The Evolution of ISIS and Its Threat to Global Peace

by
Abdul Karim Issifu
akissifu@gmail.com
&
Joseph Asante Jnr.
MPhil Candidates, Institute for Development Studies,
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Introduction
During the 1970s and 1980s, Sunni Muslims (the majority group), were oppressed by the Shia
(minority group) in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The Shia Muslims also the favourite of the USA and
the West discriminated, marginalised, suppressed and relegated to the background all the Sunni
Muslims. According to Gerges (2014), the Iraqi Sunnis Muslims protested against the frequent
marginalisation and the rampant discrimination they faced in the hands of the Shia Muslims, but
their complaints were ignored in Baghdad and Washington (Gerges, 2014). This was among the
reasons why in the 1990s, Osama Bin Laden, a Sunni Muslim of the Wahhabi sect formed the
Taliban terrorist group to fight against USA and against the Shia political leaders in Afghanistan.
Subsequently, on 11th September 2001, Taliban in the hands of Osama Bin Laden attacked the
USA, hence Washington declared him world most wanted. Therefore, Osama Bin Laden after
realising been wanted by Washington either dead or alive began to sponsor the formation of other
terrorist groups, hence, Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), to continue the attacks on American nationals and
Shia Muslim leaders.
Also, the reason why Osama Bin Laden sponsored the AQI was for the USA to shift attention from
him and to focus on AQI. It is obvious that USA shifted her attention to the fight against AQI, but
did not stop searching for him. In 2006, the USA invaded Iraq crippling the work of the AQI, and
making it ineffective. And subsequently in May 2, 2011 Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US
army. It is against the ineffectiveness of AQI that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria was formed.
According to Anderson (2015), the group that now calls itself the Islamic State, came into
existence during the early days of the US invasion of Iraq. Berger and Stern, (2015) add that it is
a member of the inactive AQI known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who established the ISIS. Finally,
in 2007, AQI broke ties with ISIS following Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis disobedience against the
former AQI leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Additionally, Kaufman (2014) has argued that AQI
broke ties with ISIS after current AQI leader Ayman al-Zawahiri became frustrated with ISISs
refusal to heed his orders to kill fewer Syrian civilians. In a similar vein, Gerges (2014) adds that
one of the reasons why Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi disassociated himself from the AQI was that, he
ignored repeated pleas from his mentors to stop the indiscriminate killing of Shia and to focus
instead on attacking Western troops and citizens.
According to Gerges (2014), while Al-Qaedas central organisation emerged from an alliance
between ultraconservative Saudi Salafism and radical Egyptian Islamism, ISIS was born of an
unholy union between an Iraq-based Al-Qaeda offshoot and the defeated Iraqi Baathist regime of
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Saddam Hussein, which has proved a lethal combination. Till date, ISIS adheres to a doctrine of
total war, with no constraints. Unlike the Al-Qaeda Central, ISIS does not rely on theology or
ideologies to justify its actions and attacks. Interestingly, the leader of ISIS, Baghdadi, who hold
a doctorate from the Islamic University of Baghdad, with special interests in Islamic culture,
history, sharia, and jurisprudence is more steeped in religious education than other terrorists,
including Bin Laden (an engineer) and Zawahiri (a medical doctor), who had no such credentials
(Gerges, 2014). Gerges reiterate that Baghdadi surrounds himself with former Baathist army
officers, rather than ideologues, and has not issued a single manifesto laying out his claim to either
the caliphate or the leadership of the global Jihadist movement (Gerges, 2014). In effect, the leader
of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is not well known by the international community because very
limited information about him exist. This is because only two known photos of him exist and
limited information about him indicate that he walked out of the largest U.S. detention camp in
Iraq in 2009 (Daly, 2014).
Goal of ISIS
To make a vast state in the Eastern Mediterranean that would cover Lebanon, Israel, Yemen,
Jordan, Iran, Palestine, etc.
Objective of ISIS
-To make all Muslims in the world come under one Sunni Islamic state ruled by the Sharia law
-To project ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the promised Caliph by Prophet Mohammed.
-To kill all Shia Muslims in Iraq, Syria and other Islamic states.
Targets of ISIS
The ISIS primary target is to fight against near enemy thus, to kill all Shia Muslims in Iraq and
Syria, etc. This is because to them all Shia Muslims are infidel. Secondly, fighting against the far
enemy, including USA army in Iraq, other European countries, the Syrian and Iraqi government,
Christians, moderate Sunni Muslim leaders and innocent civilians.
The Composition of ISIS
The actual figure of the group is not known. No one knows how many fighters ISIS has, but some
estimates have put their numbers at 15,000 or more, with up to three times that number available
to fight if necessary. According to Wood (2015), tens of thousands of foreign Muslims are thought
to have immigrated to the Islamic State to join the group. In addition, recruits hail from France,
the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Australia, Indonesia, the United States, and
other places to fight (Wood, 2015). The increasingly brutalities, the brazen attacks and tactics of
ISIS has raised alarms that they could have their sights on expanding their operations beyond Iraq
and Syria (Kaufman, 2014). Gerges (2014) concludes that some Muslims living in Western
countries join ISIS and other extremist groups because they want to be part of a tight-knit
community with a potential identity.
ISIS Funding
There is no reliable account of where ISIS draw its finances. However, the information available
indicates that, the group draws its financial assistance from thievery. According to (Kaufman,
2014), ISIS does not depend on foreign funds to survive meanwhile; they have hoarded millions

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via theft and the illegal sale of oil from areas they have overrun. In July, the group was reported to
have pulled off the biggest bank heist in history, allegedly lifting more than $430 million from a
Mosul bank after overrunning that Iraqi city. They have also reportedly extorted money from
humanitarian workers and have been selling electricity back to the Syrian government who they
are fighting. The group has also bragged about stealing millions of dollars in U.S. military
equipment, making it one of the worlds most well-funded terrorist groups (Kaufman, 2014).
However, President Vladimir Putin of Russia alleged that ISIS appear to be financed from 40
countries, including some G20 member states (QuestionMore, 2015). Nevertheless, he adds that it
is not the right time to try and figure out which country is more and which is less effective in the
battle with Islamic State, as now a united international effort is needed against the ISIS terrorist
group (QuestionMore, 2015).
The Impacts of ISIS
Since its inception in 2007, ISIS has been able to recruit many young people. They have killed
several people, including American journalists and Shia Muslims in Syria and Iraq through suicide
bombing, beheading, mass killing, etc. Also, it has covered large land in Turk in Iraq and Joppa in
Syria. And have seized the oil production in Iraq and supping Syria government electricity power.
Kaufman (2014) reiterates, ISIS has claimed a large swatch of land around the Syria/Iraq border
and has continued to advance into other adjacent areas, forcing more than thousands Iraqis from
their homes in the process. Their total land holdings are now larger than the neighbouring state of
Jordan. The atrocities of the ISIS via its leader has qualified him the worlds most dangerous Jihadi,
or, as some have called him, The New Osama Bin Laden. Essentially, for almost two decades,
al-Qaeda Central leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri were unable to establish the
kind of social movement that Baghdadi has created in less than five years. Unlike its transnational
borderless parent organisation, ISIS has found a haven in the heart of the Levant (Gerges, 2014).
Conclusion and Recommendation
ISIS has been able to control northern Syria and other parts of the Middle East because of the state
of civil war in the countries. Therefore, a holistic approach involving culturally oriented principles
and diplomatic measures must be ensured to end ISIS attacks. In addition, the Iraqi and Syrian
governments should promote all inclusive bottom-up approach to governance in dealing with
grievances and discriminations. In addition, according to Gerges (2014), the most effective means
to degrade ISIS is to dismantle its social base by winning over the hearts and minds of local
communities. In so doing, this will affect them to operate since a state of orderliness and stability
will not create the enabling environment for their terrorist attacks. Finally, the international
community should work together via pulling resources, army and ideas together to capture the
world most dangerous Jihadi terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. As President Vladimir Putin
of Russia rightly said united international effort is needed against the ISIS terrorist group
(QuestionMore, 2015).

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References
Anderson, K. (2015). ISIS and the state of terror: The genesis, evolution, and impact of the Islamic
State.http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2015/03/31-isis-state-of-terror-booklaunch-event-summary
Berger, J. M., & Stern, J. (2015). ISIS: The state of terror. HarperCollins Publishers, 195
Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Daly, M. (2014). ISIS leader: See You in New York.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/14/isis-leader-see-you-in-new-york.html
Gerges, F. A. (2014). ISIS and the third wave of Jihadism. The Journal of the Middle East and
Africa. Pp. 339- 343.
Kaufman, G. (2014). What is ISIS? The terrorist group has taken credit for beheading an American
journalist. /MTV News/ 8.21.2014.
QuestionMore (2015).Putin: ISIS financed from 40 countries, including G20 members.
https://www.rt.com/news/322305-isis-financed-40-countries/
Wood, G. (2015). What ISIS really wants. The Atlantic Monthly Group, Edgecast Networks.

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