khilafa - the Sunni Caliphate

  
"A caliphate (in Arabic: خلافة‎ khilāfa, meaning "succession") is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader known as a caliph – i.e. "successor" – to Muhammad. The succession of Muslim empires that have existed in the Muslim world are usually described as "caliphates". Conceptually, a caliphate represents a sovereign polity (state) of the entire Muslim faithful (the Ummah, i.e. a sovereign nation state) ruled by a single caliph under the Constitution of Medina and Islamic law (sharia).^"   

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 Basically, one's status as a caliph is dependent on the acceptance of that status by some group of Muslims.  This follows the general pattern of religio/political formation through consensual agreement.in Islamic and Arab culture.  This applies in; ideas, law, government, etc. 

The declaration of the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Caliph Ibrahim) is a declaration of war against each and every existing Arab and Muslim government because in the presence of a supposed caliph all their governments must be viewed as illegitimate usurpations of the caliph's divinely given religious and political authority.

 

The supposedly undivided and sole authority of a caliph has always been a difficulty in the Sunni Islamic World for development of what we would see in the West as secular government.  In the Enlightenment we in the West came to believe in the idea of a separation of church and state.  That never happened in Islam.  In Islamic history the authority of the caliph was always remembered, revered and claimed among Sunni Muslims as a basis for legitimacy.  Saladin exercised power as sultan under the justifying endorsement of an Abbasid caliph in Baghdad.  The khedive of Egypt's rule was legitimized by recognition of the Ottoman sultan/caliph as his lord.  The khedive's officers and soldiers wore Ottoman uniforms, were given Ottoman decorations , held their commissions in the sultan/caliph's name and the khedive's government flew the Ottoman flag.

In Shia lands the authority of the Ottoman sultan/caliph or any other dynasty of Sunni caliphs was ignored through the "simple' expedient of denying their authenticity as caliphs.  i suppose it is theoretically possible for there to be a Shia caliph/imam in the person of the mahdi when he comes. 

The destruction of the Ottoman Empire in WWI marked the end of the Ottoman Caliphate and the claimed umma wide authority of the caliph.  Since that time governments in Sunni lands; Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia, etc. have looked to internal sources of legitimacy whether they were; Alid descent, constitutional and representative governments or whatever.  Some governments have claimed several bases but none have relied on the authority of a caliph.  At the same time these states have accepted the borders dictated by the colonial powers and at Versailles.

Now ,we have the "caliphate" of abu bakr al-baghdadi (Ibrahim).  this dream of Islamic empire claims the authority of the; Ummayads, Abbasids, Fatimids and Ottomans.  It demands obeisance from all Muslims, eventual destruction of "dissident" Islamic communities, and the elimination of borders.  It does not recognize the post Westphalia world system.  For this reason we see videos of ISIS jihadis burning their passports.

IMO, this declaration of the caliphate of Ibrahim is a terrible blunder for ISIS.   The Islamic world will unite in hostility against such ambitions and claims.  Most people in these countries want to retain their local national ientities or at least to have states that may better reflect their ethnic identity.  Even the Saudis, who have toyed with the notion of absulute authority given to their wahhabi faith, will recooil in horror from the evident threat presented by the idea of an umma ruled by the likes of these people. 

In the immediate situation of Iraq, surely this declaration will accelerate th breakup of the Sunni Arab coalition.  pl 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Bakr_al-Baghdadi 

Related articles

--The mad dream of a dead empire that unites Islamic rebels

Sunni Caliphate Or Shiite Imamate? - Analysis

Comments

[Babak Makkinejad]

Col. Lang:

The various historical caliphates of Umawids, Abbasid, and Ottoman were always considered illegitimate by the Shia.

This one would not be treated any differently.

The declaration of Caliphate also indicates the real historical illiteracy of its declarants - truly an ignoramus bunch - the Baptists of Islam.

[JohnH]

You have to admit that Abu Bakr is a great name for the first caliph in a long time. (The original Abu Bakr, the prophet's father in law, became the first caliph after Mohammed's death. He only lasted a couple years before his death.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_bakr

Of course, the Shia never recognized Abu Bakr, preferring the prophet's nephew Ali as the second caliph instead.

[turcopolier]

Babak

thanks. I have made it more inclusive. pl

[robt willmann]

Here is another ISIS video entitled The End of Sykes-Picot. The narrator is said to be from Chile and speaks some English. He talks about the erasing of the border between Iraq and Syria. He also mentions Jordan and then an Arabic word(s) that may refer to another country or countries. He is at a former border crossing where the video was made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyM0_sv5h88

[Max]

The other country mentioned is Quds (Jerusalem), i.e., Palestine/Israel. Very interesting video.

[Ryan]

"IMO, this declaration of the caliphate of Ibrahim is a terrible blunder for ISIS."

J.M. Berger agrees with you, sir.

"ISIS Risks Everything to Declare a Caliphate
After months of gaining territory, weapons, and cash, ISIS is putting its global credibility on the line in a play that could backfire spectacularly.

On Sunday morning, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, or ISIL, if you must) pronounced the reformation of the caliphate—the historical Islamic state that once stretched over much of the modern-day Muslim world—with ISIS emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi as the man in charge.

It’s arguably the boldest move yet by the group, which renamed itself simply The Islamic State. But if ISIS isn’t careful, this could be the moment when all of its gains in Iraq and Syria are squandered; when would-be allies are alienated; and when the group’s critics within the jihadi community were proven right all along."

More...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/29/isis-risks-everything-to-declare-a-caliphate.html

Arrogance combined with stupidity will get one every time. The neocons/R2P crowd are proof of that.

[turcopolier]

Ryan

who is Berger? pl

[turcopolier]

Max, old friend. "Quds," (the holy?) you think my committee needs that kind of tutorial? I have spent many years selecting them. pl

[FB Ali]

Col Lang,

Undoubtedly, governments in Muslim countries will reject this declaration. However, this 'caliphate' may well appeal to the many Muslims all over the world who want Islam to govern their lives and the countries in which they live, but who reject their present governments as not being Islamic. Especially vulnerable to such ideas would be young men in the Muslim diaspora, many of whom feel this need more acutely than their brethren back home. ISIS can expect an increase in Muslim recruits from the West.

What lends substance to this declaration by ISIS is its capture of a large piece of territory in the Muslim heartland, something the other jihadi outfits cannot match. Thus, the biggest challenge posed by this move is to other jihadi outfits, especially al Qaeda. ISIS can now claim that the only 'true' jihad is the one it is waging, while theirs are false jihads. And those who fight ISIS will be branded as renegades waging an insurrection against Islam. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the followers of these outfits, both current and potential.

[Matthew]

Max: ISIS's interest in Palestine is the final insult to Palestinians. As if the joy of Israeli occupation wasn't ghastly enough, the Palestinians can now look forward to ISIS's "liberation."

AS my college newspaper editor used to say, "Don't worry. It only gets worse."

[turcopolier]

FB ali

I fully understand the fell potential of this caliphate. I awaited your comment. pl

[jr786]

Interesting. I hope we don't hear comments from the State Department or the White House press office on how this can't be a legitimate attempt at restoration of the Caliphate because of blah, blah, blah.

Surely this is a moment of great historical resonance. Here we read comments from people with experience and historical awareness - I hope the Administration follows suit.

[Ryan]

This is a brief bio, sir.

"J.M. Berger is a journalist who writes about homegrown extremism. He is the author of Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam and a recent New America Foundation policy paper on the FBI’s infiltration of the Patriot movement."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/contributors/j-m--berger.html

I posted the link to his article because I found it to be interesting. More importantly, he came to a view quite similar to the one you hold independently.

This is important because as someone who watches the crap on cable with the various "experts" I've seen only two so far who have expressed the opinion that the ISIS fanatics will be rejected at large.

Before too long I believe you, Berger and a few others will be proven correct. These cable tv people are behind the OODA loop on this one just like they were on how ISIS came about as being combat effective in the operational sense. Again, you and a couple of others wrote or said a week earlier that the military know how was provided by former NCOs and officers of Saddam's Army before these worthies realized this.

[Highlander]

I don't see it. At most the core of this group acting in Iraq can't add up to more than 2 to 3 thousand real fighters. They are floating on a sea of support from the indigenous Sunni population, who are rightly fed up with being screwed by the Shia/Obama led national government.

They can't have any logistics support net work of any strength. No ability to repair equipment, etc, etc. Yea, as long as they and the Iraqi Sunnis stay kiss kiss all will be well, but that won't last.

[turcopolier]

highlander

We are talking about the power of an idea as Lawrence said, drifting across the land. pl

[Highlander]

I don't underestimate the power of an idea, especially one fueled by religious extremism.

But this group of Islamic nuts, are soon going to run into opposition from the other nuts, plus governments, plus tribal chieftains, etc, etc. Let them take Bagdhad, and then I'll be a little more respectful.

[bookwurm]

mmm, i would go with Pentacostal's of the snake handling denomination...

[Kerim]

Sir,
I fully agree with your perspective. Especially the point about young Muslim men in Western Europe. And things will only get worse as the economy deteriorates.
Also, now that there is a geographic reality for this DI, things have become qualitatively different.
The brutality and extremism of these lunatics is probably a hindrance to them attracting significant support across the Muslim world. But if they became less bloodthirsty and fanatic, they could really be onto something.
But then again, true believers have a binary approach to the world, so....

[M. Oline]

Turcopolier:

When we are dealing with a belief system 1300 years old a quote that is 88 years old seems modern to me:
"Arabs could be swung on an idea as on a cord; for the unpledged allegiance of their minds made them obedient servants. None of them would escape the bond until success had come..." Seven Pillars - T. E. Lawrence

[r whitman]

PL-
Will this group eventually be "for sale" for US Dollars as many other groups are around the world?

[turcopolier]

r Whitman

Revolutions eventually burn themselves out but this one will burn for a long time. pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

You wrote:

" But if they became less bloodthirsty and fanatic..."

As is said in Persian:

"Wolfe's Repentance is Death."

[Babak Makkinejad]

Boxer Rebellion.

[turcopolier]

babal

"55 days at Peking?" A great movie. pl

[confusedponderer]

The Saudis and Qataris thought these folks were for sale, and Prince Bandar thought they were controllable.

They all erred and their pets have declared war on them.

I doubt they will be for sale. These folks are about salvation, not profit. However, if there is a ned, they probably will find a way to reconcile that with need to fiance themselves. Other groups have.

But after The Grand Kirkuk Bank Robbery ISIS must be flush with money. More money is unliklly to impress them.