How Javed Ghamidi Preaches ISIS and Al-Qaeda Discourse

Javed Ghamidi’s Not So Hidden ISIS and Al-Qaeda Theology of Hate and Intolerance

Javed Ghamidi, a famous Pakistani Muslim speaker, is currently going on a speaking tour across U.S Islamic centers under the banner of Al-Mawrid U.S from Los Angele’s ISCN (Corona Masjid) to Redmond (WA) at MAPS (Muslims Association of Puget Sound). See the following link for more details: https://almawridus.org/index.php/events.html

Ghamidi has tried to make a name for himself by rejecting violence and ex-communication (takfīr), but much of his discourse has been a PR ploy to entice the mainstream Sunni community to endorse him.

Little do they know the subtle but disturbing views he holds that not only currently perpetuate violence against Muslim religious minorities in Pakistan and the Muslim world in general, but they also immortalize and strengthen the kind of discourse which ISIS and Al-Qaeda so stubbornly use to massacre Muslim minorities, especially Shias.

In other words, Javed Ghamidi’s theology is closer to that of ISIS and Al-Qaeda than that of mainstream Sunnism.

Ghamidi, for example, has defended the genocidal crusades of Yazid ibn Muawiyah who was historically responsible for killing the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and slaughtering his family. Ghamidi has also accused Shias of idolatry for saying “Ya Ali Madad” a discursive ploy which ISIS uses as one of its principle reasons for declaring Shias apostates and justifying their murder.

In fact, Ghamidi has not only touted line per line ISIS’s polemics against Shias, but he has also adopted a line of discourse that runs against mainstream Sunnism and Sufism thus further legitimizing ISIS’ and Al-Qaeda’s discourse and delegitimizing mainstream Sunni positions.

Take for example the claim that the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) father is in hell for not being a Muslim (this claim is made even though the Prophet’s father died before his birth). Although Sunnis historically rejected this view (e.g. one only need to read the 14^th century arguments of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani), Wahhabi extremists like ISIS and al-Qaeda have insisted otherwise and have killed people for holding such a belief by insinuating that they are deviant Sufi beliefs.

For more evidence on the similitude between Ghamidi’s beliefs and those of ISIS and Al-Qaeda and how they perpetuate the theology of Wahhabi extremists (including proofs for the above claims) see the following article on LUBP.

Alamdar Khadr is a blogger at the World Shia Forum. He lives in the United States with his family.