HugoMichielsen

Ms.Gardner
English10H/4thperiod
7November2015
TyrannyintheLevant
ImagineabombbeingdroppedfromanAmericanaircraft.Itobliteratesabuildingof
significantmilitaryimportance.Howevertheblastdoesntjustannihilatethebuilding,itcausea
regiontochangeforever
.
Inthespringof2003,theUnitedStatesdeclaredwaronthe
MiddleEasternnationofIraq,governedbytheSunnidictatorSaddamHussein,whorepressed
theShiamajorityofIraq.EversincetherootsofIslam,SunnisandShiashavealwaysdespised
eachother,arguingoverwhocontinuedthebloodlineoftheProphetMuhammed.Theoustingof
Saddam'soncepowerfulregime,startedanuclearchainreaction,allowingfortheexplosionof
theprominentradicalIslamicgroup,theIslamicStateinIraqandSyriaorISIS.Thisradical
terroristSunnigrouphascommittedmanyatrocitiesagainstnotonlysoldiers,butalsocivilians
fromdifferentfaithsandbackgroundsandshouldbestopped.
ISISwasfoundedin2006,andpledgedallegiancetoAlQaedatofighttheAmerican
soldiersinIraqina
jihad
,orholywar.AfterquasicontrollingpartsofNorthernIraq,they
furtherexpandedintoSyriaduringtheSyrianCivilWarin2014,culminatinginthedeclaration
ofacaliphateinaregionspreadingfromIraqtoSyria.Attheirdisposalaremanywelltrained
warriors,seasonedveteransinguerillawarfare.Incapturedterritories,theycommitcountless
actsofviolenceandcrimesagainstthepopulation.ThesoldiersofISISmurdersenselesslyand
ruthlesslyfor
homosexuality,blasphemy,banditry,abandonmentandspying.(Breitbart)which

theyconsidercrimespunishablebydeath.
Theyslaughterpeopleofotherbeliefs,theyslaughter
theYazidis,theyslaughtertheKurdsandChristians,theyslaughtertheShiitemuslimsandJews,
andmanyothersofdifferentrace,religion,orbackground.

Thesebarbarousthugsalsodestroy
historicalheritagesitesthoseconsideredantiIslamicliketheancienttempleofBaalinPalmyra,
datingbacktobeforethecreationofIslamitself.TheviolenceofISISissoinhuman,thatunder
themantra,theenemyofmyenemyismyfriend,countriesthatoncehatedeachother,likethe
UnitedStatesofAmerica,andIran,areburyingtheirdifferencesandhelpingoneanotherto
battlethiscommonfoe.(TheIndependent)However,amultitudeofMiddleEasterncountries,
likeSaudiArabia,areturningablindeye,notonlybecausetheyhaveaSunnimajority
themselves,buttheyalsohopeothercountries,liketheUS,willsolvethiscrisisforthem.Do
youthinkthisisright?
Maybeitistimethatthesestateslookpastreligion,andforhumanityssakedontturna
blindeyetothehorrorsthatISISiscommittingacrosstheregion.ItistimefortheMuslimsin
theMiddleEast,SunniandShiite,tosetasidetheirdifferences,sothattheycandemolishthis
terribleinstitution

thataffectsthewholeworld.

But
,
itisnotonlytheirjob,itisourstoo.Weall
havetohelpbyspreadingawarenesssothatthiscrisisgetsmoreattentionandmorepressureis
appliedontheSunnigovernmentstoputanendtoterroristfundingbytheirowncitizens.Inan
agewhereyoucancommunicatewithanyonearoundtheworldinstantaneously,summonyour
friends,andsummonyourfamilymembers,andsummonyourneighborsaboutit.Postonsocial
mediaaboutit.Sendletterstogovernorsandrepresentatives.StartapetitionfortheUS
governmenttopressurethesecountriestoreact.Eventhoughitmaynotseemlikemuchwhat
youaredoing,byraisingawareness,youarecausingmorepeopletobecomecognizantofthe

issue.Themoreattentionthismovementgets,themorepressurethatisappliedonthe
Sunnimajoritycountriestoactonbehalfoftheworld.
HaltingtheprogressofradicalIslamwillallowtheexpansionofhumankindinareasof
scienceandthehumanities.Firstofall,theUScanwithdrawalltroopsandrelinquishspending
somanydollarsonitsdefensivebudgetandredirectthetaxpayersmoneytoscienceresearch
facilities,toadvanceourunderstandingofourbelovedGaea.Secondly,notonlywillitbenefit
theWesternworld,buttheMiddleEastwouldobviouslyflourish,asnowinsteadofbeingina
nearcontinuousstateofwar,ifwillalloweconomiesintheregiontoflourish.Therefore,the
endingofradicalIslam,wouldseethelongawaitedreturnofpeaceandprosperitytotheregion
.
However,sincemanyofthesecountriesintheregionaremajorlySunni,theymayopposethis
idea.Nonetheless,worldwidepublicpressureshouldencourageSunnistolookpastthis,and
pledgeallegiancetothecause,notonlyforthegreatergoodofIslam,butoftheworldin
general.
AsIhaveaclosefamilyfriendactuallybenearlykilledinthealQaedalinkedMadrid
trainbombingsin2004,Iaffirm

thatradicalIslamisanideathatmostgo.Ifthewholeworld
couldsetasidetheirdifferencesandspreadawareness,Itrulybelievethatwecouldridourselves
oftheproblemsthatareradicalismandterrorism.

WorkCited
Mora,Edwin.
"ISISHasKilled10,000Plus."
BreitbartNews.N.p.,25Sept.2015.Web.11Nov.
2015.

Cockburn,Patrick."JointActionbytheUSAandIran."
TheIndependent
.IndependentDigital
NewsandMedia,16July2015.Web.11Nov.2015.