Just read this Who is Isis? For many of us, ISIS came screaming into our consciousness only after they captured Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Suddenly we were confronted with a terrorist group that acted like an army. Their atrocities were demonic, beyond comprehension. As their brutal persecution of minorities and Christians caught my attention, I wondered who are these people and where did they come from? So, I wanted to share with you a brief overview of ISIS and why it matters. Who is ISIS? When this terrorist group expanded across eastern Syria and into western Iraq they started referring to themselves as ISIS or “The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.” But when they swept across Iraq without much resistance, their vision of an Islamic kingdom grew larger and they began to refer to themselves as ISIL or “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.” The Levant is another term for the geographical area of Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. By using the term they were indicating to the world that they had had expanded their vision to include all of these countries. However, with all of their success, and the fact that until very recently they had been virtually unstoppable, they have again changed their name to reflect an even larger view themselves, IS or “the Islamic State.” This name carries even more meaning than ISIL. They have identified themselves as the Islamic State or a caliphate (kal-uh-feyt). It is a little difficult for us as westerners to grasp, but it means they see themselves as the only legitimate Islamic Kingdom and therefore they or their leadership have religious authority over all Muslims. This is much larger than any geographical territory; they are saying “We are Islam!” What are they like? They are the most vicious jihadists we have ever seen. Jihad is a holy war in the name of Islam, and a jihadist is a holy warrior. They are made up of fighters from Al-Qaeda and many other terrorist groups from around the Middle East. Vicious, brutal, and demonic, their terror is without limits. They are so brutal that Al-Qaeda has disowned them. They are known for their strict interpretation of Sharia or Islamic law. Their brutality cannot be over estimated. They rule by fear. They specialize in beheadings, mass executions, and public floggings. They tie Christians to crosses and kill them in ways too bloody to tell in this post. Women and girls are raped. Five and six year-old girls are married off to the fighters. Christians, minority groups, and literally everyone who is not a Sunni Muslim are targeted in each city they take. Sometimes the cry is “Convert to Islam or die!”, but what they mean is convert and die anyway. They force conversions, and then behead the new converts. There is no limit to their brutality. Who is their leader? They are led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has declared himself the Caliph and direct descendant of Muhammad. Therefore he believes himself to be the one true spiritual leader of Islam. Jihad,jihadists,Kurds What do you need to know? Their wins on the battle field have been impressive, but they are not strong enough to establish an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, let alone Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Israel. The Kurds are fighting against them, and even Iran has sent its best special forces to advise and fight alongside the Iraqi army. They have embraced social media, and we want them to. By documenting their crimes they make it easy to prosecute later. They are ambitious. They intend to fly the Flag of Islam over the White House. They have stated plainly their goal is worldwide domination and declared America is on their list. The nations of the world, including the US, must engage and destroy the IS (the Islamic State). Their brutality demands justice.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 11:34:44 +0000
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