The 5 W’s of ISIS

You may have seen this acronym pop up in various places around the Internet or the television, or you may have heard it be used in conversation. You may have noticed that there has been a lot of uproar over American foreign affairs as of late. Maybe you’ve seen a couple Twitter trending topics with ISIS in them, or maybe you may have not noticed any of this. And that’s okay. You’ll know the basics about this infamous little acronym soon enough, if you keep reading.

     ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, but the government officially refers to them as ISIL: the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as the “Levant” encompasses a larger area of the Mediterranean region to include Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. ISIS is a terrorist group following in the footsteps of the previously-dominant terror organization of Al Qaeda. The members consist of jihadists (Islamic militants) who follow an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, believing that Sunni Islam is the one true religion and that the rest of the world harbors false believers who want to destroy Islam. The word “jihad” in Arabic translates roughly to a “struggle” or a “resistance”. ISIS uses their understanding of Islamic law to justify their cruel attacks in their perceived struggle against humanity. Their brutal tactics are vicious enough for Al Qaeda to denounce them of being too violent. Yes, the same Al Qaeda that’s responsible for sending ships loaded with explosives to American ports and for launching the 9/11 attacks essentially called ISIS out for being “too extreme”.

     Mass killings, beheadings of American citizens, abductions and persecutions of religious and ethnic minorities, and many more barbarous actions have all attributed to ISIS’ growing fame worldwide. ISIS wants to establish a caliphate, or a state ruled by a single political and religious leader, in the region. The state would be set up according to principles and regulations governed by ISIS’ sole interpretation of Islamic law. This radical revolution has attracted a handful of Muslims around the world to pledge their support to the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

     However, admiration of ISIS is definitely not in abundance. The majority of the world condemns ISIS and denounces them as a force of benevolence. ISIS is a serious threat, and the US has recognized them as a danger to national security. On September 10th to eradicate the threat of ISIS, drawing America into a military campaign with the support of multiple other countries including Germany, France, Great Britain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and more. ISIS is what it is – a terrorist group. They’re an extremist militant terrorist group with ideals that do NOT reflect the foundations of the entire Islamic religion. In no way are they representatives of all Muslims. Every society holds a spectrum of ideologies, and this is important to keep in mind when viewing world relations because it will save you the intellectual embarrassment of generalizing an entire culture based on a single supremacist group.

-Shany Ebadi