Diana Moukalled

By : Diana Moukalled

:: Daesh cares not for humans or stones; both are worthy only of death and destruction. Its only concern is to display that death and destruction. On Wednesday, Daesh blew up Mosul’s Grand Al-Nuri Mosque and its famous leaning minaret. That the mosque was historical is another reason why it was destroyed. Daesh hates every piece of antiquity and history.

As it faces military defeat, its destruction of the mosque is symbolic because it was where Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared himself “caliph” in 2014. Since then, the mosque has been associated with this man who threatens the whole world. Daesh has no morals. It burns the earth and its people in cold blood.

It blew up the mosque when it realized it was about to lose control. The mosque’s historical value to Muslims is why Al-Baghdadi chose it to declare his “caliphate.” It is also why Daesh does not want the mosque associated with its defeat. But Daesh’s image and existence do not depend on Al-Baghdadi or any other individual, which is why his reported killing in a Russian raid does not seem important.

Victory against Daesh will not be complete unless the root causes that produced it are addressed; this has not happened yet.

Diana Moukalled

He is marginal even though he is Daesh’s leader. He is not Osama Bin Laden of Al-Qaeda, or Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Baghdadi does not seem to have the practical value that they did. He just met a group of former Iraqi army officers at Camp Bucca in Basra, and they decided to form Daesh’s leadership and felt the need for the image of a preacher. Al-Baghdadi remained only an image.

The war on Daesh is partly a war on image. Destroying the mosque will not preserve Al-Baghdadi’s already-faint image. But victory over Daesh and its image will not happen unless the root causes that produced it are addressed; this has not happened yet.

Diana Moukalled is a veteran journalist with extensive experience in both traditional and new media. She is also a columnist and freelance documentary producer. She can be reached on Twitter @dianamoukalled.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

Related articles across the web

• ISIS leader Baghdadi may be dead after a Russian air strike
• 'The things that went on in that city shocked me to my core': British grandmother tells of life in Mosul
• Is ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Dead?
• Islamic State blows up historic Mosul mosque where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself 'caliph'
• Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 60 seconds
• Iraqi forces invade Islamic State's birthplace mosque in western Mosul
• Brookes: Expect an ugly rumble in Raqqa
• Iraqi troops move into Mosul's Old City, last ISIS stronghold
• ISIS chief cleric dead: US-led coalition forces kill al-Baghdadi confidant
• The Taliban Dismisses ISIS' Claim of Capturing Osama Bin Laden's Tora Bora Hideout