Coming soon to a neighbourhood near you - IS/ISIL/ISIS

One of the things which strikes you about IS/ISIL/ISIS is its propensity to change its name in the original Arabic and hence its English translation and the names reflect its growing ambitions (or maybe delusions of grandeur might be a better expression).

It started as ISIS - Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - which reflected the current reality, its involvement in trying to take over those parts of those two countries which would satisfy its original ambitions. This may not, in terms of some Arab sentiment, be too convenient a name in that it reflects the existence of the states of Iraq and Syria which the more militant may not wish to see continue (more on this in a later article).

So it became ISIL - Islamic State in the Levant. The Levant is almost a mystical name of an area in the Eastern Mediterranean which has imprecise borders, but this definition (found on the Website http://www.bibarch.com/archaeologicalSites/index.htm) may give you an idea.

The word Levant  (Le·VANT) is the name applied to the geographical region, defined by natural frontiers, encompassing the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea from roughly the Isthmus of Suez to the Taurus Mountains, including present-day Israel, Lebanon, western Jordan, the Sinai in Egypt, and that part of Syria defined by the Orontes Valley and the region of Aleppo. It is a more or less heterogeneous region, encompassing an area of about 75,000 square miles, divided into specific areas of diverse ecological and environmental character surprisingly similar to that of southern California.

Read into this that the ambitions of the organisation had spread. At this point we are talking about adding several other parts of the Middle East. The eradication of Israel is one objective, but this has always been a rallying cry among Islamic organisations - Hezbollah, a Shia fundamental organisation with whom IS/ISIL/ISIS would want absolutely no dealings, have the same philosophy in this regard.

ISIL then becomes IS - the Islamic State. Read enough about its current ambitions, and you will understand that when it has finished off occupying the parts of Iraq and Syria that it wants (and has murdered, raped and enslaved thousands of people in the process), and has taken over Jordan and Israel et al (including the murder and rape and enslavement of thousands, maybe millions more people), it has a commitment to global jihad. Among places named are Spain - which way back in history was occupied by Muslims (well a large chunk of it at least).

Ambitions could even spread to countries never previously occupied by Muslims but which these days have a substantial "Muslim" population - the UK, France, Germany usw. Did I mention Australia? OK add Australia to the list. See also later.

Not quite sure who issued the call, but following the decision of the Western powers (and more than a few neighbouring Arab states) to see if air power could do permanent damage to IS (it worked in Serbia and Bosnia - don't expect it to fulfil any more than damage limitation here though), an IS spokesman (invariably a man - women can work under IS (unlike under the Taliban) but only as "morality police" - ensuring that the dress and non-perfume code rules are enforced!), told members of its Western mercenaries (best word I can find to be polite - idiots/cretins/morons/extremely vicious, murderous, brainless thugs, though accurate words for them, might be deemed impolite!) to go back to their countries and use the same methods to bring these countries to heel. 

This, I think, involves the imposition of Sharia Law - as currently being imposed in Syria this allows for kidnapping, rape, murder, beheadings usw. Women must under no circumstances reveal an ear to the world (that is positively evil), but kidnap, rape, murder .... fine! As an atheist, I have no particular interest in finding out whether this version of Sharia Law is actually what it is supposed to be (even the Saudis have turned pale beyond belief due to the extremities being perpetrated in the name of Sharia Law in Syria, so that rather sums it up), but it is worth pointing out for once and for all that law is, and should be, the product of the will of the people, not an imposition upon them.

Germany currently has a population of some 82 million people. 4 million of them are Muslims, but only the Salafists (somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 apparently) are all that taken with the prospect of this extreme version of Sharia Law being imposed. Among their number are two white German converts who get far too much publicity as it is and their names will not be mentioned here as they are best ignored. See also under idiots/cretins/morons, if not yet extremely vicious, murderous, brainless thugs (well brainless possibly). 

I read one article last week that suggested that in fact many of the young men with German passports who have gone to Syria did not actually go for religious reasons at all, but rather for "adventure" (well, ignore the two or three who have committed suicide for the cause - that must require commitment, not just a spirit of adventure). 

Many are second (or more likely third) generation descendants of immigrants who came to do dirty, unpleasant, badly paid labouring jobs - often involving working anti-social hours. Those jobs have disappeared for the most part (winged their way to China where the above description applies - just add "very" in front of the phrase  "badly paid"), and these young people have difficulty in finding jobs. But they like to party, and (shock, horror) drink  beer, and they see glossy adverts on the Internet offering financial incentives and a chance to fulfil their needs for adventure ....

Digression - which suggests that another reason for resolving the European financial crisis sooner rather than later is to provide enough jobs which people can do - end of digression!

There are apparently a number of people have fallen for this phoney advertising, are disillusioned, and want to come back but have problems doing so. From reports it seems that there are 30 or so UK nationals who would come back if they were not afraid of facing terrorist charges, or during debriefing would be expected to name names of other UK nationals who need catching and locking up.

There is though a growing movement to prevent people coming back from the Islamic State at all. The British Conservative party seems to be very insistent upon this. While I can see where they are coming from with this (do we want to find out about kidnapping and beheadings by returning jihadists in Bletchley or Bradford, or in Bochum or Bonn for that matter?), enforcement is going to be extremely difficult. 

And then there is the question as to what exactly happens to several thousand radicalised murderous young thugs (with already too much blood on their hands, and hopefully upon their consciences - if they  have any). Wandering round the world, wherever they can get to (try Southern Russia for starters?). Very dangerous, very unpleasant, and needing to be locked up for the rest of their lives in my opinion! Certainly not undertaking a world terrorist tour!

If, may the non-existent deity protect us from this (or alternatively - please mighty Thor, please strike these infidels down with your thunderbolts!), they do return, they had better realise, or be forced to realise, that we have laws here which state extremely clearly that kidnapping, rape, cold-blooded murder and beheading people are criminal acts, and will be punished. We do not support this evil bunch of guidelines which comprise, or masquerade as, Sharia Law, and the people are massively opposed to its imposition!!!!

Getting this into the thick skulls of the idiots/cretins/morons/extremely vicious, murderous, brainless thugs involved may not be easy, but soft touches we must not be. Stamping down very hard on the slightest sign of extremist conduct is going to be essential.