What Is ISIS: A Strong Or Dangerous Terrorist Group?

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as Isis, terror group has been an important issue in the United States for the past couple of years. After the recall of troops from Iraq, radical Islamist movements started to begin and Isis was formed. The first issue of Isis is they have grown in numbers over the years. Secondly, Isis controls thousands of square miles of ungoverned territory. Their high supply of troops and land allows them to creatively think of major attacks, including attacks on the U.S. Lastly, when people see the attacks from Isis, some people naturally gravitate towards these groups. Two months after 9/11 attacks Osama Bin Laden said “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse.” Isis will continue to grow in power if countries do not come together to help totally eliminate them.

ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It is referred as a terrorist group by the United States, whereas ISIS considers themselves to be an army instead. ISIS has been responsible for many gruesome attacks all over the world one of them being the execution of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh. They originated from Al-Qaeda in Iraq but they had big ambitions by kicking America out and setting up an Islamic state. To this date hold their land there unlike other groups like Al-Qaeda and Taliban. They have a huge support from people as their count being over 30,000 soldiers and followers. They are heavily armed, can fund themselves, have an organized infrastructure, and can cause a lot of damage. Later in 2006, their brutality lost them the support of Iraqi Sunnis who partnered with US forces to help push them out of the country. And for this incident, America takes a lot of credit for this and call it the Surge in which they helped Sunnis rise up against Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s rule. This led to Al-Qaeda in Iraq being defeated but not destroyed by only being driven out of the land they used to control and later they began rebuilding themselves by being involved in the fighting in Syria as they were trying to throw the Shiite Assad regime. Due to their brutal and severe tactics, Al-Qaeda disavowed Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Later in February 2014, the group Al-Qaeda in Iraq

On September 11, 2001 , the United States was attacked under the influence of Osama Bin Laden. Ever since these attacks took place the United States increased their security measures on who and what enters into the country to protect its grounds. The actions of Bin Laden came from a terrorist group named Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda was a terrorist group whose founder was Bin Laden. Al Qaeda led to evolution of Isis which is an insurgency and not a terrorist group. The evolution of Isis came from a book named Defense of Muslim Lands. Within this book the were the common beliefs and obligations to becoming a jihad. The key beliefs consisted of “ A Jihad is a personal obligation, Muslims have been humiliated by the hands of impure Regimes and western

ISIS which stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria could also be called ISIL which stand for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. They are an organization or a type of government that was once with Al-Qaeda and were so violent that Al-Qaeda disowned ISIS. They believe what they are doing is what Muhammad would have them do. They are not too far away from what Hitler thought about the Jews. ISIS lures Westerners to join them by promising camaraderie, moralistic activity and a sense of heroism that deludes these people with an adventure like they never had before. The

Islam has a lot of evolution and many splits since its founding 1400 years ago. The biggest branches are Sunni and Shia, but within each there have been many further splits. ISIS is part of a Sunni branch known as Salafists, who reject modern Islam and prefer to return to its early teachings.

This group is also very traditional when it comes to their religion. While al Qaeda was a modern group with modern political views, ISIS has a tendency to stick to old fashioned Islam, speaking in terms and phrases that Islam people now don’t understand or relate to. Their leaders have said that they will not and cannot abandon the governing precepts that were embedded in Islam by the prophet Muhammad and his earliest followers. They believe that out of all the Islam culture, they are the most radical and accurate Islamists there are because they do refer back to the origination of Islam. All of their decisions, actions, etc. are referred back to and based off of the Prophetic Methodology which is the following of the prophecy by Muhammad.(4) Muslims have a rule book called the Koran that is filled with specific rules that are to be followed. It states that crucifixion is one of the only punishments for anyone who objects or disagrees with the Islam religion. The ninth chapter orders them to fight Christians and Jews until they pay their jizya or tax with complete submission. The prophet Muhammad is the one who created the Koran and all of the rules included in it. ISIS takes the Koran very seriously. More seriously than any Islam group ever has. It’s almost as if they have an obsession with following the rules that Muhammad set. The only group before ISIS that has come even close to being similar in actions and the kind of serious

But, ISIS on the other hand requires territory to remain legitimate. This group is also very traditional when it comes to their religion and practices. While Al Qaeda was a modern group with modern political views, ISIS has a tendency to stick to old fashioned Islam, speaking in terms and phrases that Islamic people now don’t understand or relate to. Their leaders have said that they will not and cannot abandon the governing precepts that were embedded in Islam by the prophet Muhammad and his earliest followers (Wood, 2015). They believe that out of entire Islamic culture, they are the most radical and accurate Islamists there are because they do refer back to the origination of Islam. All of their decisions, actions, etc. are referred back to and based off of the Prophetic Methodology which is the following of the prophecy by Muhammad. Muslims have a book called the Koran that is filled with specific rules and guidelines that are to be followed. It states that crucifixion is one of the only punishments for anyone who objects or disagrees with the Islamic, Sunni religion. The ninth chapter orders them to fight Christians and Jews until they pay their Jizya or tax with complete submission. The prophet Muhammad is the one who created the Koran and all that it entails. ISIS takes the Koran very seriously. More seriously than any Islamic group ever has. It’s almost as if they have an obsession with following the rules that Muhammad has set

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, commonly known as ISIS, has frightened the whole world by committing attacks in the Middle East, Paris, and San Bernardino, California. ISIS claims to be the legitimate ruler of all Muslims and it operates the Muslim world. ISIS was able to expand as the result of local groups conflicts with Western interests. Daniel Byman declares that local groups are attracted to ISIS for genuine conviction. Particularly, young men believe that ISIS is the defender and avenger of Sunnis worldwide. On the other hand, some groups join ISIS for accessibility to financial and technical aid. While , ISIS grows beyond Iraq and Syria, religious intolerance is created. The group delivers its religious beliefs by barbarian acts, such as beheading and rape to intimidate their enemies and obtain supporters.

Isis is a terrorist organization made up of Shi’ite Muslims yearning to create an independent Islamic state in the Middle East. These terrorists go to any extent of violence in hopes of connecting the holy lands throughout Middle Eastern countries. Isis members are fighting for religious purposes hoping to secure land where the Muslim religion would dominate. Isis brings danger throughout the world with its political history, the military tactics it employs, and its attraction to foreign members.

In the CNN library of, “ISIS Fast Facts” CNN shares the story of ISIS the group known for killing dozens of people in the public by executions, beheading or brutal acts. Not accepting the loss of their jobs many anger without a job established al Qaeda in Iraq to wage against U.S. A. In the process to establish an Islamic caliphate, or state across the region. In school’s boys and girls are forced to separate, also enforce no justice for women.

The beginnings of ISIS,a Sunni jihadist group,can be traced back to 1999, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian jihadist, started the group . In 2010, after ISIS’s second leader was assassinated, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,a former scholar of Islamic studies and a US war prisoner back in 2004,took over and got the group back on track. He replenished their partially-killed-off leadership with dozens of Saddam’s old Ba’athist military personnel, who brought key experience to the group. Then in 2011, when the Syrian Civil War broke out, ISIS joined in as a rebel force,which helped to train and battle-harden the group. ISIS’s behavior in Syria was so brutal and severe that they even started creeping out the other groups, including al-Qaeda, who finally had a tantrum in early 2014 and cut all ties with ISIS. The ISIS, like all terrorist organizations, arose out of systems of discontent that made extremist ideology appealing. The extremist ideology of ISIS is an aberration of Islam marked by radical apocalyptic thought. The ISIS’s position is antithetical to Shia Islam, which believes that just as a prophet is appointed by God alone, only God has the prerogative to appoint the successor to his prophet (the caliphate).

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is a terrorist group that is trying to build a caliphate in Syria, as well as evoking war with the United States. ISIS first started as a branch off of Al- Qaeda; until February 2014, when they broke away from Al- Qaeda. According to K.T. McFarland, a national security analyst, ISIS has raped and tortured it’s way through Syria and Iraq, killing those who won’t join their group.. They have managed to recruit thousands of citizens from around the world to join their cause. ISIS is a realistic threat to the U.S. and the world, and the US needs to stop them.

They are also very sneaky and organized. ISIS uses the Islamic religion as a tool to take over. Their demonic strategy is to make muslims turn on non-muslims and vise versa. Their strategy is to eliminate everyone by encouraging violence. They will misrepresent a group, by making them look aggressive so the rest of the world would in turn react aggressively, enabling them to kill two birds with one stone. They lurk in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to isolate their victims and they strike when nobody is watching. They get joy when seeing others in pain and rejoice in the wrongs they are

They do all of this in the name of Allah - their god- and to gain power, however their objectives and ultimate goal is unclear to the western world. In a recent SKYPE interview conducted by Vice.com, Canadian ISIS member Farah Mohamed Shirdon gave mixed messages about the intent of ISIS. At one point, Shirdon claimed that the group wished to be left alone, stating that he didn’t want to fight, nor did his group. He further stated that the group wishes to enable Muslims to live under their own laws and authority and that they view western interference as a threat (Shirdon, 2014). However, Shirdon went on to state that he hoped to be made a martyr by dying in conflict for Allah and that ISIS would not stop until their flag was flying over the White House (Shirdon, 2014). Shirdon also made direct threats against western civilization, stating they were coming for “us” and that “a lot of brothers are mobilizing there right now in the West…mobilizing for a brilliant attack…” on the West (Shirdon, 2014). This could lead one to believe that the group is actually looking at expanding its power beyond its stated limitations. What is unclear from media reports is whether ISIS is seeking to gain more power to allow its individual’s greater opportunities to improve their individual circumstances, or whether the group is seeking world domination for their group and Allah.

2. BACKGROUND / NATIONAL INTERESTS: The group known as ISIS today is not new. This group, or factions of the group, has been in the Middle East since the early 1990s. Its lineage is traced back to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then eventually it morphed into al-Qaeda Iraq, then transitioned into ISIS. As Bobby Ghosh mentions in his article for The Atlantic, “The group is now able and willing to seize and control territory, not simply send suicide bombers to their death.” ISIS has evolved into a global threat based on its ability to gain and seize territory while inflicting terror on surrounding nations in the Middle East and