Discussion: Iraq II - Part 2

[herakles]

Well we now know who Jihadi John is.

Go figure he's a rich kid.

ALLL Kuwaitis are rich!

 

[herakles]

So ISIS has captured 150 Assyrians Christians and nothing from this Administration.

 

[Marvolo]

ISIS has bulldozed an ancient archeological Nimrod site.

Im so sick of these trolls!!!

 

[regwec]

They're the most boring people in history. Unimaginative, regressive, and unattractive.

 

[regwec]

In the Netherlands, this dying woman was granted her final wish: a view of a Rembrandt painting.

I just want to let that contrast between civilisation and murderous barbarity hang.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I hope everyone read the 'What ISIS Wants' article in the latest Atlantic monthly. It was enlightening in the most disturbing way.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I hope everyone read the 'What ISIS Wants' article in the latest Atlantic monthly. It was enlightening in the most disturbing way.

It's a rather interesting article. I think it paints Islam in a little too much of a negative light, but I do think that it makes a lot of valid points.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Well, it's only discussing the beliefs of a small subset within the subset of Salafism.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Well, it's only discussing the beliefs of a small subset within the subset of Salafism.

Very true, but I think that the author should have been a bit more clear on that point because I think a lot of people will see it more broadly on Islam as a whole. Like I said, overall, the article has a lot of very interesting points that I wish that people would pick up on and it's overall very well written.

 

[PacificBoy]

I thought the followup was a good read too, particularly revealing was how the original article had found a following amongst ISIS groupies:

But the most interesting comments concerned my story’s popularity among ISIS supporters (referred to below with the shorthand "Muslims"). I was unsurprised to see it shared online by Islamic State fans, at least somewhat positively, but of course I was still uncomfortable about being praised by avowed génocidaires. One ISIS supporter wrote to me to note the peculiarity in all this. The piece, he said,

is grounded in realism, and argues that not understanding what is happening is very dangerous, especially if fighting a war, one must fight the war that is real, not the invented one that one wishes to fight. Perhaps ironically, your [writings] ... are most dangerous to the Muslims (not that it is necessarily meant to be so on your behalf), yet they are celebrated by Muslims who see them as pieces that speak the truth that so many try to deny, but also because [Muslims] know that deep down the idealists of the world will still ignore them.

What stands out to me that others don't seem to discuss much, is how the Islamic State, Osama [bin Laden] and others are operating as if they are reading from a script that was written 1,400 years ago. They not only follow these prophecies, but plan ahead based upon them. One would therefore assume that the enemies of Islam would note this and prepare adequately, but [it’s] almost as if they feel that playing along would mean that they believe in the prophecies too, and so they ignore them and go about things their own way. ... [The] enemies of the Muslims may be aware of what the Muslims are planning, but it won't benefit them at all as they prefer to either keep their heads in the sand, or to fight their imaginary war based upon rational freedom-loving democrats vs. irrational evil terrorist madmen. With this in mind, maybe you can understand to some degree one of the reasons why many Muslims will share your piece. It’s not because we don't understand what it is saying in terms of how to defeat the Muslims, rather it’s because we know that those in charge will ignore it and screw things up anyway.

http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...really-wants-reader-response-atlantic/385710/

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Wow, that's insane...

 

[Kelly]

ISIS has bulldozed an ancient archeological Nimrod site.

Im so sick of these trolls!!!

They're the most boring people in history. Unimaginative, regressive, and unattractive.

In the Netherlands, this dying woman was granted her final wish: a view of a Rembrandt painting.

I just want to let that contrast between civilisation and murderous barbarity hang.

I felt just a sick when the Taliban blew up Bamiyan Buddhas....just sick, sick, sick.

 

[regwec]

If IS have any value, it is in reminding us what we stand to lose. The ancient Assyrian stone mason and the modern deviant-artist or fan-fictionist are joined by the insatiable human need to ornament, embellish and externalise their own perspective on the material world.

IS shares the heritage of the Nazi book burners and the Spanish inquisition. They stand to diminish the experience of humanity itself. They are boring, and pathetic. History, such as it remembers them at all, well record them as fat virginal philistines.

 

[Victarion]

The Trollin Train keeps rolling...CNN says that Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to ISIS.

 

[regwec]

At least Boko don't really have any heritage to demolish. They'll stick to abducting schoolgirls. God's work.

 

[Thundercrack85]

It reminds me of when the Muslim Brotherhood started talking about destroying the pyramids in Egypt. Muslims tried to destroy the pyramids in the 1100's and after eight months all they managed to accomplish was putting a gash in the smallest Giza pyramid. After that they just said screw it, and went home.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I felt just a sick when the Taliban blew up Bamiyan Buddhas....just sick, sick, sick.

Your Indiana Jones is showing, Kelly.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

It reminds me of when the Muslim Brotherhood started talking about destroying the pyramids in Egypt. Muslims tried to destroy the pyramids in the 1100's and after eight months all they managed to accomplish was putting a gash in the smallest Giza pyramid. After that they just said screw it, and went home.

Ancient Egypt, being awesome again.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Iran Claims U.S. Drone Killed Two of Its Military Advisers in Iraq

As nuclear negotiations between Iran and U.S. allies go down to the wire, the Islamic Republic has accused America of killing two of its advisers in the ground war in Iraq with an unmanned aerial vehicle—though U.S. officials say the allegation has no merit.

The Associated Press reports:

The claim came as negotiators on Monday attempted to reach a deal on Iran's contested nuclear program, which hard-liners in the Islamic Republic have opposed as giving away too much to the West.

The Guard said on its sepahnews.ir website the strike happened March 23, just after the U.S.-led coalition began airstrikes to support Iraqi forces trying to retake the Islamic State-held city of Tikrit. It identified the dead as Ali Yazdani and Hadi Jafari, saying they were buried Sunday. It called them advisers, without elaborating on whether Iran contacted Iraqi or U.S. forces after the strike.​

Tikrit—the birthplace of Saddam Hussein and an ISIS stronghold in Iraq's so-called Sunni Triangle—has become a focus of major operations, with the U.S. using airstrikes to target ISIS fighters there since mid-March.

Several Iraqi media outlets have also reported that U.S. airstrikes killed several members of the Iraqi security forces—which, along with independently operating Iraqi *****e militias, are coordinating their attacks on ISIS with advice from "Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard," according to the AP.

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad has denied both sets of allegations:

"The international coalition is aimed at Daesh only," using an alternate Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

"All airstrikes are carried out at the request of the Iraqi government and in full coordination with the (Iraqi) Ministry of Defense," the embassy said, without directly addressing the Iranian claim.​

http://m.fayobserver.com/news/natio...658-ba0e-53c7-9fce-2e5dea096074.html?mode=jqm

Wouldn't surprise me if true

 

[SV Fan]

Pretty interesting article on Isis and Iraq

http://www.spiegel.de/international...cture-of-islamist-terror-group-a-1029274.html

The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State

It basically says that a former Iraq spy masterminded Isis with the intention of taking back Iraq

 

[regwec]

So why did it start in Syria?

 

[Destructus86]

Very true, but I think that the author should have been a bit more clear on that point because I think a lot of people will see it more broadly on Islam as a whole. Like I said, overall, the article has a lot of very interesting points that I wish that people would pick up on and it's overall very well written.

I agree. Generally speaking, many here somewhat (though not entirely) associate the violent actions of ISIS with Muslims. Even if they are not muslim (they assume if you are middle easten then you MUST be a muslim) I say this because I have a friend who is middle eastern and faces racism nearly on a daily basis here in the US. Worried glances, etc...

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Baghdad Virtuoso Cellist Plays Impromptu Concert Amidst the Rubble of a Recent Car Bomb Attack

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32555684

The composition is called 'Melancholy in Baghdad' and is his own.

 

[Destructus86]

I have to admit that this ISIS situation is really concerning me. They seem pretty much unstoppable. And it's so disheartening to see ancient structures and art destroyed because of this...not to mention the effect it has on the people living there. I'm beginning to wonder if anything will stop them.... :/

 

[hippie_hunter]

So why did it start in Syria?

The article stated, Syria was the beachhead to be used to start the invasion of Iraq.