Who are the ISIS or داعش?

Isis [Daish – in Arabic]

Isis is a Sunni Muslim group splintered from the Taliban, a group far more radical than the its parent Taliban. Its objectives include establishing a strict, militant Islamic State parsed from territories in Syria, Iraq and the Levant including a chunk of southern Turkey [if they can get it]. Isis militants are televised threatening attacks against the USA and any other Western country they wish to target. In addition they have been aiding rebels in Syria’s nearly 4 year war against the Assad regime. Not necessarily because they wish to assist the rebels in the deadly struggle against the Assad regime, but because the wish to undermine the secular rebels in their fight against the dictatorial Assad. In so doing, they push their radical views, terrorize those who oppose them, and threaten the world with their fanaticism. There can be no justification for the terrorist activities of this or any other group, only death and destruction follow in the wake of such malevolence.

In the West, we receive news from Baghdad – with special emphasis on the movements eastward toward the city by Isis. The group bombs, kills, rapes, and takes over cities in its encroachment eastward. News correspondents are now interviewing Shi’a Muslims, reporting their horrors at the actions of Isis. Misunderstandings develop from the ambiguity of the broadcasts.

Are all Sunni Muslims members or supporters of Isis? This is not the case, in spite of the fact that newscasters address only Shi’a Muslims. Their stories of terror and suffering at the hands of Isis are told loud and clear. But the news has an obligation to present both sides of the picture. Yes, Isis claims its allegiance to Sunni Islam, but in the same way that members of the Ku Klux Klan claim their Protestant Christian roots, not all Protestant Christians are members of the Klan. In fact most are not, most abhor the Klan’s message. Likewise, most Sunni Muslims despise the actions of Isis and their terrorist actions.

This militantly aggressive group takes its name from the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis who represented the ideal mother and wife, plus being the patroness of nature and magic. Its mission brings anything other than ideal motherhood or natural beauty to civilization; its aim is destruction, retribution, and death to any who oppose their fundamental ideologies. Fortunately, it appears the international community is coming down hard on Isis and everything it represents; perhaps its reign of terror and its stated goal of establishing an extremist Islamic state will come to nothing.