Thursday, September 25, 2014
Terrorism - ISIS
Use this thread to discuss recent events concerning ISIS there is more than enough material on them.
If not you can delve further back into the past: Ireland, Quebec and the FLQ and deal with the broader issues of terrorism, but remember it needs to be an issue and you need to take a firm stand backed with credible sources.
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I think it's interesting the way ISIS is acting, a week ago I heard they are recruiting young Canadians in Alberta right now. Since I have heard this I have heard of people I know saying they have gotten job offers in Alberta. With ISIS recruiting members there, is it such a good idea to go there for work? Perhaps these job offers are a trap and ISIS has sent out fake job offers to recruit soldiers? If that is true, I have lost my trust for a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of the fear in people is done through the media. While I do believe there are people in Canada being recruited to ISIS I dont think it is really this much of an issue. At least not yet, the media has to stop putting fear into peoples heads because that wont solve anythig.
DeleteThis is my weekly post...
ReplyDeleteThe current global conflict of ISIS, is nothing less than one of the biggest conflicts I believe the world has ever faced. ISIS has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, including the beheadings of reporters and militants. Furthermore, ISIS acts with brutality and extremism, they not only believe in killing militants, but killing civilians within Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States. (Source 1)
Whom is ISIS to threaten me, a Canadian citizen, an innocent human being. ISIS had the audacity to state “Rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be. Do not ask for anyone’s advice and do not seek anyone’s verdict. Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military" (Source 1) Threatening civilians within their own homes, that is the statement of an extremist. It is okay to fight for what you believe in, but there are lines that should not be crossed, and that is more than just a foot over the line. Islam is often associated with terrorism, especially after the incident 9/11, but with all the suffering and threats ISIS has been causing these past couple months, they are only solidifying the stereotype "muslims are terrorists".
Fears of ISIS terrorist attacks within 'westernized countries' are becoming a major fear. Terror experts within Britain predict the high possibility of ISIS 'Fan Boys' as they are called, to start acting upon their extremist beliefs within Britain itself. (Source 2) I feel the bombing of ISIS's homeland, is a major mistake. It will only fuel anger within the extremist Islamic population, which is growing globally. Once they are givin a reason to 'defend' themselves, it will only open up a door to more violence and hatred as well as more followers. Bombing the origin of ISIS may seem like the only way to stop them, but it is only but the ignition of a war.
Source 1
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/21/isis-urges-jihadists-to-attack-canadians-you-will-not-feel-secure-in-your-bedrooms/
Source 2
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/27/terror-experts-fear-uk-action-from-isis-fanboys
I very much so agree with what you said about the bombing of the ISIS homeland and it just starting an uproar of retaliation and escalation. ISIS has followers/members in all parts of the world which makes it very real and scary for everybody. I think you are 100% right in saying this is one of the biggest conflicts the world has faced as they operate through technology and can reach every corner of the world.
DeleteThis was a good post, and I too agreed that the bombing of ISIS homeland should be stopped or minimized. One part or your post stood out to me though, that "Fan Boys" could start acting out within countries on behalf of ISIS. I was in England over the summer and saw a lot in the newspapers of young girls especially who had been raised in England, yet were lured by extremist movements and were leaving the country to be the wives of Islam extremists, and these girls were mostly around the age of 16. The fact that this is happening is definitely frightening. If young girls are willing to leave their families to be with Islam extremists, I worry what could happen when Fan Boys decide to act within westernized countries.
DeleteThe fact that ISIS is killing civilians and reporters is a level of disgust wars should never use. I'm not saying war isn't necessary or anything but, when we can't even send over reporters to give updates and news about what is going without being kidnapped or killed is a new level of low. Civilians too, I hate that innocent civilians have to fight wars too, and I'm not talking about child soldiers or anything. I'm talking about the peaceful ones living in war zones or the ones targeted by terrorist attacks. They have nothing to with the war, so we should leave them out of it, it's between governments and the soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI like that you said that if we were to blow them up, it would just make it worse on us when they take revenge. Wow ISIS fanboys, I guess everybody has followers but what kinds of things will these fans do? The war with ISIS, as more threats continue seems, inevitable, but is it really? Or can we find a way out of it?
My weekly post
ReplyDeleteLike the military equivalent to ebola, ISIS continues to infect individuals and spread its ideas across the globe. The terrorist group has rallied 6,000 new recruits since August, 1,300 of which have been from outside its area of control (1). Germany has had noticeably high numbers leaving to join the jihadist group, with an estimated 400 Germans leaving for groups in Syria and Iraq, 24 of whom are children as young as 13 and occasionally return with combat experience (2).
ISIS has manages to capitalize on social media as it bombards twitter and youtube with countless pieces of propaganda that have been effective in attracting young people to become recruits (3). The rapid growth of this group needs to be cut off and reversed as quickly as possible in order to avoid large scale religious conflict. Tensions between Islam and the West can only become worse while extremist groups are able form and maintain a centralized system of power. ISIS currently holds the Syrian city of Raqqa, where the dense urban population is mostly compliant with their ideals. As long as they have a center of command they will be able to strategize and rally support from other organizations, which has already begun. Al-Nusra, a group directly tied with Al-Qaida, has called US attacks “war on Islam” and is willing to move past previous conflicts with ISIS to form a stronger resistance against foreign influence (5).
The ugly truth is that there already has, and will continue to be casualties. ISIS has already demonstrated its lack of concern for human life by decapitating multiple westerners (6). These acts of hatred will only continue if we allow them to. Seeing as it’s completely unrealistic that ISIS would stand a chance against any of the world’s major powers, it would be best to focus on reclaiming Raqqa in order to reduce whatever would be left of ISIS into isolated gangs with limited influence and power. While this solution would not leave Syria in a stable state, it would atleast concentrate the conflict into a relatively small area and remove any potential for ISIS to become a global threat.
1. http://www.haaretz.com/1.616730?v=70C66F8BF1B22147832742B9E36A8D91
2. http://www.thelocal.de/20140922/child-warriors-leave-germany-for-jihad
3. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/24/isis-twitter-youtube-message-social-media-jihadi
4. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/11/us-targets-isis-syria-raqqa-iraq
5. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/28/isis-al-qaida-air-strikes-syria
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/world/middleeast/islamic-state-says-it-has-executed-david-cawthorne-haines-british-aid-worker.html?_r=0
"the military equivalent to ebola"
DeleteOh, Simon.
This is my weekly post
ReplyDeleteWith the recent rising issue of terrorism with the ISIS group, it is hard to tell who could be a potential terrorist. The focus of this post will be how I believe it is hard to tell who you can trust - not knowing who could be a potential terrorist-, and if there are ways to prevent these acts from happening locally.
Two brothers (Gregory and Collin Gordon) have recently joined the ISIS group, along with an estimated 130 other canadians (Source 1). This is means that ISIS is recruiting internationally, but it also means that this poses a great threat locally to us, as canadians. There is obviously a higher threat to Iraqis and Syrians, however, how real is the threat to an attack on Canada? According to Juneau, a former analyst covering the Middle East for the Dept. of National Defence, he says there is a five to ten percent chance of fighters coming back home to cause an attack or some sort of violent act (Source 2). While these numbers may seem low, keep in mind that it only takes one to cause a massive uproar in Canada, causing even greater issues like home security. With 130 or more canadians joining ISIS, it really is hard to tell who is and isn't a potential terrorist, as they don't have the "terrorist look", (Osama Bin Laden for example) and could look like any one of us.
The reign and terror which these extremist groups have caused are undoubtedly hannus acts and crimes against humanity, however, are there better ways to "deal" with them? The U.S.A responded to the beheading of Steven Sotloff (Source 3) and others by bombing potential hideouts (Source 4). Over 200 bombings were dropped over a dozen targets, not even a month into the operation. (4) Bombing seems to be a favorite strategy we have, when we are overseas. The current issue I see is when terrorism strikes locally, what can we do? What happens if ISIS and other extremist groups enter local areas, hiding next door, what can we do? In the Boston Marathon bombings, an immediate investigation was issued (Source 5). The relevance to this is to raise the question, should we deal with local terrorism like we do overseas? We can't just go in guns blazing, killing local civilians, can we? There are countermeasures to prevent such acts like strict airport security, tracking systems, the Patriot Act, etc..(Source 6) but what if they are already in places like Canada and the US? This is really what concerns me. Some things to seriously consider is who to trust, because you never really know who someone is; how can we deal with domestic terrorism? and do we need to make our counter terrorism measures more strict to prevent domestic terrorism?
Sources:
1- http://www.cbc.ca/news/gregory-and-collin-gordon-calgary-brothers-join-ranks-of-canadians-fighting-for-isis-1.2749673
2-http://globalnews.ca/news/1581616/analysis-breaking-down-the-isis-threat-to-canada/
3-http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2740998/ISIS-release-video-showing-beheading-American-journalist-Steven-Sotloff.html
4-http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/24/in-two-days-the-u-s-strikes-against-isis-in-syria-has-dwarfed-its-bombing-campaign-in-iraq/
5-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Marathon_bombings#Casualties_and_initial_response
6- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-terrorism
Interesting thoughts Steve. I agree that "homegrown" terrorists and domestic terrorists are certainly a major issue as is the prevention of them. However perhaps widening our view, is there a way to stop (or at least bring down) the number of "terrorists" in general. What causes anyone to become a terrorist and can we take steps to prevent as much terrorism locally and world wide? These are difficult questions when terrorism is so hard to spot until it has gone to far in any case.
ReplyDeleteThis is my weekly post.
ReplyDeleteIsis is truly a major threat to our lives more then ever. With the social media Isis is slowly gaining more supporters.(source 1)the use of this tactic has made various people turn into dangerous criminals. In my opinion It should not only be the USA Tackling this Risky problem. As a whole we should deal with it because it is now becoming a global issue. The UN should be discussing a much more peaceful way to solve This dilemma
As Isis starts to attack innocent People it is clear that this is not a problem that will go away or solve it's self.(source 2) Including the recent Threats against Canada It is clear that Isis doesn't care if you are a strong country.(Source 3)Hopefully as this threat progresses we can see The UNs decisive skills, and end the inhumane acts that are being forced onto the innocent civilians of our world.
Source 1 http://wwlp.com/2014/09/22/isis-could-be-using-social-media-to-target-americans/
Source 2 http://m.hrw.org/news/2014/06/12/iraq-isis-advance-threatens-civilians
Source 3 http://ww2.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/21/isis-urges-jihadists-to-attack-canadians-you-will-not-feel-secure-in-your-bedrooms
This is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteThe issue of terrorism has been a world wide problem for avery long time. We have had to deal with terrorism in one way or another for most of our history. Both within Canada (FLQ) and outside (Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, or the Taliban). Yet this recent threat form the Islamic State (ISIS) has left many countries frightened. ISIS, under other names, has been around since the late 1990's (1) and only recently have we canadians begun to see what they are doing. What makes ISIS so frightening is the realization of how close to home this might become. There have already been stories of ISIS recruitment's from Canada (2) (3) and other countries such as the UK (4). Because ISIS is not just a group that is staying in its 'own' continent but has now threatened the world with reports of homegrown plots, it has enstilled a lot of fear in many people. this fear has lead many world leaders to act. The Anti-ISIS Coalition is formed of organizations such as the Arab League, European Union, and NATO (5) as well as more than 50 countries. The Iraqi Government has asked fro help (6) and many countries have responded with air strikes. The world is now fully alert and on edge with the topic of ISIS and, personally, this is frightening. Canada has sent financial aid and support but even with pushes from America and Britain for more help, Stephen Harper has resisted for now. (7)
This is a difficult situation because although I do not think Canada should start sending jets for air raids, the situation and the stories that are being told about ISIS are very detrimental and many innocent lives are being taken.
Maybe what frustrates me with this crisis is the news coverage. Most Canadians, myself included, heard about this issue because of the beheadings of the journalists. Yet, I have not heard anything in the general news about the amount of women who are being raped, sold, or forced into temporary marriages (8) or the young women who have been raped, pleaded for death, and have committed suicide. (9) We really did not get involved or help until "one of our own" was killed. Even though we were asked by the Iraqi Government before. Our news has not really been showing much aside from the coalition talks and the air strikes. I think that because of this many Canadians believe that Canada should stay out of it all. (10- comments) I did believe Canada should stay out but after researching and thinking critically I don't think Canada can just stand by. This threat is growing and is affecting so many people and their innocent lives.
Continued on reply...
Continued...
DeleteOn a separate note: One thing that I'm finding interesting is the amount of backlash that ISIS has been getting from muslim communities. Not only did their affiliate group, Al Qaeda, break all ties with them and publicly denying any connections with their actions (11), but very recently a group of MUslim scholars have sent an open letter to the leader of ISIS negating ISIS's interpretation of the Qu'ran and publicly showing how what they are doing does not line up with their beliefs (12). Other muslims have been using social media (#notinmyname), gatherings in streets, and more letters to show that ISIS does not speak for their religion.
This is very different from other attacks by extremist that resulted in a lot of racial profiling. It is now the Muslim's who are getting angry and standing up to prove they are not about what ISIS says Islam is about (13). This, I believe, is really showing the world that the majority lies with the muslims who are peaceful and that it is actually a small minority that are extremists. Hopefully this with open peoples eyes and stop negative racial discrimination in the wake of ISIS's actions.
1 http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-eng.aspx#2035
2) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canadians-in-terrorist-armies-threaten-us-all/article20172205/
3) http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/09/25/canadian_isis_fighter_once_thought_dead_reportedly_appears_in_vice_video.html
4) http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/27/terror-experts-fear-uk-action-from-isis-fanboys
5) http://www.cbc.ca/news/multimedia/members-of-the-anti-isis-coalition-1.2777451
6) http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/26/world/meast/isis-syria-iraq/index.html
7) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-considers-u-s-request-for-further-military-help-in-isis-fight-1.2776585
8) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/08/isis-attacks-on-women_n_5775106.html?cps=gravity
9) http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/140820142
10) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-considers-u-s-request-for-further-military-help-in-isis-fight-1.2776585
11) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-qaeda-disavows-any-ties-with-radical-islamist-isis-group-in-syria-iraq/2014/02/03/2c9afc3a-8cef-11e3-98ab-fe5228217bd1_story.html#
12) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/muslim-scholars-islamic-state_n_5878038.html
13) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/muslims-rally-against-extremism_n_5889962.html
Other: http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2014/06/12/islamic-state-of-iraq-and-al-sham-the-short-answer/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iraqi-attacks-isis-victories-the-beginning-of-an-earthquake-1.2673307
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/isis-5-things-to-know-about-the-iraqi-jihadist-group-1.2684540
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/26/mobilizing-the-world-up-to-62-nations-and-groups-have-joined-coalition-against-isis/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084
This is my weekly post.
ReplyDeleteDue to the horrendous events that are continually occurring in the Middle East thanks to the multicultural terrorist group Isis, Canada has been forced to start taking away underappreciated privileges to those who wish to join any terrorist group. One of these privileges is your Canadian citizenship.
As part of this process Canada has begun invalidating the passports to those who have left the country, or intended to leave the country to join an extremist group (1); which powers were granted this past summer. (2)
On the whole, I agree with this movement as a start in the fight against terrorism; however there are some obvious flaws.
My first concern is the manner in which the government is collecting the information for the purposes of revoking travel documents. The government claims to have evidence of probable cause in order to revoke Canadian passports (2); this being the case one would assume that these people could be stopped and dealt with accordingly.
My second concern is that Canadians, who have or intend to travel to the Middle East for purely innocent reasons may be swept up in this rush to judgement. As a result stranding those deserving of their citizenship in a potentially dangerous and/or traumatizing situation.
As mentioned previously, this is a decent start to the prevention of terrorism however as part of this war has been and will continue to be fought through technology and social media this will only contain the physical aspect of members of extremist groups.
Source 1 : http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/20/canadian-government-revoking-passports-of-citizens-trying-to-join-extremist-groups/
Source 2: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ottawa-revoking-passports-of-canadians-who-join-extremist-groups-alexander-1.2017048
This is my weekly post...
ReplyDeleteAs the terrorist group known as ISIS spreads across the world, so does the number of nations fighting against them. It appears that wars are no longer going to be nations against nations, they are going to be a wide range of people spread around multiple countries and areas of the world, each of them with their own beliefs. One thing I want to focus on today, is the means that the terrorist group 'ISIS' goes about getting their recruits. The fact is these recruits are closer than you may think. Did you know that ISIS has their own android app that they use to spread propaganda and reach other ISIS members twitter accounts? (1)
The war that I expect in the next 50 years doesn't involve guns, bullets, bombs or boots on any land. In my own opinion, I believe that the war we see in the next 50 years involves taking down the enemies technology. That I know is a very broad statement but take a second to think about this. If hypothetically, ISIS had the power to hack into the systems the US government has, and either steal that info or take all of their tech down, what world would we live in? We are in a time now more than ever where we rely on our cell phones and computers to do everything for us. It's how we get our news, it's how we communicate with other people from around the world. And then think about a time where we don't have that to fall back to. If ISIS suddenly had the power to take all of our communication systems down, then how would we live, how would we receive info and how would we communicate with others. Not to mention the job loss that would happen. In my opinion, this could very well happen in the next 50 years. We start to rely on our technology more and more, and then we realize it's not as protected as we may think. As these terrorists become more familiar with technology and websites like twitter, facebook and youtube, the more they can spread their message and the more chance they have at recruiting people who specialize in hacking.
The more and more I think about it I feel as if war will no longer be fought with your gun, you can fight for your country in your living room. Driving an explosive drone over the middle eastern skies picking out targets, or gathering intel from the enemy through new technology. I know I have talked a lot about the future of terrorist groups and technological warfare however it all relates back to what we are seeing right now with ISIS. Barack Obama was quoted saying the U.S. "underestimated" the threat of ISIS, especially in Syria. (2) This is not great news for us, with the latest stories from the media almost lead to make you feel unsafe about your every move, how do you deal with the spread of this group? I feel like these attacks on North America we have been hearing about (3) are partly there to scare the citizens, and make them side with the government to use more force against this group. But also we must look at the ways they are organizing these attacks... through various forms of technology. To wrap it all up I would start paying more attention to how this terrorist group is spreading throughout the world, many people have access to the internet, and that means they can see everything they want to see. Whether or not the propaganda draws them into ISIS or not, the bottom line is technological warfare is in its first stage, and it will most definitely grow from here.
Sources:
1) https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/online-isis-recruitment-efforts-of-westerners-181800875.html
2)http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/obama-u-s-underestimated-isis-overestimated-iraqi-army-n213506
3)http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/isis-planning-attack-nyc-canadian-terrorist-article-1.1955051