Holy War of the 'Center' of the World (Folha, Brazil)
"Until
very recently, the war carried out by the Islamic State was the real War of the End of the World - the title
of a book by Mario Vargas Llosa. ... The problem is
that its supporters have moved from the end of the world to, for example,
Oxford Street in London, the busiest shopping street in the world, where they
hand out leaflets inviting people to join the caliphate. All in all, it is
clear that bombing mountains in Iraq will not be enough to win this war."
Until very recently, the war carried out by IS (the Islamic
State) in Iraq and Syria was the real War of the End
of the World - the title of a book by Mario Vargas Llosa,
about the War of Canudos in Brazil. He called it the "end of the
world" because the West paid no attention to it.
The German magazine Der
Spiegel noted that, "it was only this threat of genocide [against the Yazidis]
that moved the global community to act. Countries around the world quickly
united in the battle against IS, by far the world's most brutal, most
successful - and most sinister - jihadist troop."
Now, the beheading of American journalist James Foley has
brought the war to the "center" of the world. According to Charles
Lister (Brookings Institution), who researches the radical militia intensively,
it's too late: "Unfortunately, the IS has been allowed to grow and develop
to such an extent that any strategy to counter it will take years and very
significant resources," Lister told Der Spiegel.
In fact, today, IS is an army (with an estimated 6,000 to
8,000 members in Syria and more than 15,000 in Iraq), but it is also a state. The
German magazine reports: "IS even offers social security benefits to
residents of areas under its control - just like a real country, says
Brookings' Lister. Whatever regions the IS captures, it simply continues paying
local workers, [people like the employees at the Mosul dam or even those
working in restaurants]."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Money hasn't been a problem for the fanatics: when they conquered
the city of Mosul, they took $500 million from local coffers, not to mention
the fact that they collect taxes and sell oil and gas in areas they control.
This technocratic behavior clashes head on with the ideological roots of IS. The
militia adheres to the tenets of ancient radical Islamist preachers, for example,
those of Sheikh Taqi al-Din IbnTaymiyya (1263-1328).
Iraqi journalist ShukurKhilkhal explains that Taymiyya commanded
Muslims to advocate holy war (jihad) against infidels (and all states of the
world are considered infidel), apostates, and even undecided Muslims.
This is why IS declared the Caliphate (a government based on
Islamic law) in territory it has captured in Syria and Iraq. It would therefore
be the only infidel-free Islamic state on the planet.
It is a state so primitive that, in addition to well-known rules
about stoning women for adultery and amputating the hands of thieves, it also prohibits
the sale of ice cream and cucumbers at markets so as not to arouse impure
thoughts.
In short, as President Barack Obama said on August 20, "a
group like IS has no place in the 21st century."
The problem is that
its supporters have moved from the end of the world to, for example, Oxford
Street in London, the busiest shopping street in the world, where they hand out
leaflets inviting people to join the caliphate. It is estimated that between 2,000
and 3,000 young Europeans have already accepted the invitation.
All in all, it is clear
that bombing mountains in Iraq will not be enough to win this war.
Clovis Rossi is a special correspondent and member of the Folha editorial board, is a winner
of the Maria Moors Cabot award (USA) and is a member of the Foundation for a
New Ibero-American Journalism. His column appears on
Thursdays and Sundays on page 2 and on Saturdays in the World Notebook
section. He is the author, among other works, of Special Envoy: 25 Years
Around the World and What is Journalism?
