Everybody, even someone who doesn't watch the news rigorously, has seen videos or read about the attacks conducted by ISIS in Paris. These events were horrific and brutal, and the immediate reaction of countries around the world was, “We have to do something to combat this threat.” The only question is how to proceed.
I am not a politician. I could never assume I know everything that is happening internationally, especially with such a sensitive and dangerous group like ISIS, but there are certain facts that I think every citizen of every country needs to know about this organization. The first step to combating a threatening terrorist group is to understand them.
1. ISIS is not a country
No one can declare war on them. No government sponsors them, so no one can answer for their actions. ISIS can’t be blown up or attacked by drones easily without hitting civilians. While several cell locations have been discovered, the majority of them are still a mystery. Dropping bombs on the countries that are unintentionally hosting them, like Syria and Iraq, in the hope of destroying one of their hidden cells is one of the worst things a nation can do right now. The raids would most likely kill more civilians than ISIS members, which would cause a million more problems, such as anger from a government, retaliation from family members of the deceased, or maybe even an increase in the ranks of a terrorist group like ISIS. Sorry Donald Trump, but it’s actually not possible to “bomb the sh*t out of ISIS." To get rid of the real threat of the terrorist group and not the people who live in the same area of the terrorist group, other actions have to be taken.
2. ISIS structures their behavior from the believers of early Islam followers
During medieval times, when the Crusaders were waging war with primitive weapons over whose God was better, there were multiple traditions that were taken from the Quran to punish the enemies of Islam. The Quran instructs Islamists to always fight Christians and Jews to make them follow the "better religion," and that slavery, beheadings, and crucifixions are justified for their enemies. Such practices were perfectly normal in that time period. They are now seen as barbaric and torturous (because they are) and this is one of the few groups in the world still practicing them. Islamists in general are not in support of such practices: ISIS members are. They seem extreme to us in their actions to display their anger or beliefs, but they honestly think they are acting the way the Quran wants them to. It’s vital to understand that ISIS is the group of extremists doing these horrific things, not all the followers of Islam. There is a difference.
3. Most Muslims think ISIS members are nuts
The majority of the Muslim world does not follow ISIS. They think that the group is as horrible, misguided, and crazy as we do in the U.S. It’s true that ISIS appeals more to Muslims than other religions of the world, but that's because ISIS endorses Islam, they operate from a region surrounded mostly by Muslims and most followers of Islam are Muslim. However, those generalizations are not always true. We can state any statistic or stereotype that shows Muslims make up the majority of ISIS, but that does not mean, in any way, that the majority of the Muslim race follows and reciprocates ISIS’s actions and beliefs, just like we can’t assume the majority of white males in the U.S. support the actions of the Ku Klux Klan.
4. Islam is not the only religion that endorses bad things
The Torah endorses slavery. The Bible tells us that homosexuals are the spawns of Satan and should be burned alive. The Quran says that it’s acceptable to behead one’s enemies. Which religion is better when you look at these aspects of their holy books? The Bible, Torah, and Quran all endorse horrible violations of human rights, so why do people insist Christianity or Judaism or Islam is better? The fact that one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world calls themselves followers of Islam will of course make people prejudiced against that religion. But if people become more aware, if they actually investigate the group and understand that it is comprised of very extreme Islamists, they would be able to say that Islam itself is not the problem, just like Christianity and Judaism don’t promote terrorism. Islam is just a religion, a way of believing in a higher power: how people act on their beliefs is what causes peace or violence.
Understanding these facts is important in defeating a major international threat. It will be incredibly difficult to put an end to their destructive behavior, but knowing as much as possible about this terrorist group is a good first step in coming up with viable ways in which they can be defeated.
