Rise of ISIS Read online

  * * *

  In fact, the Kurds possess the numbers and will to drive ISIS back and inflict severe losses on the jihadists.

  * * *

  First, America must commit to destroying ISIS, not just “managing” it or limiting its influence. To do so, we must support our true allies with arms, equipment, military advisers, and—if necessary—military power. Presently, the Kurds possess the fighters and will to defend Kurdistan and protect the thousands of Christians and others who have sought refuge there. In fact, the Kurds possess the numbers and will to drive ISIS back and inflict severe losses on the jihadists.

  They do not, however, possess the weapons they need. There is no excuse for this failure. There is no excuse for abandoning friends in need. The message we’re sending to the Muslim world is intolerable—that the world’s largest military power will not lift a finger to protect its friends. Nothing drives recruits to jihadists faster than the idea that they are strong while America and its allies are weak.

  It is time for America to make its allies strong and demonstrate that jihadists are weak. It is imperative that jihadists face strong Muslim opposition. And it is that very need that makes the Obama administration’s reluctance to support proven Muslim allies—like the new Egyptian regime and the Kurds—most puzzling. Yet, at the same time, the administration seems all too willing to support unproven “moderates” in Syria, or even forces that have proven to be nothing but unreliable, hostile jihadists. We don’t “win” if we defeat ISIS but only end up empowering the jihadists of Iran or competing Sunni jihadists.

  Why abandon our allies while empowering potential enemies? The Obama administration has consistently overestimated its ability to “win over” the Muslim Brotherhood or other jihadist organizations. And in trying to win them over, it harms our true allies again and again. This strategy was misguided from the start, and it is now nothing short of foolish after more than five years of consistent and deadly failure. And if President Obama persists in this folly, Congress must do all that it can to end any American funding for jihad.

  Further, when supporting our allies we cannot and must not begin by placing explicit limits on the use of our own military power. We must commit to fight to win, and beginning any military effort by announcing explicit limits on our use of force or announcing explicit limits on the length of our commitment merely provides the enemy with a roadmap to victory. While large-scale ground combat may not be necessary, we cannot lead our enemy to believe that he will never face American troops.

  Second, outside of Iraq and Syria, America must send a clear message to the Palestinian Authority: it will not get one dime of American taxpayer money while it has any formal or informal ties with Hamas. America will not support jihad anywhere, including in Palestine. Even further, America will not support any easing of the blockade of Gaza until Hamas is removed from power and the Gaza Strip is demilitarized, and it will fully support Israel’s acts of self-defense, including by defending Israel in the U.N. and from any effort by any Western power to impose any kind of economic sanctions or arms embargos on Israel.

  Third, America must signal its zero tolerance for jihadists by investigating U.N. ties to terrorists, including the U.N.’s inexcusable actions in Gaza, such as allowing Hamas to store rockets in U.N. buildings, booby-trap U.N. facilities, and build terror tunnels from U.N. structures. It should end any American support or funding for any U.N. or other international entity that collaborates with or aids and abets terror.

  Fourth, America must not treat Afghanistan like Iraq and abandon it to jihad. We understand that Americans are weary of war, but our enemies are not. Wars do not end when we grow tired of fighting them. They end when our enemies are defeated.

  * * *

  Americans are weary of war, but our enemies are not. Wars do not end when we grow tired of fighting them. They end when our enemies are defeated.

  * * *

  You will notice a consistent theme in all these points: unwavering strength. While jihad has flared off and on again throughout Muslim history, that same history tells us that when it is dealt a decisive defeat, it can lie dormant for decades. Jihad thrives on victory, not defeat, and it spreads when it is seen to be strong. Expose its weakness, grind its forces into dust, and the jihadist impulse wanes dramatically.

  When confronting the pure evil of jihad, our allies do not need to be just like us. They do, however, need to be allies—capable of defeating our enemies and protecting the most basic human rights of their citizens. We cannot be sidetracked into trying to make everything perfect. Much American blood and treasure has been spilled trying to transform Iraq and Afghanistan into modern democracies. Let’s settle for strong allies first, and worry about perfecting political systems later. We can defeat jihad. We’ve done it before.

  In Iraq in 2005 and 2006, the situation in many ways was even more bleak than it is today. The entire nation of Iraq was coming apart at the seams, with combat raging not just in the north but across the length and breadth of the entire nation. Shiite militias ruled in the south, Sunni militias ruled parts of the west, north, and east. Baghdad was a killing zone.

  And we had no effective allies on the ground.

  But America responded. Men and women volunteered to fight, then volunteered to fight again. We built up local allies, equipped them, and motivated them to stand their ground. We became, in the words of military historian Bing West, “the strongest tribe” in Iraq.6

  On November 22, 2007, one of my coauthors, David French, flew into a small forward operating base in Diyala Province, Iraq, in a CH-47 helicopter. He and his unit flew because AQI (the forerunner to ISIS) controlled the roads leading into and out of their base. Had they driven, they would have been attacked by terrorists, and men likely would have died.

  After almost a year of hard fighting and coalition building, his unit left that base, and this time they drove. AQI was gone, our Iraqi allies controlled the roads, and formerly devastated villages were springing back to life.

  The jihadists were not invincible. They could be beaten. It just took courage and will.

  Every time I fly into Israel, I’m moved by what I see. Israel is a beautiful land, where the desert has literally bloomed. As my plane comes in for a landing, I can see out my window row after row of beautiful houses where there used to be battlefields. In some places, farms stretch out as far as the eye can see, growing some of the most delicious fruit in the world.

  I’m reminded that every single square inch of that land has been fought for against overwhelming odds. Every single square inch has been protected and reclaimed from those who tried—again and again—to finish what Hitler started.

  The jihadists were not invincible. They could be beaten. It just took Israeli courage and will.

  In New York, the Freedom Tower is finally nearing completion. This massive skyscraper, taller than the lost towers of the World Trade Center, stands as a symbol of American strength. Knock us down, and we rebuild—taller, stronger, better. But while we can build buildings, sometimes the human heart can be more fragile. After thirteen years of war, do we still have the will? Our enemy certainly does. They are remorseless and savage, feeding on our weakness.

  But they are not invincible. They can be beaten. It will just take American courage and American will.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  It goes without saying that the effort to take the papers that we submitted at Oxford University and convert them into a book in a six-week period was a Herculean task. This would not have been possible without input from colleagues Professor Harry Hutchison and Dr. Andrew Ekonomou, both of whom serve as Visiting Fellows at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, and both co-founders of the Oxford Centre for the Study of Law and Public Policy. This book represents the Centre’s first official publication.

  We gained valuable insight in our participation during our time at Exeter College, Oxford, with Prof. Dr. Farhang Jahanpour, specifically on the issue of ISIS.

  And
last, but certainly not least, our editor at Simon & Schuster/Howard Books, Becky Nesbitt, who worked quickly and tirelessly in editing this work.

  To download “Where I Stand,” an exclusive track from the Jay Sekulow Band, visit whereistandsong.com and enter the password “hope.”

  We hope you enjoyed reading this Howard Books eBook.

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  NOTES

  FOREWORD

  1. Martin Matishak, “Republican: ISIS Developing the Means to ‘Blow Up’ an American City,” Hill, August 21, 2014, http://thehill.com/policy/defense/215684-republican-isis-developing-means-to-blow-up-an-american-city.

  CHAPTER ONE. THE HORROR OF JIHAD

  1. Steve Bird, “So Wicked That Even Al Qaeda Disowned Them: Letter Found at Bin Laden’s Hideout Warned of Islamic State’s Extreme Brutality,” Daily Mail, August 10, 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2721417/So-wicked-Al-Qaeda-disowned-Letter-Bin-Ladens-hideout-warned-Islamic-States-extreme-brutality.html.

  2. Terrence McCoy, “ISIS Just Stole $425 million, Iraqi Governor Says, and Became the ‘World’s Richest Terrorist Group,’ ” Washington Post, June 10, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/12/isis-just-stole-425-million-and-became-the-worlds-richest-terrorist-group/.

  3. Terrence McCoy, “Islamic State ‘Now Controls Resources and Territory Unmatched in the History of Extremist Organizations,’ ” Washington Post, August 4, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/04/islamic-state-now-controls-resources-and-territory-unmatched-in-history-of-extremist-organizations/.

  4. Tom Coghlan and Deborah Haynes, “Fear of Dirty Bomb as ISIS Rebels Seize Radioactive Uranium in Iraq,” Australian, July 11, 2014.

  5. Michael Daly, “ISIS Leader: ‘See You in New York,’ ” Daily Beast, June 14, 2014, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/14/isis-leader-see-you-in-new-york.html.

  6. “New ISIS Video: ‘We Will Raise Black Flag Over White House,’ ” Fox News Insider, August 8, 2014, http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/08/new-isis-video-%E2%80%98we-will-raise-black-flag-over-white-house%E2%80%99.

  7. See Sanjay Sanghoee, “What ISIS and Hamas Have in Common,” Huffington Post, August 7, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sanjay-sanghoee/what-hamas-and-isis-have_b_5660020.html.

  CHAPTER TWO. THE RISE OF ISIS AND THE NEW CALIPHATE

  1. Majid Khadduri, War and Peace in the Law of Islam (Clark, NJ: Lawbook Exchange, 2010), 48.

  2. Ibid., 4, 17.

  3. Ibid., 158.

  4. Ibid., 16.

  5. Ibid., 26.

  6. Ibid., 156.

  7. Ibid., 155.

  8. Ibid., 170–71.

  9. Ibid., 64.

  10. Ibid.

  11. Ibid., 16–17.

  12. Majid Khadduri and Herbert J. Liebesny, eds., Law in the Middle East (Clark, NJ: Lawbook Exchange, 2009), 3.

  13. Ibid., 14.

  14. Ibid., 3.

  15. Khadduri, War and Peace in the Law of Islam, 11.

  16. Khadduri and Liebesny, eds., Law in the Middle East, 5.

  17. Ibid., 14.

  18. Khadduri, War and Peace in the Law of Islam, 10.

  19. Khadduri and Liebesny, eds., Law in the Middle East, 4.

  20. Ibid., 6.

  21. Ibid., 6, 8.

  22. Juan E. Campo, ed., Encyclopedia of Islam (New York: Facts on File, 2009), 33.

  23. Ibid.

  24. Ibid.

  25. Khadduri and Liebesny, eds., Law in the Middle East, 114.

  26. Ibid.

  27. Paul Sullivan, “Why Should We Care About the Iraqi Shia?,” History News Network, April 13, 2004, http://hnn.us/article/1455.

  28. Karl Vick, “What Is the Caliphate,” Time, July 1, 2014, http://time.com/2942239/what-is-the-caliphate/.

  29. Ibid.

  30. Juan Jose Valdes et al., “Iraq: 1,200 Years of Turbulent History in Five Maps,” National Geographic, July 2, 2014, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140702-iraq-history-maps/.

  31. Vick, “What Is the Caliphate.”

  32. Omar Khalidi, “The Caliph’s Daughter,” Cornucopia, http://www.cornucopia.net/magazine/articles/the-caliphs-daughter/.

  33. Ibid.

  34. Ibid.

  35. Vick, “What Is the Caliphate.”

  36. Bylaws of the International Muslim Brotherhood, ch. II, art. II § E, http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/673.pdf.

  37. Tim Lister, “How ISIS Is Overshadowing Al Qaeda,” CNN, June 30, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/world/meast/isis-overshadows-al-qaeda/.

  38. ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It can also mean Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria or Islamic State of Iraq and Sham. Although ISIS has recently adopted the name “Islamic State,” we will call it ISIS in this paper because that is the better-known name.

  39. ISIL stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

  40. See Amir Abdallah, “Urgent Video: Isis Releases Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Sermon In Mosul Grand Mosque,” Iraqi News, July 5, 2014, http://www.iraqinews.com/features/urgent-video-isis-releases-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-sermon-mosul-grand-mosque/ (emphasis added). Note that the full-length video of the sermon had English subtitles. The language quoted above is directly transcribed from the video’s English subtitles. Grammatical and typographical errors have not been corrected. Quran cite is 25:55.

  41. “Wanted Abu Du’a Up to $10 Million,” Rewards for Justice, http://www.webcitation.org/62Hxw9AqD. He is known to have used a number of aliases, such as Dr. Ibrahim ‘Awwad Ibrahim ‘Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai’, Ibrahim ‘Awad Ibrahim al-Badri al Samarrai, Abu Duaa’, Dr. Ibrahim, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Ibid.

  42. Graeme Baker, “The Fierce Ambition of ISIL’s Baghdadi,” Al Jazeera, June 15, 2014, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/fierce-ambition-isil-baghdadi-2014612142242188464.html.

  43. Ibid.

  44. Ibid.

  45. Ibid.

  46. “Profile: Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS),” BBC News, June 16, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084.

  47. See http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx.

  48. “Profile: Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS),” BBC News, June 16, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084.

  49. Ibid.

  50. Ibid.

  51. Ibid.

  52. Ibid.

  53. McCoy, “ISIS Just Stole $425 Million, Iraqi Governor Says.”

  54. “Jordan’s Abu Qatada: Caliphate Declaration ‘Void,’ ” Daily Star, July 15, 2014, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jul-15/263931-jordans-abu-qatada-caliphate-declaration-void.ashx#axzz37qB7TbEF.

  55. Alhayat Media Center, “This Is the Promise of Allah,” https://ia902505.us.archive.org/28/items/poa_25984/EN.pdf, 5 (emphasis added). Al-Jazeera has reported the foregoing document to be an official ISIS publication. “Sunni Rebels Declare New ‘Islamic Caliphate,’ ” Al Jazeera, June 30, 2014, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/isil-declares-new-islamic-caliphate-201462917326669749.html.

  CHAPTER THREE. ISIS: THE WORLD’S MOST RUTHLESS AND POWERFUL JIHADIST ARMY

  1. Liz Sly, “Al-Qaeda Disavows Any Ties with Radical Islamist Isis Group in Syria, Iraq,” Washington Post, February 3, 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-qaeda-disavows-any-ties-with-radical-islamist-isis-group-in-syria-iraq/2014/02/03/2c9afc3a-8cef-11e3-98ab-fe5228217bd1_story.html; Elisa Oddon, “Jordanian Jihadist Leader Condemns Isis Caliphate,” Al Monitor, July 7, 2014, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/ru/originals/2014/07/jordan-maqdisi-jihad-iraq-isis-caliphate-qaeda.html; Ellen Knickmeyer, “Al Qaeda ‘Disavows’ Syrian Terror Group for Being Too Terroristy,” Wall St
reet Journal, February 3, 2014, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304851104579361041928884318. See also Basma Atassi, “Qaeda Chief Annuls Syrian-Iraqi Jihad Merger,” Al Jazeera, June 9, 2013, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/2013699425657882.html.

  2. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an, 10th ed. (1999; reprint, n.p.: Amana, 2004), 4:93.

  3. Ibid., 6:151.

  4. Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveller, rev. ed., trans. Nuh Ha Mim Keller (N.p.: Amana, 2008), 583 (1368).

  5. Ibid.

  6. Vol. 1, Bk. 2, No. 9, Sahih Bukhari, http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_1_02.php.

  7. Vol. 1, Bk. 2, No. 10, Sahih Bukhari, http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_1_02.php.

  8. Vol. 1, Bk. 2, No. 46, Sahih Bukhari, http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_1_02.php.

  9. Amnesty International, “Rule of Fear: ISIS Abuses in Detention in Northern Syria,” December 19, 2013, 6–7, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE24/063/2013/en/32d380a3-cc47-4cb6-869f2628ca44cb99/mde 240632013en.pdf.

  10. Ibid.

  11. Ibid., 7.

  12. “Abuse ‘Rife in Secret Al-Qaeda Jails in Syria,’ ” BBC News, December 19, 2013, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25440381.

  13. Amnesty International, “Rule of Fear,” 1.

  14. Ibid., 7.

  15. Ibid.

  16. Ibid.

  17. Ibid.

  18. Ibid., 9.

  19. Ibid., 10.

  20. Salma Abdelaziz, “Death and Desecration in Syria: Jihadist Group ‘Crucifies’ Bodies to Send Message,” CNN, May 2, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/world/meast/syria-bodies-crucifixions/.