HUFFINGTON POST: ISIS is not al-Qaeda. In fact, the groups are on less-than-friendly terms. Here’s the backstory:
ISIS’ roots lie in a Sunni Islamist militant group founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 2005 and named his group al-Qaeda in Iraq. Their relationship was sometimes tense, and the groups developed different tactics, goals and styles of leadership…
One of the more eyebrow-raising theories about ISIS is that it is a creation of U.S., British and/or Israeli intelligence agencies. New York Times reporter Thomas Erdbrink told HuffPost Live that the belief is common among Iranians. The theory was traced back to a dubious blog post that was picked up by Iranian and other Middle Eastern media. Conservative media got hold of it, using it as an example of a government conspiracy. Politifact bestowed the theory its “Pants on fire” rating…
In late September, a group of Muslim scholars from around the world issued a letterrebuking ISIS’ extreme ideology. The scholars tore down the group’s practices as un-Islamic, offering a point-by-point summary of how its ideology breaks from what most Muslims believe. The scholars wrote that in Islam, it is forbiden to torture, kill the innocent and attribute evil acts to God, rejecting how ISIS has sought to kill people they call “kafir” — or infidels who have not pledged allegiance to a single Muslim leader. For ISIS, the kafir may include other Muslims. The scholars go on to denounce other ISIS actions and beliefs, including forcing others to convert to its ideologies, destroying the tombs of prophets… (more)
EDITOR: Is this another attempt by the military / industrial complex to scare Americans into spending more money and lives?
Or is it a matter of the militlary / industrial complex having cried “wolf” too often?
We must always be on our guard against manipulations based on fear which can even carry away our most reliable media outlets.
