Nine Myths about ISIS After two months of tedious research, numerous interviews, and some serious old-school investigation, here are nine myths about ISIS. Please feel free to criticize or disagree, but if you throw ridiculous evidence at me, it won’t be pleasant. Myth #1: ISIS was created by the CIA. Its caliph is an Israeli Mossad agent who went through an intensive one-year course during which he was taught Arabic, Islamic law, and leadership skills. Fact: The sources used to support this claim are all bogus. Clinton’s book does not say that. Former CIA director’s video does not say that. And definitely common sense does not say that. The Mossad is so incompetent that it cannot even locate the tunnels in Gaza or even assassinate a Hamas leader; The CIA is so incompetent it probably uses Google Translate; and yet, we so badly want to believe that they can accomplish this just to prove that ISIS is not a local product. Myth #2: ISIS has nothing to do with Islam or Islamic thought. Fact: The truth is that ISIS is founded on the Islamic thought of the purist Islamic theologian, Ibn Taymiyyah (13-14th centuries). All the practices of ISIS are actually based on this Islamic thought, including the destruction of tombs and shrines, the beheading of enemies, and basically everything else they do. They do not see themselves as chaotic murderers, but rather, simply as true fighters who are implementing Islamic law as they see it right. Most “moderate” Muslims refuse to accept this for several reasons: they do not have a clue who Ibn Taymiyyah is; they are ashamed of ISIS and its practices; they are too scared and in denial and do not wish to know about it. The truth is that all religions have seen such puritan violence, even in recent times, even including Buddhism and Hinduism. This is what happens when you mix religion with politics, every time! Myth #3: ISIS feeds on ignorance. Fact: Definitely not! It feeds on hatred, religious Puritanism, and the belief of superiority. Much of the thought that feeds ISIS today is actually been taught in religious schools across the Islamic world, stretching from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan and even in parts of Lebanon. These schools do not instruct murder; they just feed hatred that is justified by unquestionable rigid interpretations of religious texts and theology. ISIS has evidently also attracted quite a number of indoctrinated scientists from all over the world. Myth # 4: ISIS is financed by the CIA, Mossad, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Fact: There is no evidence of this, and there is no evidence to believe it is true. However, there is strong evidence that ISIS has been receiving substantial financial support from devout individual and private institutional supporters in many Islamic countries who truly believe in its cause. In addition to this, ISIS has been very pragmatic as it focused on looting over half a billion dollars from Iraqi banks in addition to controlling the oil sources in Syria and Iraq as well as water sources. They are operating as a smart and lean organization that manages resources very effectively. In the first two years, ISIS received limited financing and arming from a few intelligence agencies, but what it really wanted was independence, and currently it has achieved that. Therefore, it does not need to listen to anyone. Myth #5: ISIS is a puppet in the hands of intelligence services. Fact: There is no evidence whatsoever to support this claim. To the contrary, every time such a claim is made, the actions of ISIS immediately discredit such claims. Like its predecessor, al-Qaeda, ISIS is likely capable of making quick opportunist deals with security and intelligence agencies. Yet, what is very clear is that ISIS has a clear objective about creating an Islamic state and restoring the caliphate on puritan foundations. All their claims, their declarations and their actions are consistent in this context. They have NEVER shown that this is not the case. Myth #6: ISIS does not have sufficient human resources to maintain its rule across the vast areas that it has occupied. The evidence from Syria and Iraq shows that the opposite is true. ISIS has successfully attracted, recruited and trained thousands of young men from all over the Arab world as well as from Europe and North America. However, its real success has been in recruiting locals, especially in Iraq and Syria. Blame the failure of the Arab state, the culture of religious hatred, and the power of despair, but in all cases, ISIS has succeeded in attracted thousands of young and not-so-young Sunni locals who have enlisted in ISIS and contributed to its administrative institutions in every town and city they occupy. This is also why ISIS is so keen on implementing sectarian cleansing, thus its attacks against Christian and non-Muslim minorities. Myth #7: ISIS has no friends in Lebanon. This is just an example of absolute denial. ISIS has rapidly growing support in Lebanon, especially in Saida and Tripoli. ISIS now seems to enjoy the “unofficial” support of the vanished sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters. It also enjoys growing popularity among the rich and poor in Tripoli. However, ISIS is mostly competing with Al-Nusra in Lebanon. Even in Arsal, it is al-Nusra which was actually more popular on the ground. However, since the recent streak of successes by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, support has shifted significantly in favor of ISIS. However, it is also important to point out that many supporters of ISIS in Lebanon, including those in Arsal, Tripoli and Saida are shockingly unlikely believers in its values. These include liberal men as well as liberal women who wear short skirts and carry fake breast implants. How is this possible? It’s very simple. It is all about loving the enemy of your enemy, and currently, the enemy is Hezbollah. It’s just a Lebanese trait that dates back to the days of the Phoenicians. Myth #8: ISIS cannot be defeated. ISIS has only recently been successful on the ground. Prior to this, they suffered many defeats, especially in Syria. Now they are successful because they are operating very smartly. They target areas where they can get support that keeps their supply lines short. They focus on targeting weak areas that provide resources and financial independence (especially oil and water). They target areas where speed and distance play to their advantage since they use fast 4x4 vehicles instead of heavy armored vehicles. They allocate their resources very efficiently and focus on their targets. They use horror by exploiting the mainstream media and social media. Most importantly, they have learned how to take advantage of the political, sectarian, and social contradictions in the region, and they have mastered it in every manner! They are tough and strong, but they are not bulletproof. In a battle against an organized and spirited army, they are very likely to lose, but so far, they have not been tested, not even against the Iraqi army which fell apart before the battle started. Myth #9: ISIS cannot be destroyed. Yes it can! ISIS is thriving on hatred, bigotry, frustration and insecurity. However, even if the army of ISIS is defeated, the idea of ISIS itself will not be destroyed unless Islamic countries and societies take a serious and courageous step, admit the fact that ISIS is their problem, change their educational systems, and reform their political, economic and social systems. ISIS is the result of numerous illnesses and diseases that afflict Islamic societies, but this is the moment of the truth. Muslims must accept, like Christians did before that, that religion cannot be shoved down the throat of others and that it cannot and will not co-exist with the state. And with the precarious model of the nation state which is currently collapsing across the Islamic world, Muslims have to understand that they have one of two choices, and there is no third: It’s either the secular state where religion and politics are separate, or ISIS.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 15:17:28 +0000
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