they reside in [linked to the French, British and American intelligences]. This publicizing aims at gaining popularity within Syria in order to govern through the "moderates" in the event they win the war in Syria.

5. The former CIA director Gen. Flynn admitted in an interview that the US was behind the emergence of "ISIL", having admitted that, why didn't the issue create a fuss in US and Western media?

To answer this question, I give this example: if a high ranked official in the Islamic Republic of Iran admitted a bombing in any country, the international public will be shaken and the official will be referred to the International Tribunal for trial. On the contrary, when a recognized senior US official as the former chief of US intelligence Gen. Flynn admitted in an interview on al-Jazeera that the CIA was behind the emergence of "Daesh" ["ISIL"], the whole issue was concealed immediately and the official was not trialed in order not to stir the public. Consequently, the truth was covered-up and the interview was not broadcasted on national media outlets.

On our part - the media outlets of the resistance - we are to be blamed for dereliction in the battle of public opinion in the international arena. We should invest Arab communities that possess Western nationalities and make use of their potentials by means of practicing their rights in the struggle to expose the atrocities of the West. We can also assemble a team of international lawyers to transfer the case [Gen. Flynn's revelation] to the International Tribunal via the media. In the end of the day, the battle is to win the public opinion in the West and in order to win that battle, we should defame the United States and its policies. Accordingly, whoever wins the public opinion is the one who will win the war.

6. "Israel" has been aiding the "ISIL" Takfiri militants during the Syrian crisis, what are the repercussions of this alliance?

Regarding the alliance with the Zionist entity, the coordination with "Daesh" ["ISIL"] was via al-Nusra Front due to its close geographical presence in Daraa area near the occupied Palestinian territories. The "Daesh"-"Israel" relation involved the treatment of al-Nusra wounded which numbered more than 1,500 in "Israeli" hospitals; hence, the "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally paid them a visit to show the international community that the "Israeli" regime is peaceful and is not hostile to Islam nor Muslims, but there are terrorist groups in the region that are assaulting the peaceful "Israel".

This is reminiscent of the treacherous Lebanese military officer Saad Haddad's period when the so-called "borderline" in southern Lebanon was being constructed and when injured "Israeli" agents were being treated in "Israeli" hospitals under a humanitarian cover; a fact which was exploited for ratifying "Israel" and erasing its terrorist history and criminal acts against the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region.

They are trying to repeat "Israel"-Saad Haddad's experience in the South in Syria. "Israel" stands firms due to external support.

Source: al-Ahed News