The terrorist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) has been in the news lately for its brutal pursuits towards establishing its goal of a caliphate (a single Islamic state based on sharia law) in Iraq and Syria. ISIS claims religious authority over all Muslims across the globe, and therefore seeks to bring Muslim regions under its direct political control. ISIS has made advances in its goal of controlling Iraq, and in June 2014 it seized control of Mosul and Tikrit.
On June 29, 2014, the leader of ISIS and its self-proclaimed caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of a new caliphate. In July 2014, Al-Baghdadi urged Muslims to unite and capture Rome in order to own the world. On August 4, 2014, ISIS came to the town of Sinjar, forcing its Yazidi population to flee into the mountains for fear the they would be killed. That week, ISIS soldiers kidnapped 400 Yazidi women to sell as sex slaves. On August 7, 2014, ISIS took control of Qaraqosh, the largest Christian town in Iraq, warning Christians to leave, convert to Islam or die. When ISIS took over Mosul, it bombed Christian churches in that city, confiscated Christians’ property and crucified Christians who refused to cede to ISIS’ demands. ISIS is slaughtering Christians and beheading children in its effort to extinguish Christians from Iraq. ISIS’ takeover of Iraq has forced over 1 million people to flee their homes.
ISIS has distributed brochures to Muslims residing in Great Britain, urging them to join ISIS. ISIS has made propaganda videos set to music, which include images of severed heads, crucified Syrian soldiers and mass executions. ISIS also has a gift shop, selling T-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with the ISIS emblem. If that weren’t enough, ISIS soldiers and sympathizers have taken to social media to post direct threats to the United States and its citizens.
Even a New Jersey resident has flown the ISIS flag outside of his home there.
In response to an emboldened ISIS, President Obama authorized limited, targeted airstrikes in Iraq against ISIS, as well as humanitarian airdrops to Iraqi refugees. However, this has not been enough. Why has the United States not used all of its might to destroy ISIS? How should the United States handle this growing threat? What should be done about the terrorists who are posting direct threats to the United States on Twitter? How should we protect the Christians and Yazidis from these terrorists? What should be done about ISIS?
PolitiSphere 