Suchergebnisse

Part III of our series on ISIS : "Blogforum 'Kalifat des Terrors: Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf den Islamischen Staat#". In the late summer of 2014, the international community watched helplessly as ISIS unleashed widespread serious human rights violations against civilians across Syria and Iraq. Of note, were the different forms of sexual abuse initially directed against women from the Yazidi community of Sinjar, but rapidly expanded to women from many regions and backgrounds. Far from being attributable to isolated incidents or to the behavior of a few individuals, the abuses were, and continue to be, part of the "sexual politics" implemented by ISIS in all "wilayas" (regions) under its control and endorsed by its military hierarchy. The abuses represent a clear example of the use of rape as a weapon of war, based on the "theology of sexuality" in a war zone. Fatwas and theological arguments inspired by the medieval practices of historical Muslim armies provide the justification for the policies and practices.

Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, American strategists have taken a very simple, erroneous reading of Iraq, solely classifying its inhabitants as Sunni, Shiite or Kurd. This vision has played a major role in triggering the civil war now ravaging this country. But a solution can be found... if we listen to what the people in the country have to say. A large majority of the insurgents claim an identity that is not exclusively Sunni, Shiite or Kurd, but rather national & Islamic. Iraq can survive if the more moderate members of the rebellion take power. Of course, this won't be a Western style secular democracy, but, given current conditions, a pacified, unified Iraq would be an immense step forward. After all, the future regime in Baghdad wouldn't be any more hard-line than the current regime in Saudi Arabia-one that the Western powers, led by the United States, seem to accept without a second thought. Adapted from the source document.

The study of sources from inside the armed opposition in Iraq provides a detailed picture of the military & ideological realities on the ground. On the basis of the various publications of the Sunni rebel groups, we can identify the protagonists of the Jihadi movement in Iraq & trace the evolution of Jihadism since the beginning of the war. This inside view also allows us to understand the conflict dynamics driving the different militia forces & contributing, therefore, to the extension of violence between religious groups. The analysis of the ideological arguments used by the main groups involved shows that armed struggle essentially feeds upon the notion of "jihad," which appears to be the main source of legitimization of blind violence at present. To the Jihadi movement, the Iraq war represents an ideological & historic turning point. Adapted from the source document.