ISIL stands for the Islamic States of Iraq and the Levant. It is a militant group of Sunni Jihadist rebels located primarily in Syria and Iraq, but they also claim territory as far as Northern Africa and Southern Asia. Much of the hatred towards them stems from their extremist practices such as beheading, suicide bombing, and ethnic cleansing. The Kurds claim they have about 200,000 militant followers, while the CIA estimates that number to be significantly lower at around 60,000 (CIA, 2014).
Some of the confusion regarding the group stems from the many names they are referred to by both the media and world leaders. Since founded in 1999, ISIL has gone through 7 names, some of which include: ISIS, ISIL, IS, and Da’ish. ISIS was the previous name used by ISIL, which meant the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The English translation of the name they use to refer to themselves is the Islamic State. Da’ish is what people who speak Arabic call the group for short. It is important to also recognize the group was a sect of Al-Qaeda in Iraq from 2004-2006, although they no longer hold any affiliation (Lind, 2014).
The group was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 1999, when he was in his early 30’s. Al-Zarqawi was born in Jordan in 1966. In his early twenties, he became close friends with Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden helped mentor and finance their common interests, which included suicide bombings, genocide, and hostage executions. Al-Zarqawi died in June 2006 while attending a meeting when a 500-pound bomb was dropped from an American F16 on his safe house, killing him and his wife instantly (CIA, 2013). After his death his successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian, took leadership over the group until his death in April 2010 from a raid on his home by a joint American and Iraqi force. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi preceded him and is the current leader of ISIL. It is believed, however, that he was injured during an American bombing run in late 2014 (CIA, 2014).
As stated previously much the rest of the world’s disapproval regarding ISIL stems from their religious extremist practices. ISIL was involved in the September 11, 2001 attack on the American World Trade Center buildings and Pentagon that killed almost 3,000 people. In 2007, they coordinated a four-man suicide attack on Kurdish towns that left roughly 800 dead and 1,550 injured. In 2003, they exploded 4 car bombs in Istanbul, Turkey, that left 60 dead and over 700 injured (Wadell, 2014). Countless other lone wolf attacks have continuously occurred in the last few years, especially in the Middle East. One example of these lone wolf-attacks is the Canadian Parliament shooting in 2014, in which one man with no connections to ISIL attacked and killed a Parliament officer, in support of the group (Coughlin, 2014).
The recent beheadings of several reporters have caused outrage among the international community. The attacks are in almost all cases recorded and uploaded anonymously to websites as popular as YouTube, in order to have a propaganda effect on those who watch. There have also been plenty of other little known videos uploaded of ISIL members doing such atrocities as gunning down unarmed civilians huddled in a corner and then desecrating their bodies, or even the mutilating of children of rival ethnic groups and religions.
ISIL has only recently become a major international concern because they are advancing quickly and conquering a lot of land in Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan. They are also recruiting thousands of individuals from across the planet. Several Americans have been arrested recently for attempting to join ISIL. ISIL has publically claimed that they are declaring war on all non-believers of Islam, publically denouncing countries such as the United States, Russia, and Australia (“Can”, 2014). ISIL has made it clear they want all out war and are willing to fight to the death for their cause. The world has been on high alert amid threats of terrorism by the group in recent months.
Islam. A Religion of Peace or Violence?
Originally Posted by marius
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
