ISIS
I. Introduction
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, has recently risen to fame in the last few years. It has taken a stronghold over parts of Syria and Iraq, and is well-funded by the revenue streams of the oil and gas fields of the areas it controls, and receives donations from around the world. Its leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, has recently proclaimed the group to be a caliphate, thus assuming control over all Muslims around the world. It is urgent that the United States and its allies put a stop to this organization through fighting it via both military and ideological operations. While its operations are contained in Iraq and Syria, it has many sympathizers from Islamic groups around the world. Therefore the United States must act now and destroy this organization at all costs, in the most efficient and casualty-less ways possible.
II. A. ISIS Ideology
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is an Islamic militant group that adheres to the fundamentalist and Wahhabi principles of Sunni Islam. This group calls itself an Islamic state since it proclaimed itself as a caliphate in 2014 with Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi as its caliph (The Independent: Iraq Crisis: Isis Declares its Territories a New Islamic State with ‘restoration of the caliphate’ in Middle East). The doctrine of the group is that as a worldwide caliphate, it therefore has authority over all Muslims around the world (Al-Akhbar English: What does Isis’ Declaration of a Caliphate Mean?). As of the end of 2015, the group claimed control of the landlocked regions of Syria and Iraq. It also has affiliates in Libya, Nigeria and Afghanistan as well as in the other parts of Northern Africa and Southern Asia (New York ews and Politics: ISIS Now Has a Network of Military Affiliates in 11 Countries Around the World). The group has gained notoriety due to its hostage taking activities and beheadings, which it has posted on social media. Social workers, foreign correspondents and local residents have all been victims of the group. ISIS has also has been deemed responsible for other human rights abuses and terrorist activities, including the destruction of important cultural heritage sites in the Middle East. The United Nations, together with many other nations around the world, has declared the group as a terrorist organization (New Statesman: How Islamic is the Islamic State?).
The ideology of ISIS is grounded in Salafi-Jihadism. This is a specific movement within Sunni Islam, which is similar to the Salafism ideology of Al Qaeda. This ideology has for a main principle that only a single authority is authorized to take over and administer the leadership of Jihad, and this takes priority over the activities related to combat, such as going to war with non-Muslims. What is essential is the purification of Islamic society (The Atlantic: What Isis Really Wants).
Salafism is a Sunni Islam movement that is concerned with the purification of the Islamic faith. The focus of this movement is the elimination of the worship of idols and affirming the Oneness of God. Those in this movement profess that they are the only true Muslims. Most Salafi scholars are part also of the Wahhabi group. The anti-Shiite sentiment in Salafism and Wahhabism traces its origins to the 1792 attack of Salafi forces on Shiite forces in eastern Arabia. Its main proponent, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab believed that Islam had become corrupted and no longer followed the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. In Saudi Arabia, Shiites are no longer prosecuted, but anti-Shiite sentiment remains strong in this peninsula (Bunzel, 8-9).
Salafism demands a return to the early days of Islam that does not consider the innovations added in the later years. Those believing in Salafism consider themselves to be the only real and correct interpreters of the Quran and they also consider moderate Muslims to be infidels as well. This version of Islam has for its goals to convert all other Muslims to its very violent version of Islam. Thus the group also considers other Muslim groups such as the Shiites and the Sunni Sufis as infidels (Rasheed, 35). The Jihadism dimension of Salafism-Jihadism originated from the prescriptions of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt in the 1950s. This movement advocated the removal of the governments where many Muslims resided and replace them with Islamic states (Bunzel, 9). Thus the elements of both Salafism and Jihadism have combined to form the Islamic state’s basic ideology.
A central idea in the ideology of Isis is the concept of the caliphate. This is one reason why Isis appeals to many Muslims. In the context of Islamic theology, the Caliphate is the real nation of Islam, and is the unifying factor for all Muslims around the world. Thus all Muslims around the world belong to the caliphate and must submit themselves to the caliph. The caliph is considered as the successor of the Prophet Muhammad and is the political, spiritual and military ruler of all Muslims around the world (Spencer, 20). The caliph as a leader is not only the Prophet thMuhammad’s legitimate successor, but he is also the only earthly being capable of being obeyed by and submitted to by all Muslims. This concept of the caliph succeeding the Prophet Muhammad is critical as the Quran instructs all followers of Islam to not only follow Allah, but also to follow the Prophet Muhammad as well. While the caliph does not occupy a position equal to that of the Prophet, but as his successor, he has the right to command the obedience of all Muslims, and the profession and enactment of loyalty to the caliph is above all ethnic and national boundaries (Spencer, 21).
The significance of the caliphate in Isis ideology lies in the fact that all Muslims worldwide belong to a single Islamic community under the power and authority of the caliph. They are not citizens of the country where they are known to be legal citizens, but are citizens of the Islamic caliphate. Therefore for all Muslims, joining the caliphate is a communal Islamic obligation (Spencer, 21). In fact, when Al-Baghdadi declared ISIS to be a caliphate in 2014, he issued a plea to all faithful Muslims around the world to return to the Islamic State, as this was obligatory for all Muslims. This also meant that all republics, emirates and other Islamic territories all over the globe were part of the Islamic State, and thus had to submit to the authority of the caliph (Huffpost Religion: What is a Caliphate? ISIS Declaration Raises Questions). The use of the concept of the caliphate by the Islamic State clearly shows that ISIS or the Islamic State wants to mobilize global support for the group, transcending national boundaries and ethnic backgrounds.
Many international experts aver that the Islamic State was the creation of the United States itself, much like how the United States was said to be responsible for the formation of Al Qaeda. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the United States immediately sought to remove all the infrastructure and systems of government of the Hussein administration. The US replaced the Iraqi leadership with a Shiite administration. Thousands of Sunni Iraqis lost their jobs under the US-formed Shiite regime, and many upper class Sunnis were stripped of their properties and influence. US policy in Iraq led to an even more divisive Iraq, and created a fertile breeding area for Sunni discontent to grow (Global Research: America Created Al Qaeda and the ISIS Terror Group).
The United Nations Security Council has declared the Islamic State as a terrorist group and included it in its Sanctions List. The response of the United States is mainly that it has created a coalition of nations who will work against a common goal – that of defeating the Islamic State. As of December 2014, the main strategies of this US-led coalition are:
Supporting military strategies and operations;
Stemming the flow of foreign military fighters going to the Islamic State;
Removing access to funding;
Increasing humanitarian relief; and
Delegitimizing ISIS ideology (US State Department: Joint Statement Issued by Partners at the Counter-ISIL Coalition Ministerial Meeting).
In the last quarter of 2014, the United States began supplying the Iraqi Kurds (sworn enemies of the Islamic State) with weapons and food. Manned aircraft began to fly over the area occupied by the Islamic State, and has slowly began to increase the amount and scope of weaponry to the Kurds as well (Los Angeles Times: US Allies Rush Heavy Weapons to Kurds to Fight Militants in Iraq). President Obama also authorized airstrikes against ISIS in Erbil and Sinjar in Iraq, which were held by ISIS then. Military actions by the United States Armed Forces against the Islamic State were called by the collective name Operations Inherent Resolve. This was formally launched in September of 2015 under the control of the Army III Corps. It is said that as of March 2016, more than 11,000 airstrikes have been conducted in ISIS-held territories, resulting in the deaths of over 27,000 ISIS fighters. 80% of these airstrikes have been conducted by US forces, while 20% have been conducted by other members of the coalition (US Department of Defense: Strikes in Iraq and Syria).
The tech-savvy and social media-inclined ISIS has for part of its recruitment strategy, targeted Americans. The recruitment and mobilization of ISIS volunteers coming from the United States is at an all-time high. There are 250 known cases of Americans traveling to the Islamic State in order to join them as fighters. Beginning in March of 2014, 71 Americans have been charged with ISIS-related activities in the United States. There are 900 known recruits coming from the United States. The charges range from attempting to support a known terrorist organization to plotting terrorist attacks on the American mainland. The data on the cases have shown that:
The recruits are young; their average age is 26;
Most of them are men;
Over half of those who were arrested have traveled or attempted to travel to Syria;
Majority of them are American citizens and the rest are green card holders;
About 40% of those arrested are converts to Islam;
Three Americans have perished in the United States because of ISIS-related violence (The Atlantic: Why ISIS Recruiting in America Reached Historic Levels).
The examination of the documents of the cases of these people charged also reveals that none of them were directly in contact with ISIS. They did not receive any specific instructions for attacks or propaganda activities, and mainly planned for what are called “lone wolf” attacks (The New York Times: ISIS in America). The technologically-savvy ISIS recruiters advertisement for recruitment on its website provide clear instructions on how to travel to Syria from the West, including instructions on how to remain inconspicuous and far away from the eyes of immigration officials. There are lists of what to bring so that one is not cast aside during inspection, and so that one may be reasonably equipped upon arrival in Syria. The travelers are likewise counseled not to inform anyone about where they are going. They are also advised to brush up on the tourist sites around the areas where they are headed to so that they can describe these when asked by immigration officials (Bergen: United States of Jihad).
Most of the recruits in America were said to have been indoctrinated through the ISIS’ aggressive social media campaign. The government currently has in its custody Mohamed Jamal Khweis, an American who traveled to Syria to join ISIS in January this year. The US government hopes to extract information about ISIS, its structure, its operations and other aspects so that it can better fight this terrorist organization (NBC News: American ISIS Fighter a “Gold Mine” for US Intelligence).
What attracts these “lone wolves” to leave their comfortable lives in the United States and go to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS? There is the promise of social services, of enjoying a “brotherhood” with the same commitments and ideologies, and there is the opportunity for these individuals to become bigger than what they are at the moment. There is the chance of accomplishment, of participating in a cause that they see as righteous in the eyes of Allah and in the eyes of the entire Muslim world. This is why many from the West have decided to travel to the Middle East and join the Islamic State.
C. The Impact of ISIS on Terrorism
As of 2014, the ISIS is known as the most powerful terrorist organization, and the most influential one as well. There are currently about 90,000 members, and the group controls about 260,000 square kilometers of territory. Its temporary capital is in Raqqa in Syria. Over 3000 jihadists coming from all over the world have likewise migrated to Syria. It also accepted thousands of former military officials and personnel from the Saddam Hussein regime, as well as former Syrian military personnel. The main funding of the group is said to come from the general spoils of war. When the ISIS conquers a town or a city, it takes over the banks as well as the finances of the citizenry. The group has also taken control of the oil and gas fields in the territories that it presently occupies. It also has possession of government military arsenals, to include arms and other military weapons and logistics. When it captured the Taqba Air Base in Syria and the Mosul Airport in Iraq, it took dozens of MiG-23 fighters and Black Hawk helicopters (China Institute of International Studies: The Rise of Isis: Impacts and Future).
The rise to popularity of the ISIS has attracted the attention of other terrorist groups all over the world. Several groups have pledged their allegiance to the ISIS, while others are learning from the ISIS model and strategies. In 2014 Abu Omar Al-Shishani of the terrorist cell based in Chechnya pledged loyalty to the ISIS. Soon, Abubakr Shekau of the Boko Haram in Nigeria also announced his loyalty to the group. Other groups like the Pakistan-based Tehrik-e-Khilafat established links with the ISIS. The expansion of ISIS in Iraq and in Syria poses several challenges for the world powers. As ISIS is determined to overthrow the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria, thus creating issues for Russia, who will be concerned with its own sphere of influence in the Middle East, as Russia is allied with Syria under Assad. ISIS is focused on the destruction of Israel, which the United States will definitely not allow. This same expansion also threatens the interests of the United States in the Middle East, which are largely tied with oil.
Yet other terrorist groups who have not formally declared their alliance and loyalty to ISIS have patterned their strategies after the strategies of ISIS. The Afghan Taliban seems to be reinvigorated and have assaulted government troops in the province of Ghazni in the country. Pakistan Taliban forces have ambushed NATO troops in areas with difficult land masses, such as the Khyber Pass. Indonesia’s terrorist group, the Jemayah Islamiya has said that it has established the ISIS of Southeast Asia, with its reach that could extend up to the Philippines and Brunei. Boko Haram has also revitalized and is organizing its troops in Nigeria and Chad (China Institute of International Studies: The Rise of Isis: Impacts and Future). Thus the influence of the ISIS is strong, and its scope is broad as well.
III. Conclusion
The Islamic State can definitely be considered as a serious threat to the United States and to its allies around the world. This terrorist group has become a highly-organized, well-funded and technologically-savvy group that is able to blatantly share its activities and programs using social media and other Internet-based information tools, and also uses the same in order to recruit members from all around the world. As it is a terrorist group that threatens the security of the Middle East as well as the lives of ordinary citizens in many places around the world, then it is also in the best interests of the United States to continue to fight this group and end its fundamentalist regime. If the ISIS is to be reduced to nothing, then the United States must capitalize on its weaknesses and fight them on these points. The military operations used to fight ISIS must focus on targeting areas symbolic of the leadership and ideology of the group, such as its important leaders. The United States and its allies must also cut off all the economic resources of the group. It must stop the oil production of the oil wells under the control of ISIS in order to cut off the revenues that will fund its military operations, as well as its social and other services. Hopefully once there are no more social services or food to feed the troops, many of them will become disgruntled and desert the group. The spread of the ideology of the group must also be stopped. This means that websites, brochures, and any other communication items must be shut down and pulled out. Funding indeed must be removed, so that the group will have no means of communicating with its followers and with anyone interested in joining it. The military operations against ISIS as well as the discrediting of the ISIS and the disproving of the ideology must be performed simultaneously such that absolutely nothing is left for ISIS to live and subsist on. The efforts must be consistent and focused so that the targets. Without success in military operations, the ideological stronghold of the Islamic state will not collapse, as their triumphs in the field will mean that the ideas and tenets professed by this group are superior over all other contrary precepts. Therefore a controlled, focused and strong offensive on all fronts is necessary in order to defeat this organization.
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