Staff Writer
ISIS,
the increasingly-powerful and ultra-deadly terror group has been all over the
news recently as it captures territory and commits heinous crimes such as
beheadings, mass executions, and the destruction of religious monuments. As
ISIS has experienced a recent explosion in popularity, resources, and military
success, most of their news exposure has covered their recent actions, making
the history and origins of the group unclear. Here is a brief history of the
group’s more notable actions, from its conception to present day.
To
understand ISIS, it is important to first understand the principles it is
founded upon. Like other extremist groups, the terrorists of ISIS believe in a
conservative form of Islam known as Wahhabism, founded in the 1700s by the
Muslim preacher Abd al-Wahab. Wahhabism demands a stringent interpretation of
the Koran, the Islamic holy book. It condemns the honoring of saints or other
religious figures, such as celebrating the birthday of the prophet Mohamad or
Jesus. One of the main reasons Wahhabism is so strongly associated with
terrorism is that it considers people who do not practice Wahhabism enemies and
heathens. This is clearly indoctrinated in the writings of Wahhabi himself:
“Those who should not conform to this view should be killed, their wives and
daughters violated, and their possessions confiscated.”
During
the Gulf War of 2003, the United States armed a multitude of Iraqi militants to
overthrow their infamous dictator, Saddam Hussein. After Hussein’s defeat, some
of these militants used their military capability to form the extremist group
known as Al-Qaeda. ISIS has its origins in a splinter group of the
organization, known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).
In
2010 AQI’s leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike. A new
leader quickly took control of the organization, current ISIS leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi. Under his reign the group declared itself an Islamic State, or a
governing body for fellow Muslims, and was renamed the Islamic State of Iraq,
or ISI. After the civil war in Syria, ISI dispatched many of its members to
attempt to establish Jihadist organizations in Syria, and changed its name to
the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to reflect its intentions.
In
a military sense, ISIS has been extremely successful this year. In June they
completely took over many of the towns and territories near the Iraq/Syria
border, and they currently maintain “operational presence” over much of
northern Iraq. In July they captured Iraq’s largest oil field, al-Omar, and
they continue to capture smaller oil and gas fields throughout Iraq and Syria.
This had made them the most funded terrorist group to date, with a net worth at
an estimated one billion dollars.
ISIS’
wealth gives them military capability that most aren’t used to seeing from a terrorist
group. Using bulldozers and several tons of explosives, ISIS is famous for
destroying mosques, shrines, and other religious sites. On July 24 they
completely destroyed Jonah’s Tomb, a precious Christian religious artifact. Its
loss was lamented by people of many religions worldwide, and is a prime example
of how ISIS has spread terror on a global scale.
What
most people have been seeing in the news recently are the executions. ISIS has
published a string of beheading videos in which a citizen of the western world
is made to condemn the actions of modern society before being decapitated with
a knife. At the end of each video the executioner issues a threat to execute
the next hostage. He does not issue any demands or ask for a ransom, he simply
says: “The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next
decision.”
Two
weeks ago, the U.S. military began bombings in Syria on ISIS and other
terror-affiliated targets. This is the latest news story most likely to be in
recent headlines, as controversy over the morality of the bombings becomes a
major source of recent political debate.
