Once again, fear has indeed been swept upon dozens of nations with the threats and violence shown by the terrorist organization ISIS. 

Also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS used to be part of a major terrorist organization: Al-Qaeda. Formed by Abu Ayyub al-Masri in 1999, they not only have become more powerful than Al-Qaida, but more minatory as well. ISIS is definitely proof of the old saying: Like father, like son. 

The US seems to have made a prodigious impression to the middle eastern countries, so it isn’t surprising ISIS’s first threat was to America. “We will humiliate them everywhere, God willing, and we will rise the flag of Allah in the white house,” Abu Mosa, ISIS’s spokesman said in a video interview posted online a few months back. However, as a terrorist group, they’re not settling for only the US, countries around the world had received threats: 

Their threats directed towards Canada included, “You will not feel secure in your bedrooms.” To the UK they said “[the] Black flag of Jihad will fly over London.”

To Russia they directed, “This message is addressed to you, oh Vladimir Putin. These are your aircrafts which you sent to Bashar, and with the help of Allah we will send them back to you.” (After posting a video of an ISIS rebel sitting in a cockpit of a captured Russian-made aircraft)

Simply throwing out threats would have been much less frightening, if it wasn’t for what ISIS has been proven capable of. They are an extreme terrorist group, hence their hands are covered in blood of murdered Americans, British, and many Syrians. Although both Syrians and ISIS members are followers of Islam, there is a deep hatred between the two. This is all due to the century-old tension between the Iraqi Sunni (ISIS) and Shia (most Syrians) groups. Religion-rooted wars have haunted human civilizations for millennia, is there hope that we will ever see an end? 

It’s not a surprise that these terrorists have zero respect for women and children. Not only have they slaughtered many, but are now implementing forced marriages. Their targets are female Kurdish fighters, otherwise known as the Iraqi Peshmerga. “Whenever we catch Peshmerga women, we will marry them”, “Even if we are disgusted  by her, we will marry her”, and “Even if we don’t want to use them. Still, marriage”, were messages all sent out by ISIS. Even more disturbing, they are selling enslaved women from ages under 9 to 50, no matter what citizenship. Despite their harrowing actions towards women, they still have female followers, who formed a “domestic terrorist organization” called the Zora foundation. 

Unfortunately, after being exposed to all these gruesome sides of ISIS, people around the world are still followers of this very real nightmare. What has our society evolved into? Islam is not what ISIS portrays it as, it couldn’t be farther from the values and views of a radical terrorist organization.

By: Lanxin Jiang