ISIS…be very, very afraid

As noted in this column last week, the latest Israel-Hamas Gaza war is currently in a temporary lull, with most analysts close to the IDF and Hamas expecting it to resume within 60-90 days.

This lull is a good time to take a close look at what has become the greatest threat to the US and Western countries, as well as to Israel: the “new and improved” manifestations of Islamist terrorist groups – and especially ISIS – The Islamic State In Iraq and Sham (the Levant) – now known as IS – The Islamic State. 

Just to be clear – militant groups that opposed Western culture and freedoms, either for ideological, political or religious reasons, have been around for many years.  In 1885, highly decorated British General Charles “Chinese” Gordon was taken and brutally killed during the capture of Khartoum by an Islamist Jihadi force led by the self-proclaimed “Mahdi” Muhammad Ahmed.  General Gordon’s severed head was displayed on a tree for weeks, and his desecrated body was unceremoniously thrown into a well. Sound familiar? 

In the 1920’s, years before the establishment of the State of Israel, Jewish pioneers and long-time residents of Jaffa, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberius suffered casualties during massacres organized by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin El Husseini, who established terrorist groups of religiously motivated “Fedayeen” (“ones who sacrifice themselves”) to terrorize Jews.

Since these various groups have been around, and pretty successfully dealt with over time by different governments in the region…why should we be concerned - very concerned – about ISIS?

Because ISIS is different…and more dangerous…than any terrorist organization the world has ever seen. It is by far the largest, fastest growing, wealthiest (even without its reported massive financial support from Qatar), best led, motivated, equipped and trained terrorist group in history…let me repeat that: In history!

Wikipedia describes ISIS as a “Sunni jihadist group in the Middle East, that in its self-proclaimed status as a caliphate, it claims religious authority over all Muslims across the world. It aspires to bring much of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control, beginning with Iraq, Syria and other territory in the Levant region, which includes Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern Turkey. It has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The United Nations has accused the Islamic State of committing "mass atrocities" and war crimes.”

To see what they mean just google “ISIS atrocities”, or “ISIS mass murders”, but be warned – the results will be graphic and sickening.

ISIS is growing daily, attracting young Jihadis from around the world. They clearly state exactly what they plan to do: kill, convert or enslave any non-Muslim they can lay there hands on. And they’ve been doing it with successfully across the vast and growing areas of Syria and Iraq they now control.    

ISIS has mastered the social media with Hollywood caliber recruitment videos, Facebook pages and high quality online publications.

As reported in the Jerusalem Post this week, their new, slick, English language publication, “Dabiq”, which is aimed at recruiting young Muslims in western states, declared, "Islamic State will do everything within its means to continue striking down every apostate who stands as an obstacle on its path towards Palestine."

Denouncing the ineffectiveness of other Arab states and organizations in carrying out the "will of Allah," the magazine vows that, "Its [Islamic State's] actions speak louder than its words and it is only a matter of time and patience before it reaches Palestine to fight the barbaric Jews and kill those of them hiding behind the Gharqad trees – the trees of the Jews."

Just this week, UK Prime Minister James Cameron, cited the threat of Islamic Jihadists with British passports returning from training and indoctrination in Syria, as justification for raising the terrorism threat level of Great Britain to “Severe”, the second highest before “Eminent”.

In reply, an ISIS spokesman claimed that: "The West are idiots and fools. They think we are waiting for them to give us visas to go and attack them or that we will attack with our beards or even Islamic outfits. They think they can distinguish us these days - they are fools and more than that they don't know we can play their game in intelligence. They infiltrated us with those who pretend to be Muslims and we have also penetrated them with those who look like them. Many of the members of (Islamic State) that have come from abroad have come from Europe, from the U.S., from the Middle East and North Africa - all over the world. These are people that are not going to die in battles in Iraq and Syria. Many of these people will go back to their countries of origin, becoming potential leaders or terrorist operatives, which could really become a bigger threat to their own countries."

"We are absolutely aware that there are significant numbers of British nationals involved in terrible crimes, probably in the commission of atrocities, making Jihad with (Islamic State) and other extremist organizations," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC.

Jamal Khashoggi, a long-time expert on al Qaeda who interviewed Osama bin Laden, said that caution and concerns over security may have kept Islamic State from carrying out attacks on Western targets so far.

But under the right conditions it will not hesitate. "If they can blow up a suicide bomber in Times Square this afternoon they'll do it. What is keeping them from doing that is vigilance and security," he said.

"But we have to admit that they are targeting all of us. If they can launch a terrorist attack in Riyadh, New York or London they'll do that."

This week King Abdulla II of Saudi Arabia warned that unless stopped immediately, “I am certain that in a month they will reach Europe and, after another month, America". 

That means we should expect ISIS attacks on US soil by November.

Great Britain, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and most European countries are taking these ISIS threats very seriously and taking action including, but not limited to, revoking passports of citizens who went to join ISIS. I can only hope that the US, with our formidable worldwide capabilities is, too.

  

But if not – then it’s time to be very, very afraid.