8/9/2019 ISIS Purifies Islam Through Fire

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ISIS Purifies Islam Through Fire

February 4, 2015 by Dawn Perlmutter  99 omments

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!n Tues"ay February #, 2015 the Islami$ State release" a %i"eo showing

&or"anian 'ilot, (t) *uath al+aseasbeh, 2- being burne" ali%e while lo$.e" in a

metal $age) The 22 minute %i"eo in$lu"es footage of &or"an/s ing b"ullah II

"e$laring his su''ort for the anti+ISIS $oalition) It shows (t) l+aseasbeh, who

was $a'ture" by the Islami$ State in De$ember after his air$raft $rashe" o%er 

Syria, being interrogate", 'ara"e" in front of hea%ily arme" men, wal.ing towar"s

the $age, an" then stan"ing insi"e the $age wearing an orange um'suit that is

"ouse" in flammable liui") The e3e$utioner uses a tor$h to light a trail of 

gasoline that lea"s to his feet) (t) l+asasbeh is engulfe" in flames an" remains

ali%e for o%er 1 minute an" half an" $olla'ses to the floor) *ilitants 'our bro.en

masonry an" other "ebris o%er the $age whi$h is then flattene" with a bull"oer 

with the bo"y still insi"e) Des'ite the sur'rise an" sho$. of seeing a young man

burne" ali%e, this is not a new ta$ti$) In fa$t it is a $ommon metho" of ritual

mur"er in Ira an" other $ountries 'arti$ularly in honor .illings an" the mur"er of 

hristians) The signifi$ant "ifferen$e is that the Islami$ State me"ia films the

e3e$ution using so'histi$ate" e"iting an" highly $horeogra'he" te$hniuesturning the .illing into a s$ri'te" reality show)

un"re"s of women in the *uslim worl" ha%e been mur"ere" by fire in honor 

.illings) The mur"ers were often "isguise" as sui$i"es or a$$i"ents) In the first

si3 months of 2006, in Irai ur"istan, 255 women were .ille", three+uarters of 

them by burning) n earlier re'ort $ite" #-- $ases of women who were the

%i$tims of so $alle" fire a$$i"ents in Dohu. in 200-, u' from 279 the year before)

In Irbil, there were 56- burn $ases sin$e 200#, resulting in #57 "eaths) In 200- in

Sulaimaniyah, Ira there were 400 $ases of women burne") In Tunisia in *ay2014 a father burne" his 1# year ol" "aughter to "eath for wal.ing home with a

boy) In !$tober 201# a 15 year ol" 8emeni girl was burne" to "eath by her father 

for $ommuni$ating with her fian$) In *ar$h 2009, a si3teen year ol" *uslim girl

sus'e$te" of ha%ing a relationshi' with a boy was burne" to "eath by four male

neighbors in her %illage in :haiaba", ;orth In"ia) They $ame to the girl/s house

an" "eman"e" to .now why the young man freuently %isite" her, an" then the

8/9/2019 ISIS Purifies Islam Through Fire

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men beat her, "ouse" her with .erosene an" set her on fire) There are numerous

more e3am'les of women burne" ali%e) This form of 'unishment is not ust

reser%e" for women) In 'ril 2011 three men were set on fire in Ira for being

gay) %i"eo of that in$i"ent is easily a$$essible online) In &une 2007, the Taliban

burne" three tru$. "ri%ers of the Turi tribe ali%e for su''lying the Pa.istan rme"For$es) There ha%e been numerous re'orts of hristians burne" ali%e by Islamist

 iha"ists) In ;o%ember 2014 a hristian $ou'le in Pa.istan Saa" *aseeh, 26,

an" his wife Shama <ibi, 24, were burne" ali%e in a bri$. furna$e after it was

rumore" that they ha" burne" %erses from the =uran)><ibi, a mother of four who

was four months 'regnant, was wearing an outfit that initially "i"n/t burn?? The

mob remo%e" her from o%er the .iln an" wra''e" her u' in $otton to ma.e sure

the garments woul" be set alight)> These in$i"ents are rarely re'orte" by the

mainstream me"ia an" were "iffi$ult for most 'eo'le to $om'rehen" as real untilISIS starte" filming "o$umentaries of their ritual mur"ers)

Fire is symboli$ of the "estru$tion of e%il) Symboli$ally 'eo'le who are burne"

ali%e are human sa$rifi$es that are e3'iating e%il from the $ommunity) Tainte"

%i$tims are 'urifie" through fire) Fire is $onsi"ere" a 'owerful transformer of the

negati%e to the 'ositi%e) <e$ause of su$h 'ro'erties, fire is $ommonly foun" in

'urifi$ation rites throughout the worl") In other $ultures 'ollute" 'ersons may be

reuire" to wal. aroun", um' o%er, or um' through fire) istori$ally, burning a

'erson to "eath was reser%e" for the most threating e%il, su$h as heresy or 

wit$h$raft an" $onsi"ere" an e3treme form of 'urifi$ation) In the $onte3t of honor 

.illing the use of fire is not only symboli$ but 'ra$ti$al) Pra$ti$al in Ira be$ause

most of the homes "o not ha%e ele$tri$ity so e%ery house has a large su''ly of 

oil whi$h ma.es it easier to $on$eal honor .illings un"er the guise of sui$i"e or 

.it$hen a$$i"ents) In the $onte3t of the mur"er of (t) *uath al+aseasbeh fire is

an Islami$ 'urifi$ation ritual that ser%es %engean$e an" restores honor an" 'urity

to the $ommunity of belie%ers)

Islamist iha"ists from "ifferent mo%ements, $ountries, se$ts, an" fa$tions all

em'hasie the nee" to $leanse Islam of its im'urities) l =ae"a/s i"eologi$al

belief is the 'urifi$ation of Islam through %iolent struggle) <in (a"en an" l+

@awahiri ha%e $ontinually $alle" on su''orters to 'urify *uslim holy lan"s of 

infi"els, un+Islami$ beliefs, an" 'ra$ti$es) The Islami$ State $leanses Islam of its

im'urities while 'rote$ting its territory in the same manner as *e3i$an $artels,

using brutal ta$ti$s that are ustifie" as %engean$e)

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The title of the %i"eo, ealing the <elie%ers/ hests, is a uote from the =uranA

BFight them, an" llah will 'unish them by your han"s, $o%er them with shame,

hel' you o%er them, heal the breasts of <elie%ers)> C=ur/an 9A14) It was re'orte"

to mean Egi%ing them 'leasure/ inter'rete" as a referen$e to a$hie%ing re%enge)

That is one inter'retation, howe%er healing is symboli$ of 'urifi$ation, the titleealing the <elie%ers/ hests $an be un"erstoo" as $leansing the $ommunity of 

the $ontamination of im'urity) (t) *uath al+aseasbeh/s allege" $rimes

symboli$ally unleashe" an e'i"emi$ of $ontagious e%il) The fun$tion of the

burning ritual is a $ommunal a$t of e3'iation, e3'elling the $ontagious e%il of an

infi"el enemy through fire) a%ing ISIS fighters 'arti$i'ate an" wat$h ma.es it a

$ommunal sa$rifi$ial ritual) Gitualiing the %iolen$e ustifies it an" ma.es it

sa$re") !n$e the transgressor is ritually .ille" the im'urity is remo%e", the e%il

has been e3'elle", taboo has been ameliorate" an" usti$e is ser%e") The bo"yis imme"iately burie" un"er the earth, another 'urifying element, restoring honor 

an" 'urity)

Filming an" "isseminating the ritual .illing stri.es fear into the hearts of enemies

an" attra$ts new re$ruits) Similar to an arsonist that is fas$inate" with fire,

"isaffe$te" young 'eo'le will be attra$te" to this ritual burning) (i.e moths to a

flame)