ISIS
ISIS is radical terrorist group the represents the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq. Their ideology originates from the Wahhabism belief system. ISIS has branched off from the terrorist group AL-Qaeda and has become one of the most extremist jihadi groups in the world. They control a territory that stretches from the Western part of Iraq to the Eastern parts of Syria. Their army is made up of thousands of religiously intolerant individuals who view anyone who does not share the same beliefs as them as an enemy. (Gerges)“Isis is a symptom of the broken politics in the Middle East.” In the past decade many Middle Eastern governments failed which created a power vacuum that ISIS took advantage of. ISIS poses a huge threat to the areas that they reside in, as well as to the Unites States national security.. Many of their attacks and killings have been recorded and posted on the Internet in hopes to inflict fear upon the rest of the world. Technology has played huge role in ISIS’s continuous expansion.
In order to understand the way members of ISIS think, one must trace their roots back to the belief system known as Wahhabism. Wahhabism is a severe form of Islam that follows the literal interpretations of the Koran. Strict followers of the faith believe that those who do not practice the same form of religion as they do are mortal enemies. Many researchers believe that Wahhabism has misconfigured the true meanings of Islam, and that this faith is a direct result of many terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. ISIS began as a small Islamic group in Iraq that has origins dating back to 2001. The group was created when Islamic extremist Abu Mus’ab Zarqawi joined forces with Al Qaeda. Some time after, Zarqawi branched off and began his own extremist group. Between the years of 2006 to 2011, the Islamic state in Iraq, or ISI had been established. This group had been weakened by American forces in Iraq, but not destroyed. Once the American army had withdrawn from Iraq, ISI began to regain power. Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, ISI had decided to expand to Syria, and declared themselves as the organization known as ISIS.
Isis’s global impact has affected the lives of people all over the world. The use of the Internet allows for Isis to recruit soldiers from every country. Newer advances in technology will only increase their global presence. ISIS’s expansion is allowing for them to gain attention. More and more people from countries around the world are enlisting in ISIS. Globalization has allowed for the increase of global trade, but a negative aspect of this is that trade has become less and less regulated. This allows for organizations such as ISIS to be easier involved in human trafficking and the illegal transportation of weapons. The combination of unregulated trade and the spread of new technology will only continue to strengthen the power of ISIS. ISIS has become a globalized terrorist group that shows no signs of slowing down. Even other terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda have admitted that some if ISIS’s practices are too radical.
ISIS has gained strength in numbers over the years, and they will only continue to grow. Global awareness about their horrific acts may help to prevent more people for joining, and may even inspire people to want to fight back against them. We have no telling what they are going to do next, but the more educated and aware we are about current global situations, the more we will be able to better take hold of the situation.