Leon D. Young
We have all been shocked and horrified by the ruthless terrorists’ attacks in Paris last week.
The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al- Sham (ISIS), has shown no shame in coming forth to claim responsibility for these horrendous acts against humanity.
But, that begs the question: Who is ISIS and what does this radical jihadist element want?
First and foremost, we must discern and acknowledge the difference between al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. It’s a mistake to see jihadism as monolithic.
By all accounts, Osama bin Laden was the leader and principal architect of al-Qaeda. Bin Laden viewed his terrorism as a prologue to a caliphate (an Islamic State), which he did not expect to see in his lifetime.
His organization was flexible, operating as a geographically diffuse network of autonomous [terrorist] cells.
Moreover, it’s important to remember that Bin Laden was a creature of the modern secular world. He requested specific political concessions, such as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia.
His foot soldiers navigated the modern world confidently.
On Mohamed Atta’s last full day of life, he shopped at Walmart and ate dinner at Pizza Hut. (Mohamed Atta is believed to have been the pilot of the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.)
The Islamic State, by contrast, requires territory to remain legitimate, and a top-down structure to rule it. (Its bureaucracy is divided into civil and military arms, and its territory into provinces.) In reality, the Islamic State is Islamic.
Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe.
But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.
Moreover, virtually every major decision and law promulgated by the Islamic State adhere to what it calls, “the Prophetic methodology,” which means following the prophecy and example of Muhammad, in precise detail.
It should also be noted that followers of the Islamic State believe that denying the holiness of the Koran or prophecies of Muhammad is straightforward apostasy (abandonment of religious/ political belief).
There are also major differences in way that the Islamic State and al-Qaeda finance their respective terrorist enterprises.
It’s reported that ISIS makes between $1 million and $2 million each day from oil sales.
The oil comes mostly from refineries and wells that ISIS controls in northern Iraq and northern Syria.
ISIS is estimated to produce about 44,000 barrels a day in Syria and 4,000 barrels a day in Iraq; and allegedly this group has in excess of $2 billion at its disposal.
On the other hand, al- Qaeda employs a radically different approach to fund its operation.
Al-Qaeda is increasingly funding terror operations thanks to at least $125 million in ransom paid since 2008, largely by European governments to free western hostages.
These payments totaled $66 million in 2013 alone, but this funding is extremely meager when compared to the revenue that ISIS can generate from its oil refineries.
Lastly, most experts would agree that ISIS has eclipsed al-Qaeda as the chief purveyor of terror worldwide, who is committed to returning civilization to a seventh-century legal environment, and ultimately bringing about the apocalypse.
Let’s not forget for one moment that ISIS is well funded and extremely dangerous, as we have seen on too many occasions.
It’s now time for the world community to join forces in eradicating the Islamic State and halting the spread of its caliphate.