The Ideology Of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Research Paper

The Ideology Of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Research Paper Example They employ the vicious Hudud punishments in enforcing sharia laws in the areas they control in Iraq and Syria. The Jihadist group is also known as the â€Å"Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant† (ISIL) and controls an unrecognized state and caliphate in the Middle East. ISIS originated from the almost fallen Al-Qaeda. The Al-Qaeda who embarked on the arbitrary and brutal treatment of civilians tried to ignite a sectarian war to the majority Shia community in 2006 under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The ignition was almost a success after they bombed a Shia shrine, Al-Askariya Mosque, in Samarra sparking retaliatory attacks. Their leader was however killed and the group was nearly destroyed (Charles River Editors, 2014, 10). When the US forces left Iraq, a ‘third generation’ of Al Qaeda emerged. Rebranding their name to Islamic State in Iraq, 2006 saw the birth of this new generation of Al Qaeda. They would later add and Syria to the name to complete the name ISIS. The Shia-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, they claimed, starved resources and excluded the Sunnis from a share of power. The new leader, Abu Omar al Baghdadi re-established the group’s influence through ideologies when Sunni senior political leaders were being arrested and people from the Sunni dissent suffered heavy-handed suppression (Charles River Editors, 2014, 16). In 2010, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was killed in a joint US-Iraq operation paving way for the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi governance. In 2013, ISI absorbed the Al-Nusra Front which was an Al Qaeda backed militant group in Syria. Al-Baghdadi named the group ISIS. Al-Nusra Front’s leader and Al Qaeda however later renounced the ties after months of infighting. The group then started taking control of cities starting with Mosul and Tikrit freeing prisoners and radicalizing young people. The group is both politically charged and still rules through Islam fanaticism.