I am assuming all ‘terrorists’ do things for a reason, but what is the prime motivating factor behind any/all ISIS attacks throughout the world.
Governments, leaders, countries, etc, will often call people terrorists because they are fighting against their leadership. It’s a blanket statement meant to deride(not to suggest terrorism is in any way justified) a movement or group of people who feel like their only way to be heard is to cause as much mayhem as possible. So when ISIS claims credit for acts of terrorism who are they targeting? Any why?
I can’t participate in any discussion about this because i have no idea what started their movement, what they are fighting for, or who they are fighting against. Or any other self proclaimed terrorist organizations for that matter.
Nor do I have affiliation to any religion. In fact i dislike them all equally, but i do believe everyone has the right to worship as they see fit.
However, i feel any terrorist attack on innocent people under any religious banner is wrong and not in following with the basic fundamental premise of any religion. So while someone may proclaim they are Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, they are not, in fact, any of those things.
Part of the issue is that in the 7th century, Islam split into two groups the Shia and Sunni.
ISIS is a Sunni group and the government of Syria is a Shia group. Also Iraq’s government was Sunni under Saddam but is now Shia.
One of their goals is to create a Sunni majority nation-state.
I’m not sure how effective the metaphor of catholics vs protestants is, but it is partly like that.
There are other issues though. Various governments in the region and globally are fighting for dominance of the area, so they are supporting various groups to achieve that. Not sure how that influences ISIS’s viewpoints though.
I’m no expert, but if they just tried to do that in Iraq, I would guess most of the world would shrug their shoulders and look the other way. By sponsoring (or encouraging) attacks in the rest of the world, they have made themselves a bigger target. I have to assume they’re doing that on purpose.
They’re basically an Islamic doomsday cult who want to herald in the apocalypse by forcing a showdown with the forces of ‘Rome’, that is the west, and the holy warriors of Islam. This Atlantic article is long but worth a read if you’re interested in the motivations of ISIS.
Other powers in the region like Saudi Arabia and Iran would still be interested if they stayed in Iraq.
I can’t answer the question about why ISIS supports terror attacks in the west (I would assume to get revenge for western intervention against ISIS in the middle east, or hoping to intimidate western nations into leaving). Do they actually cause attacks, or do they just take credit for lone wolf attacks for people who watched an ISIS video? I know they were behind the Paris attack, but is someone unrelated to ISIS pledging to ISIS and committing a terror attack really ISIS doing it?
Yes, the Old Testament is filled with praise for bloodthirsty, xenophobic, genocidal savagery but most modern Jews and Christians attempt to ignore that elephant in the room. The Koran is filled with praise for bloodthirsty, xenophobic, genocidal savagery but most modern Muslims attempt to ignore the elephant in the room. Isis enthusiastically declares every day to be elephant day.
No we do not “ignore” anything, we base ourselves on the well established theological foundations of moderation and justice, and do not read the Quran with the newly invented takfiri salafiste concepts that the DAESH do.
The Atlantic article is very flawed on many points as it has incorrectly accepted that the DAESH reading of traditions is in fact established historical, they are not. they are innovative.
I was hoping for a concise summery and history of their beliefs and figured someone here would have that information. I have, in the past, looked for information but I always end up reading news articles relevant to what’s happening now, but nothing with substance.
I’m not very knowledgeable about Islam, or much of world religions or politics(not enough so that I can actually participate in a discussion), so it’s a huge learning curve.
Good point and good question. At least at the first level.
Now let’s consider the second level.
Why does ISIS expend resources creating the videos and the rest of their online efforts? Among other goals, it’s to recruit remote adherents to perform these sorts of attacks.
So while perhaps the great leader Abdul al Honcho didn’t specifically order the attack in Paris as to time, place, and manner, he and his movement are certainly taking planned concrete steps with the intent to cause such things to happen.
Whether that level of indirection rises to the level of “responsibility” or of “ISIS doing it” is mostly in the eye of the beholder.