# ISIS under our beds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 26, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533 "2014-08-26T03:45:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/41 "2014-08-28T14:57:12Z")
You want logic from insane people like ISIS? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/42 "2014-08-28T14:59:13Z")
What’s so insane about them? ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/43 "2014-08-28T15:01:55Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > What’s so insane about them? I, uh, really don’t know how to answer this. I kind of assume chopping people’s heads off equals insane, but obviously you have a different opinion on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/44 "2014-08-28T15:12:43Z")
Yeah, how crazy for a militant group to kill people in the territory they’re operating in. That’s just completely inexplicable behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/45 "2014-08-28T15:14:51Z")
So, I operate in an area and if I start lopping people’s heads off then that isn’t crazy as well? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/46 "2014-08-28T15:17:05Z")
If you’re trying to seize control of an area by force of arms, then no, it’s not crazy. It may be evil, objectionable, and extremely unpleasant behavior, but it’s not crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/47 "2014-08-28T15:22:03Z")
I guess we’ll have to disagree on what constitutes crazy because unless you’re in the midst of a sword fight, I don’t see much justification, other than ‘crazy’, to explain such actions. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/48 "2014-08-28T15:23:29Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > What’s so insane about them? Isn’t it insane, in the 21st Century, to try to found a state based on Shari’a law? Even for devout Muslims? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/49 "2014-08-28T15:24:14Z")
How is cutting someone’s head off any crazier than shooting them or blowing them up? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/50 "2014-08-28T15:30:22Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Isn’t it insane, in the 21st Century, to try to found a state based on Shari’a law? Even for devout Muslims? All those militant Islamic groups make grandiose claims about their piety and purity. It’s just a marketing pitch to get the support of the people. To talk about ISIS founding a state is to puff up their capabilities way beyond what they can credibly achieve. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/51 "2014-08-28T15:37:05Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > How is cutting someone’s head off any crazier than shooting them or blowing them up? If they were holding people down and deliberately shooting them then I’d say crazy as well. What are you trying to get at here that you seek to justify unjustifiable actions? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/52 "2014-08-28T15:37:10Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > All those militant Islamic groups make grandiose claims about their piety and purity. It’s just a marketing pitch to get the support of the people. To talk about ISIS founding a state is to puff up their capabilities way beyond what they can credibly achieve. But, they **are** founding a state, organizing it and policing it. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/53 "2014-08-28T15:51:33Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > If they were holding people down and deliberately shooting them then I’d say crazy as well. What are you trying to get at here that you seek to justify unjustifiable actions? I’m not trying to justify anything, I just don’t think violent behavior from a militant group is something that is inexplicable. To call it insane means there’s no possible way of explaining the behavior. But when young men arm themselves and set out to take control of an area, it’s not exactly a surprise when they resort to violence. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But, they **are** founding a state, organizing it and policing it. They entered a vacuum created by a weak Shiite-dominated government in Iraq. They’re not in control of any area that military forces have contested them. Seriously, ISIS is just a few thousand dudes with guns and a savvy social media presence. They just got pushed out of the Mosul dam last week because the Iraqi government bit the bullet and sent army special forces to assist the Kurds. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/54 "2014-08-28T15:53:26Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Uh huh. Tell me, seeing as how ISIS is a Sunni militant group whose existence is predicated on carving out a state for themselves in Iraq and Syria, how would extreme and spectacular terror attacks in Norway help them achieve that goal? > [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > All those militant Islamic groups make grandiose claims about their piety and purity. It’s just a marketing pitch to get the support of the people. To talk about ISIS founding a state is to puff up their capabilities way beyond what they can credibly achieve. Either they are capable of establishing an IS or they are not. If they are, then attacking Norway (or the US for that matter) would be inviting exactly the kind of attention they are getting right now - US bombing them out of the territory they controlled only a couple of weeks ago. If it’s all puffery, then attacking foreign nations using terrorist tactics makes sense because it’s the only real option they have to annoy and hurt their enemies. In a way, not bombing them out of existence and letting them have some small amount of territory in Syria and Iraq may focus their energies on keeping that territory and not look to punish those who they see as denying them the opportunity to establish their IS. Also, it keeps them a regional problem, not a global one. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/55 "2014-08-28T23:37:55Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > According to Norwegian intelligence sources the high terror alert a few weeks ago was based on four ISIS terrorists travelling to Oslo, which were planning an “extreme and spectacular” terror attack. The Norwegian intelligence agency were working with the intelligence agencies of two other nations. But they lost track of the suspected ISIS terrorists in Athens. This is the closest to a cite so far. It’s couched in the usual "sources say … " crap that makes it unverifiable, but it looks somewhat better than blogosphere bloviating. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/56 "2014-08-29T05:12:19Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > I’m not trying to justify anything, I just don’t think violent behavior from a militant group is something that is inexplicable. To call it insane means there’s no possible way of explaining the behavior. But when young men arm themselves and set out to take control of an area, it’s not exactly a surprise when they resort to violence. Killing someone in the midst of a battle in war may not be insane. But, when you have control of them and they no longer resist, then it is pretty batshit crazy to lop their heads off because there is no reason to do so other than for shits and giggles or their own warped take on religion, etc. That being said, I’m personally not adverse to putting down mad dogs and many of these people, even if they throw down their arms, deserve a long and painful death. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/57 "2014-08-29T11:50:26Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Uh huh. Tell me, seeing as how ISIS is a Sunni militant group whose existence is predicated on carving out a state for themselves in Iraq and Syria, how would extreme and spectacular terror attacks in Norway help them achieve that goal? Although I consider them Satan worshippers and wouldn’t consider it unlikely for them to do to it for no other reason than out of the love of bloody murder, you might get some indication on how they reason from this article: [Italy Steps Up Security Over Alleged ISIS Plot to Kill The Pope](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/28/italy-steps-up-security-over-alleged-isis-plot-against-the-pope.html) > [@](#): > > Greta Raminelli and Vanessa Marluzzo, two Italian aid workers currently being held in Iraq, “deserved to be kidnapped because they were interfering with the Muslim state,” > … > James Foley deserved to die and that they will one day conquer the Vatican. “Foley was a spy. This is widely known. Killing is justified in some cases. In Islam it is acceptable to kill a prisoner if in some way this can be scary to the enemy. I understand that may sound terrible but we are fighting a war, that was a war tactic” > [@Uzi](#): > > Killing someone in the midst of a battle in war may not be insane. But, when you have control of them and they no longer resist, then it is pretty batshit crazy to lop their heads off because there is no reason to do so other than for shits and giggles or their own warped take on religion, etc. [ISIS terrorists film mass execution of 250 Syrian soldiers after forcing them to march through desert in their underwear](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/isis-terrorists-film-mass-execution-250-syrian-soldiers-article-1.1920104) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/58 "2014-08-29T14:09:26Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Killing someone in the midst of a battle in war may not be insane. But, when you have control of them and they no longer resist, then it is pretty batshit crazy to lop their heads off because there is no reason to do so other than for shits and giggles or their own warped take on religion, etc. There may be method behind the madness here. Terrorizing one’s enemies is a long standing tradition in war. If your reputation precedes you with respect to being particularly cruel, you are more likely to strike fear in your opponent and therefore have a psychological advantage on the battle field. You may even avoid some fights because the opposing forces will simply surrender or retreat. > [@Uzi](#): > > That being said, I’m personally not adverse to putting down mad dogs and many of these people, **even if they throw down their arms, deserve a long and painful death.** \ Aren’t you in fact condoning the very thing you’re condemning? ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/59 "2014-08-29T14:23:07Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Aren’t you in fact condoning the very thing you’re condemning? Not in the least. People who chop other people’s heads off deserve the same and worse treatment. Are the people ISIS killing deserving of such fates? Most likely not. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533/60 "2014-09-04T22:01:32Z")
Some modern-day Dr. Seuss for the far right: ISIS, ISIS, in our heads. ISIS, ISIS, below our beds. ISIS, ISIS, in the trees. ISIS, ISIS, in twos and threes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isis-under-our-beds/696533.md?page=4)