The Muslim State in Iraq and Syria
Publication Date: 04-30-2016
An Islamic terrorist movement, ISIS (also dubbed IS or ISIL), has
taken advantage of the chaotic “Arab Spring” in Syria and Iraq to declare an
Islamic Caliphate wherever it has been able to rise to power. This movement is
continuously attempting to extend the territory of its rule. The Egyptian Sinai
Peninsula and the Libyan post-Qaddafi desert country have sworn allegiance to
the Caliphate and every town that is captured by the fighting forces of ISIS is
forced to submit to strict Islamic law.
The Caliphate movement is constantly increasing its power and
influence. It is not only sustained by the thousands of local recruits, but it
is reinforced by many thousands of Muslim minority youth dwelling abroad. These
youths are charmed by the “purity” of its ideals and goals, its brutal and
coercive ways, and its defiance of the West.
The United States, some “moderate” Arab allies in the Gulf, and
some other international players, including Russia, have launched attacks
against the ISIS forces to prevent them from further destroying the ancient
cultures of Mosul and Palmyra, dedicated by UNESCO as part of the world
heritage. Beyond that there does not seem to be any force capable of arresting
their advance or checking their universal appeal to Muslims around the world.
Israeli’s pessimistic conclusion is that ISIS may be contending for power in
the Middle East for many years to come, while threatening to become a center of
terrorist activity against the West
Raphael Israeli teaches
Islamic, Chinese, and Middle Eastern History at Hebrew University. Israeli is
the author of forty-six books and one hundred scholarly articles in the fields
of Islamic studies, the Modern Middle East, and the opening of China by the
French.
