One attack a few months ago in Canada by a guy admiring ISIS. Yesterday, a man holds a cafe up in Australia.
I have been a teenager. I know the angst of adolescence and the urge to rebel. As the gap between being a "young man" and an adult increases, I know the angst survives through our universities these days and it becomes even worse once you're unemployed.
I know how we want to fight for good causes. Everyone has a cause for which they want to fight. We want to heal people, help fight poverty, teach people, help their countries, and so on. For me, one of the causes I want to fight for is America. While I can never join the military, I admire those who do. Going to Washington and Lee with the Virginia Military Institute next door was sometimes a struggle. So I'm currently fighting for another passion I have, which is to help the world gain more knowledge of its past. We cannot ignore the past because if we ignore where we've com from we are blind as to where we are going. Consequently, I know causes. I'm fighting for one.
I know one of the major causes and passions out there is religion. Some want to promote Judaism. Some want to promote Christianity. Some want to promote Buddhism. Some want to promote Islam. Some want to promote the idea there is no God. The list is endless.
Even so, what's the deal with ISIS?
I simply don't get it. What's luring all these young kids who happen to be Muslims--both boys and girls--to join them? I know one kid went over and bought the Dumb and Dumber for Islam and the Qu'ran. At first I thought it might be like the Spanish Civil War. Young Muslims were going to join to fight Assad in the name of Islam just like so many foreigners went to Spain to fight Franco in the name of freedom.
But that idea has passed its peak. ISIS' treatment of those who don't convert to Islam (death or sex slavery), the violence it has shown, and its barbarity are truly stunning. Islam's concept of the lower class of "dhimmis," or the acceptance of those who believe in the God of Abraham if not their Allah, has been rejected. Those who do not believe in the book--well, too bad for them. The Yaziris are devil worshipers and are killed or made sex slaves. When the Yaziris were under fire with their women jumping off mountains to avoid sex slavery, I was astounded at how few people took note of it. ISIS crucifies people, buries people alive, kills anyone who does not believe in their form of Islam, and has made a habit of beheading people with good cinematography. So why do they have so much appeal?
Those who argue that this is the true form of Islam are wrong. I must reinforce this. It has named a caliph. A caliph is someone who is the head of all Muslims. This means, in effect, that all Muslims who do not accept Caliph Ibrahim are illegitimate Muslims and therefore can be slaughtered. ISIS does not support the "dhimmi" class--which consists of Christians and JEWS. It has called on every Muslim to kill Christians because they are "crusaders." Of course, those people under ISIS' control who are not Muslims cannot drink alcohol, which kind of destroys Mass. I wonder how ISIS treats atheists.
So why are all these young men and women running to ISIS? Is it adolescence? Probably a bit. Is it the feeling of hopelessness people feel after going to their university and not having a job afterward? Probably a bit. Or is it because humanity loves violence?
You cannot tell me that video games are causing crime and terrorism because of the violent movies we watch everyday. You see violence in sports. Whether or not you like boxing, you're not appalled by the fact they're hitting each other. A good tackle is a good tackle. It's a habit throughout history. People haven't changed a bit since the days we watched gladiators. We've simply made the violence more humane.
So I leave with this final thought--is the deal with ISIS simply that ISIS' know kids want to go to war? Is their violence actually helping them instead of hurting them?
