United against ISIS… or is it ISIL or the Islamic State?
Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Of all the fraudulent fictions and fantasies of the ‘war on terror’, the “we are united against a common enemy” mantra seemed the most hollow, the most disingenuous. It remains just that despite the 60 strong anti-ISIS coalition. The partners cannot even agree what to call the enemy let alone how to fight it – Islamic State, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh. Others argue whether it is Islamic or nor. President Obama stated “ISIL is not ‘Islamic’” last year. British Prime Minister David Cameron has urged the BBC not to call it the Islamic State. Tony Abbott, the Australian Prime Minister, insists he will call it Daesh as does Francois Hollande of France. John Kerry often does too. These are just the differences over the name to call it and just among some of the ‘Western’ leaders, not a vital issue but symbolic of a wider malaise.
ISIS storm troopers are not invincible superhumans from the latest comic strip blockbuster. They are very vulnerable
What more evidence of the need for unity than last week’s Ramadan massacres, the extremist attacks on three continents. The barbarous beach massacre in Tunisia, the sectarian atrocity in Kuwait, the attack by al-Shabaab on African Union soldiers in Somalia and gruesome beheading in France serve let alone the much ignored killings in Kobane (235 killed by ISIS) only to remind all just how little respect for life, liberty and even their faith adherents of such groups have. How should states, civil society and other actors react to this?
Political clichés
The standard manual of political clichés are dusted down though perhaps they have not gathered much dust. Politicians have been compelled to learn this lexicon only too well. They copy paste from previous statements. The language is particularly ratcheted up when governments are unsure what to do. Talking tough frequently serves to mask, for the time being, a lack of real action. This is understandable. Step up, British Prime Minister David Cameron. He spoke out forcefully, understandably given the killing of 18 British tourists. The attacks in Tunisia were the most deadly in terms of British fatalities since the London bombings almost exactly ten years ago. But did Cameron exaggerate? ISIS is an “existential threat,” he said. Existential? Is Britain that threatened by such a group? Existential threat heralds images of massive natural disaster, an asteroid hit or nuclear attack. Sounding out Middle East and security experts in the UK, none of them saw the need to hype the issue like this. ISIS themselves will delight in their upgraded status. It reminded me of the Iraqi foreign minister’s reference to “World War III.” Yet if ISIS does pose that existential threat to Britain and the West in general (let alone Muslim majority states) critics can argue that not nearly enough is being done.
A balanced assessment
A balanced assessment surely acknowledges a threat but by no means existential. ISIS storm troopers are not invincible superhumans from the latest comic strip blockbuster. They are very vulnerable. Their ideology and values are in fact largely unappealing to a large percentage of the Islamic World. Yet they thrive, largely on the weakness and disunity of others. It is a standard rhetorical staple to highlight unity, that we stand united as a people with other peoples. To start with, is there genuine solidarity? Did Europe and the Arab World rally round to ensure that Tunisia’s political transition was a success? Barely. Following the Bardo attack in March, plenty of fine words were uttered, but were there genuine efforts to assist Tunisia? And all too often is not the reaction of too many in the West so self-obsessed? Do Syrian and Iraqi victims of ISIS get a tenth of the coverage as the Western hostages or the dead tourists on the Sousse beach? World leaders marched in the streets of Paris after the Hebdo massacre? Do we see them in the Islamic World after attacks on Muslims? In actions against ISIS, no two states seem to have the same approach. This may be understandable given that there are no easy policies or answers to this. Most states have not joined the U.S. in military options in Syria. President Hollande wanted action to salve Palmyra, a call that went unheeded. Some politicians want ground troops; others want to cease all operations of any form. Turkey refuses to take any action until there is a No Fly Zone is Syria. But there are huge differences in priorities too. Israel of course has been marketing Iran as the Islamic State that poses the real threat. Many agree. The Egyptian authorities have targeted the Muslim Brotherhood as the primary threat. Turkey may be more nervous of the Kurds.
Real unity
Real unity needs to be cultivated to confront ISIS – this means addressing our differences. Internationally, the U.S. and Russia cannot continue to work against each other, not least in trying to stitch up a solution for Syria. Can Saudi Arabia and Iran find the exit from their cold war? What about the other regional squabbles such as Turkish-Egyptian tensions? ISIS thrives off divisions of others and attempts to expose and exacerbate these. The ISIS bombing of the Shiite mosque in Kuwait was designed to pit Shiite against Sunni, much as it has done elsewhere. The Emir of Kuwait rightly visited the mosque and let us hope other senior Sunni figures will do likewise. Sadly sectarianism does exist even where in the past it may not have done. Sunnis and Shiites have to find ways to stand together or be condemned to stand apart. A dim view must be taken of those who foment sectarian discord not least those in the media. Ethnic and tribal divisions are likewise the playthings of ISIS. They delight in pitting Arab against Kurd for example, even Kurd against Kurd. It was Kurdish members of ISIS who led the attack on Kobane. ISIS has a tribal affairs department and it is not to build harmony and peaceful relations. ISIS and like-minded groups are a threat, a very real one but it certainly does not require a World War III to end the threat. In fact, it is wars and conflict that gave birth to them, wars that none of the anti-ISIS coalition leaders seem willing or capable of ending. None of the conflicts in the Middle East were caused by ISIS or al-Qaeda – not in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen or even Afghanistan. Yet ISIS and al-Qaeda now flourish in all of them. Unity against ISIS, or ISIL, or Daesh means little if we cannot end the conflicts that spawn it and the divisions that hold us back.
The changing face of female militants
Dr. Halla Diyab/Al Arabiya
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Previously, in groups such as al-Qaeda, women who were associated with the terrorist organization were presented as tough and resilient as in the case of alleged militant supporter Sajida al-Rishawi who appears in her confessional videos with a seemingly callous composure and a facial expression wholly devoid of emotion. The recent emergence of ISIS female militants marks a transition in this archetype, with female terrorists being portrayed as sentimental, passionate and overtly emotional. Along with being increasingly romanticized, the characters of the females are also often strongly interwoven with the roles they occupy within their romantic relationships, with many being celebrated for travelling to Syria by breaking the laws of their countries to marry the jihadists that they have fallen in love with. It is this “forbidden love” narrative that adds an additional facet to their sentimentality as they are portrayed in their roles as wives as romantic and passionate in their quest for love. An example of ISIS’ perpetuation of this narrative lies in the case of reported Malaysian militant Shams, who details her innermost emotions in her “diary of a muhajirah” which documents each moment of her love story with her jihadist husband, from first sight to wedding day. With the newly-constructed image of the female militant, ISIS is effectively humanizing the female jihadists in an attempt to make them relatable to young, impressionable girls of today who could gradually find themselves becoming sympathetic to the cause of the female militants.
With male militants leading military operations, female militants are crucial to the structure of the average ISIS household where the male holds less significance than the female militant because he is expected to face death anytime
For the female militants, ISIS heralds their reconciliation with male jihadists as being pivotal to their evolvement process. This psychological and ideological evolvement revolves around the female militant taking the path to radicalization with the influence of the jihadist. An example of this is in the case of Dutch girl Aisha who was reportedly radicalized under the influence of the apparent jihadist Omar Yilmaz who she is said to have romanticized as the Muslim version of Robin Hood, with her going on to evolve under his influence into an extremist, eventually emigrating to Syria to reconcile with him. Preceding the reconciliation of these couples, ISIS’ narratives of these women are always marked by transitional binary oppositions which see the female militant evolving from liberal to radical; invisible to visible; or from un-practicing to extremist. ISIS acts as a match-maker, bringing together the correct components to ensure that the reconciliation process is successful; the right jihadist for the right female militant. Through this match-making process, ISIS as an organization gives the illusion to their members of working in their favor by granting them-through this reconciliation-the opportunity to be purified Muslims. An example of this reconciliation would be of that between the alleged jihadist Abu Bilal al-Homsi and his Tunisian bride who reconciled in Raqqa after months spent talking online and went on to convey the idyllic images of themselves in the role of typical ‘love birds’, eating ice cream while strolling hand-in-hand along the Euphrates River; an image intended to portray the militants reconciling with their purified souls.
Life and fertility
With ISIS female jihadists, there is a celebration of the female body with recurring images of marriage, and re-production. Unlike former female militants of al-Qaeda who were used as a medium for death through suicide bomb attacks, ISIS female militants are used as mediums for life and fertility. With limited involvement of female militants in ISIS’ suicide bomb operations- with exception of the “white widow” who according to media outlets “has joined ISIS and is training a female suicide bomber squad in Syria”-the suicide attacks are regularly reported to be performed by a male militant. This is mainly because female militants are important factors in the continuity and the survival of ISIS’ territorial existence through their production and rearing of children who can continue perpetuating the narrative of ISIS. Encouraging jihadists to marry has been a priority to ISIS as they recognize this to be pivotal to securing their survival as an ideology and as a state. In order to encourage re-production, they devote to the jihadists an allowance of $400 as a bonus for each child. With male militants leading military operations, female militants are crucial to the structure of the average ISIS household where the male holds less significance than the female militant because he is expected to face death anytime, whilst female militants can remarry another jihadist to resume the cycle of re-production. This role allocation marks a regression in the role of the male militant in the household, because he is dispensable, and can be replaced, and this gives a pivotal power to ISIS female militant.
The image of ISIS female militants is changing because the roles they play within the insurgency have evolved. Though female militants in Raqqa pose carrying weapons and dream of being martyrs, the narrative that surrounds them is full of references to food, love, poetry, marriage, and cleaning; images which reflect the celebration of these women and their daily lives rather than their immorality. The female militants are no longer defined and merely driven by the act of jihad but are shown to be wholly celebrating liberation and life in the land of death. It is a false notion of female empowerment which is being exported by ISIS to allure women across the globe to their cause under false pretenses.
ISIS and Operation Decisive Storm… Back to moderation
Jamal Khashoggi/Al Arabiya
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
When Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm began in Yemen a few months ago, ISIS followers lead a smear campaign against it. Their traditional enemies, the Houthis, supporters of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and whoever shared their opinion among Iranians and Lebanese partisans did the same. When the campaign was launched to liberate Daraa, the spark that lit the Syrian revolution, ISIS supporters took the lead once again to compete with the regime partisans in yet another smear campaign. It’s understandable that such campaigns would affect the Houthis and the Syrian regime but how do they affect ISIS and its cyber army? It is unfair that an Irish or a French man joining the ranks of the Kurdish security forces, who achieved noticeable victories in northern Syria, is internationally accepted even though this group is accused of displacing Arabs and Turkmens Hassan Hassan, an independent researcher at the UK-based Chatham House think tank answered this question. He travelled to Syria on multiple occasions and met with rebels and ISIS supporters, culminating in a book entitled “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.” In an article published last April in UAE newspaper The National, Hassan said: “Two recent developments in the region appear to have caused more damage to ISIS’s popularity and relevance than nine months of air strikes and battles in Iraq and Syria.”
Stealing ISIS’ thunder
The first development is illustrated by the successive victories of Syrian rebels in northern Syria and their takeover of Idlib and then Jisr al-Shugour. According to Hassan Hassan, these accomplishments, along with the triumphs that followed in central and southern Syria, “have stolen ISIS’ thunder” costing the terrorist organization some of the accomplishments it uses to attract new blood. Furthermore, he added: “Several people inside Syria have told me that ISIS started to lose some of its sympathizers after the rebels swept through significant regime bases in recent months.”
Hassan’s explanation is correct as not all ISIS followers – especially the local ones – are fervent believers, at least that was not the case before they joined the organization which trained them and transformed them into narrow-minded, brainwashed individuals. Victory generates followers and power attracts vulnerable individuals hostile to the regime. These have found in ISIS, especially during the Syrian downfall period, a way to seek revenge against an unjust system which oppressed their people and loved ones. Therefore, the emergence of an alternative, combining strength, power and moderation is enough to pull the rug out from under ISIS. If it doesn’t succeed in attracting most of them, it will at least save those who are still on the margins as well as prevent the terrorist organization from recruiting new “victims.”
Robbing ISIS of appeal
According to Hassan Hassan, the second development that robbed ISIS of some of its appeal is the reaction of the public in the region regarding the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm launched in March against the Houthi militia. “There is a decided drop in positive mentions of the group. These who once subtly cheered for ISIS have shifted to enthusiastic support for the campaign against what they perceive as Iranian proxies in Yemen. This view of the situation comes amid the widespread belief that Saudi Arabia no longer perceives the Muslim Brotherhood as quite so much of a threat. This has created a sense of optimism and it is manifesting itself in public attitudes towards the campaign against the Houthis, ” he noted. In other words, those sympathizing with ISIS found in Decisive Storm a campaign that could counter their need to side with a terrorist organization.
Hassan’s theory may seem logical as not all of ISIS’ followers are takfirists nor were they when they first approached this terrorist organization. Defeat, frustration and the lack of an alternative that stands against injustice, tyranny and oppression boosted ISIS’ appeal among a youth demographic full of anger, seeking victory against Islam’s enemies. They are found in Riyadh and Tunisia and even in faraway cities such as Copenhagen and Brussels. They believe, and so do I, that the Sunni people in Iraq and Syria are under attack, tortured and slaughtered while the world sits idle. Hence, they leave their peaceful life of comfort and head to what they assume to be “the land of jihad, pride and dignity.” Once they arrive in ISIS occupied territories, the initial motive of their travel is transformed into blind violence, hatred, atonement and terrorism.
Hassan’s theory is backed up by the opinion of Saudi cleric Salman al-Ouda debated a few days ago in the renowned talk show “Fi Al Samim.” Al-Ouda believes that in order to face this violence, an alternative revival Arab-Islamic project must be provided, one that will absorb the tremendous energy of the Muslim youth. “One cannot shut down this energy. It must be rechanneled productively by achieving some of their dreams,” he said.
Rebuilding the region
Unfortunately, this “energy” is currently under scrutiny despite the fact that it was initially moderate. In the absence of a righteous project, a negative one picked up speed. The Decisive Storm experience and the victories of the Syrian rebels represent the true mediums through which this energy must be channeled and employed to achieve its robbed ISIS of some of its appeal of rebuilding the region and liberating it from both sectarianism and tyranny.
It is unfair that an Irish or a French man joining the ranks of the Kurdish security forces, who achieved noticeable victories in northern Syria, is internationally accepted even though this group is accused of displacing Arabs and Turkmens out of territories under their control. This is a war crime. Nonetheless, our friend had his photograph taken among Kurdish fighters while exhibiting his gun and posted it on Facebook. Then he came back home as a hero to conduct interviews. If a young Arab man had done the same, accusing fingers would have automatically been pointed at him!
This is a tremendous moral dilemma. Resolving it requires an tried and tested formula that can put an end to the likes of ISIS.
