ISIS vs. mainstream Muslims: The media battle – CNN Belief Blog – CNN.com Blogs.
Quoting Islam’s holiest text to make that point was smart, said Hussein Rashid, a religion scholar at Hofstra University in New York. “ISIS violates every single tenet of this verse, so Barfi shows them to be ignorant,” he said.
“By using the Quran as the basis for debate he also demonstrates that ISIS does not actually base themselves in Muslim traditions, but in the language of hatred and rage.”
Likewise, Barfi’s use of the phrase “debate with calm preachings” rings a particular note in Islam, Muslim scholars said.
It recalls earlier eras in Muslim history, when caliphs sometimes settled disagreements between Muslims, Christians and Jews through debates, not violence. That point is key, since ISIS presents itself as the true reincarnation of early caliphs.
“They fought wars, but warfare and slaughter were not the things to strive for,” Rashid said. “Training swords was easy, but training minds was hard. You proved your quality through debate.”