Transcript ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh - Coventry Cathedral

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Muhammad spread Islam – established “Caliphate,”
sovereign state of Muslims
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Died 632AD – disagreement as to successor
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“Sunnis” – Elect Leader. “Shias” – Descendent of
Muhammad
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Shia-chosen Hussain killed Battle of Karbala, 680AD
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Saddam – Sunni Arab from Tikrit
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1988 – Anfal Campaign. 180,000
Kurds massacred; chemical
weapons used
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Gulf War, 1991. US-led coalition force Saddam out of
Kuwait, and Operation Provide Comfort saves
rebelling Kurds
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Shias in southern Iraq not supported – Saddam
massacres 150,000-300,000
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Saddam forced from power –
democracy imposed
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Since Shia Arabs are majority
(60%), Shia parties have won
every election
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De-Baathification: Saddam’s
army disbanded, bureaucrats
sacked – primarily Sunnis
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Shias and Kurds used power to
ensure that “never again” will
Sunni Arabs repress them –
suppressed Sunnis
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Sunnis lose faith in ballot box = violence.
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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – indiscriminately
target Shias
• February 22nd 2006 –
Shia holy Mosque
bombed: civil war
erupts
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Since 2003, 145,000-165,000 civilian deaths.
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Juergensmeyer: “Culture of Violence” – if people
see world as inherently violent, more likely to
adopt violence
Key
Blue: Shiadominated
Red: Sunnidominated
Yellow:
Mixed Area
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President Assad –
Alawite, offshoot Shia
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Country 70% Sunni
Arab, 13% Shia Arab,
7% Christian, 10% Kurd
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Anger at pro-Shia
policies, protests 2011.
Assad responded force,
and now civil war.
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ISIS have developed
into largest anti-Assad
force
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Sayyid Qutb, 1964 – Rejected secular modernity, calling
for a radical return to Islamic values and laws
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“Near Enemy” and “Far Enemy”
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1979: Iranian Revolution and Soviet invasion
Afghanistan – jihadist Mujahedeen encouraged by West
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End of conflict, Mujahedeen forbidden from returning
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Gulf War, 1991: Bin Laden declares Fatwa (religious
edict) calling on all Muslims to attack “Great Satan”
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Jihadists claim West is “at war” with Islam – invasion of
Muslim lands of Afghanistan and Iraq add credence.
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They see it as their “duty” to defend Islam
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Developed out of Al-Qaeda
in Iraq
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June 10th – ISIS capture Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul
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NOT just Jihadists, but also former members of
Saddam’s regime – Sunni Arabs
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Main fighters against ISIS – Kurds in north, Shia militias
in south. Effectively Shia versions of ISIS, “cleansing”
captured territories of Sunnis
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Cannot capture territory without tacit support of
residents – ISIS lesser of two evils
• WSJ: “Islamic State has gone unchallenged because
residents from Iraq’s aggrieved Sunni minority are too
scared of a military campaign that could bring massive
destruction and an uncertain future under the Shia-led
forces who would retake the city”
• “Omar,” a Sunni Arab living in Mosul:
• “Every prisoner in this oppressed city wants salvation
from IS and a return to normal life. But everyone agrees
if liberation happens like in Tikrit and Anbar, with
destruction and barrel bombs, random shelling and
looting, we do not want that kind of liberation.”
• Impose extremely brutal
form of Sharia Law – women
beaten if not in full dress,
thieves have hands
amputated, LGBTQI executed
• Ethnically-cleansed territories of non-Sunnis –
Christians, Shias, Yazidis and Kurds all executed
• Reprisals – hundreds Sunnis executed. Rule by fear
• Indoctrination in schools
• Improved infrastructure through investing oil money –
hospitals and electricity running again
1) Caliphate – A Caliphate is a state ruled by clerics, with
Sharia Law as its legal framework. Abandonment of
Caliphate = humiliation. “Near Enemy”/“Far Enemy”
2) “Justice” – Identify with Sunni brothers and sisters who
are persecuted; defensive fight to protect them
3) Money – Oil wealth, extortion, funding from Gulf states
= IS pay well, especially for those with no prospects
4) Empowerment – Majority of Western fighters 2nd/3rd
generation – feel disempowered, as viewed as
“foreigners” despite born here. Poor job prospects
• Former leader of Hamas: “Dying in this way is better than
to die daily in frustration and humiliation”
5) Identity – Do not feel as though secular Western society
is “theirs”, and identify more with conservative Islamic
societies. Propaganda important – “glory” in ISIS
• “Religion has become their nationality” = experience
community in Islam they don’t have in West
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“The purpose of terrorism is to strike fear into the hearts
of opponents in order to win political concession”
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All legitimate targets, as civilians in “democracies” are
perceived as electing leaders who carry out their wishes
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Juergensmeyer: Aim to “touch virtually everyone in the
nation’s society: any person in the US could have been in
the World Trade Centre, or travelling on Pan Am 103”
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Create aura of invincibility: whole world abhorred by
their behaviour, but no-one can stop them
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Also remove any middle ground – “us vs them”
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Strong apocalyptic theme – draw West into ‘great battle’
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Sunni Tribesmen – Empower them to fight ISIS from
within. “Sons of Iraq” Movement – Initially supported
Al-Qaeda in 2003-5; however extremism turned Sunni
moderates against them
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However, willing to take action in face of ISIS’ brutality?
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Bosnia – Divide power along ethno-religious lines
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Reach out in friendship to Muslims here, showing how
highly-valued they are in their country
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Daniel Koehler: If an individual is becoming radicalised,
we should affirm their anger at injustice as a positive,
but encourage alternative ways of tackling it