Iraq News & Discussions

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Thank you @Legend and @KSA for your input. Let me share a bit more of what I believe is the root of the problem which created monsters like the ISIS.

In Malaysia and Thailand, for a long time, there has been religious schools. On the surface, this looks like a good thing. However, I had the chance to have a closer look at what is actually happening in the religious schools which are called pondoks or madrasahs.

First, the children who are sent to these religious schools. Children who are straight A students are never sent to these religious schools. They are sent to mainstream schools. Children who cannot cope with academic subjects like Mathermatics and Science are sent to these religious schools. These religious schools have become some sort of dumping ground for dropouts. Now when these children finish their religious education, what do they become? Do they become doctors? No. Do they become engineers? No. Do they become computer programmers? No. They become religious teachers.

This has been going on for generations. In the religious schools, the children are not taught to think. They just learn what they are taught and they do not question what they are taught. The end result is an entire group of people whose view of Islam is very limited in scope, whose outlook on life is totally limited to just what their teachers taught them.

True, they can speak Arabic. True, they can recite verses from the Quran. True, they can quote the hadeeth in Arabic. And all these makes them sound like Muslim scholars but they have absolutely no inkling of what Muslim scholarship entails.

The real danger becomes apparent when these people who sound like Muslim scholars, but actually are not, start talking about things which are not the whole picture of Islam. They talk about killing the kafirs and the masses believe them because they talk Arabic and they recite verses from the Quran and they quote the hadeeth in the original Arabic. They talk about jihad and the masses believe them, while the truth of the matter is they, the people who sounded like Muslim scholars, have no idea what jihad is really about.

To reverse this trend, to counter the influence of these people who sound like Muslim scholars, we need to establish religious schools where we send out brightest and finest students, where we teach the children to think for themselves, where we train the children to ask questions, where we empower the students with Mathematics and Science, so that when they grow up, they will become doctors and engineers, for example, who know what Islam is really about and who can stand up and speak out, in Arabic, reciting verses from the Quran and quoting the hadeeth in its original Arabic, to counter the lies spread by people like the ISIS.

 

[UAE]

Thank you @Legend and @KSA for your input. Let me share a bit more of what I believe is the root of the problem which created monsters like the ISIS.

In Malaysia and Thailand, for a long time, there has been religious schools. On the surface, this looks like a good thing. However, I had the chance to have a closer look at what is actually happening in the religious schools which are called pondoks or madrasahs.

First, the children who are sent to these religious schools. Children who are straight A students are never sent to these religious schools. They are sent to mainstream schools. Children who cannot cope with academic subjects like Mathermatics and Science are sent to these religious schools. These religious schools have become some sort of dumping ground for dropouts. Now when these children finish their religious education, what do they become? Do they become doctors? No. Do they become engineers? No. Do they become computer programmers? No. They become religious teachers.

This has been going on for generations. In the religious schools, the children are not taught to think. They just learn what they are taught and they do not question what they are taught. The end result is an entire group of people whose view of Islam is very limited in scope, whose outlook on life is totally limited to just what their teachers taught them.

True, they can speak Arabic. True, they can recite verses from the Quran. True, they can quote the hadeeth in Arabic. And all these makes them sound like Muslim scholars but they have absolutely no inkling of what Muslim scholarship entails.

The real danger becomes apparent when these people who sound like Muslim scholars, but actually are not, start talking about things which are not the whole picture of Islam. They talk about killing the kafirs and the masses believe them because they talk Arabic and they recite verses from the Quran and they quote the hadeeth in the original Arabic. They talk about jihad and the masses believe them, while the truth of the matter is they, the people who sounded like Muslim scholars, have no idea what jihad is really about.

To reverse this trend, to counter the influence of these people who sound like Muslim scholars, we need to establish religious schools where we send out brightest and finest students, where we teach the children to think for themselves, where we train the children to ask questions, where we empower the students with Mathematics and Science, so that when they grow up, they will become doctors and engineers, for example, who know what Islam is really about and who can stand up and speak out, in Arabic, reciting verses from the Quran and quoting the hadeeth in its original Arabic, to counter the lies spread by people like the ISIS.

Can't agree more @Aree Wongwanlee

I kind of blaming governments of those countries for not encouraging science, research and developments, innovations as part of the curriculum in their religious schools.

Failure of governing led many youths to be exploited by extremists.

The lack of solid educational infrastructure in many Islamic nations is another major issue.

The international Islamic association aren't playing the role it should in educating the massive Muslim population either.

The absence of social and educational sectors.

The list goes on and on. What we need is an intellectual revolution that brings Muslim back in the league as they were during the golden age of Islam.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

What we need is an intellectual revolution that brings Muslim back in the league as they were during the golden age of Islam.

Maybe this is not a good time to be talking about revolution. The very word itself raises the spectre of violence and chaos. Let's call it change by osmosis instead.

This is how it works. First, we have to start a school where we send our brightest and finest children. At this elite school, they will study English, Mathematics and Science. Learning Arabic, the Quran and Islam are, of course, mandatory. However, the focus is on critical thinking rather than rote learning. When these children grow up, they have a lot of opportunities to become outstanding members of society. Their example will inspire more people to build more schools like this.

I believe that, generally speaking, Muslims are just like other people. They want peace and love. They want to succeed in this world. The only problem is that they have been constantly brainwashed into thinking that, if they want to be true to Islam, they must never have anything to do with the West. This, of course, is total nonsense.

So, if we get started now, in fifty years, we may see a new world where groups like ISIS will not exist anymore. Is fifty years too long to make something like this happen?

 

[UAE]

Maybe this is not a good time to be talking about revolution. The very word itself raises the spectre of violence and chaos. Let's call it change by osmosis instead.

This is how it works. First, we have to start a school where we send our brightest and finest children. At this elite school, they will study English, Mathematics and Science. Learning Arabic, the Quran and Islam are, of course, mandatory. However, the focus is on critical thinking rather than rote learning. When these children grow up, they have a lot of opportunities to become outstanding members of society. Their example will inspire more people to build more schools like this.

I believe that, generally speaking, Muslims are just like other people. They want peace and love. They want to succeed in this world. The only problem is that they have been constantly brainwashed into thinking that, if they want to be true to Islam, they must never have anything to do with the West. This, of course, is total nonsense.

So, if we get started now, in fifty years, we may see a new world where groups like ISIS will not exist anymore. Is fifty years too long to make something like this happen?

What I meant by an intellectual revolution is a complete change in the school systems where critical thinking, research and development, science and innovations are encouraged by all means. I think all Islamic countries should benefit from one another and that shouldn't exclude other non muslim countries as well. Look at the GCC for example, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia. Saudi Arabia has done some great work in the past ten years and I must give them credit for that.

Exactly, Islam has been here for the past 1400 years and have always coexisted with all people regardless of their background, religious beliefs, ethnicity..etc. The core issue is that those exploiting our kids for political purposes using Islam as a mean of getting what they want. Those bad apples need to be dealt with as well.

 

[mikeqin]

Unfortunately for the US, Kobani isn't the only place air strikes are failing to stop Isis.

 

[Scorpion]

ISIS loses ground to Kurds in Syria’s Kobane

AFP, Beirut
Saturday, 27 December 2014
ISIS militant group has lost ground in the Syrian border town of Kobane, where Kurdish fighters now control more than 60 percent of territory, a monitoring group said Saturday.

The strategically located town on the border with Turkey has become a major symbol of resistance against ISIS, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, committing widespread atrocities.

The jihadists launched a major offensive in mid-September to try to capture Kobane, and at one point controlled more than half of the town, known in Arabic as Ain al-Arab.

But supported by U.S.-led air strikes and reinforced by Kurds from Iraq, “Kurdish forces now control more than 60 percent of the city,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“ISIS has even left areas that the Kurds did not enter for fear of mines,” he added.

A Kurdish activist from Kobane, Mustefa Ebdi, said that Kurdish militia defending the town had advanced eastwards on the frontline during the past week.

ISIS has withdrawn from the seized Kurdish militia headquarters in the north of the city, as well as from southern and central districts, according to activists.

“The Kurdish advance is due largely to the air strikes by the coalition,” said Ebdi.

“The jihadists are now using tunnels after failing in their tactics of car bombs and explosive belts,” he said.

Dozens of IS fighters have carried out suicide bomb attacks in Kobane in the face of fierce Kurdish resistance.

More than 1,000 people are reported to have been killed in the battle for the town, most of them jihadists.

 

[downsouth]

The ISIS acts of genocide really made them notorious and got the US involved. I wish more countries join the fight against this terrorist group before they are able to carry out something on a large scale.

 

[downsouth]

They are spreading terror across the globe. Places that haven't seen terrorist attacks in years like Australia and now Canada are becoming targets. With the US crackdown after 9/11, Al Qaeda and other rogue groups have found it very difficult to carry out anything in the US. So instead they are now doing it in places where there is no system or infrastructure in place to guard against them.

 

[downsouth]

"ISIS attempted to incite further attacks against Canadians on Sunday, issuing a propaganda video in which an Ottawa extremist scolded the government for joining the international military coalition fighting the terrorist group.
The six-minute video said Canadians would be indiscriminately targeted and that Muslims were obliged to either join ISIS or “follow the example” of the attackers who struck in Ottawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

“You either pack your bags, or prepare your explosive devices. You either purchase your airline ticket, or you sharpen your knife,” said the video, produced by a propaganda group linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham."

John Maguire’s ISIS video urges attacks on Canadian soil | National Post

 

[Scorpion]

The ISIS acts of genocide really made them notorious and got the US involved. I wish more countries join the fight against this terrorist group before they are able to carry out something on a large scale.

ISIS has become a nightmare for the whole world. This monster will further grow and expand if not dealt with effectively. The coalition should make it rain hard on them even if it requires deployment of ground forces.

 

[Stims]

ISIS has become a nightmare for the whole world. This monster will further grow and expand if not dealt with effectively. The coalition should make it rain hard on them even if it requires deployment of ground forces.

Couldn't agree more! IS is unlike any group i have ever seen or read about in the past. Their narrow minded and isolated view of life and islam is frightening and until they are stopped i cannot see anything but more pain and terror for many people.

I mean we now have children volunteering to be suicide bombers just to try and escape them.

Shocking 14 year old Syrian Volunteers to be a Suicide Bomber for ISIS

 

[Saraldra]

Couldn't agree more! IS is unlike any group i have ever seen or read about in the past. Their narrow minded and isolated view of life and islam is frightening and until they are stopped i cannot see anything but more pain and terror for many people.

I mean we now have children volunteering to be suicide bombers just to try and escape them.

Shocking 14 year old Syrian Volunteers to be a Suicide Bomber for ISIS

I find it incredulous how ISIS even formed in the first place. A terrorist organisation should not be able to simply declare itself a country and start demanding rights, and spreading chaos.

Due to the rapid growth of ISIS, it will be difficult to completely eliminate the threat they pose.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

A terrorist organisation should not be able to simply declare itself a country and start demanding rights, and spreading chaos.

A terrorist organization can declare itself to be anything it likes. For all that matters, they can declare themselves to be aliens from Mars. The pertinent point is how the rest of the world views them. If the rest of the world accepts that the ISIS is a state, then it is a state. If the rest of the world views the ISIS as just a bunch of thugs, then it is just a bunch of thugs.

 

[Saraldra]

A terrorist organization can declare itself to be anything it likes. For all that matters, they can declare themselves to be aliens from Mars. The pertinent point is how the rest of the world views them. If the rest of the world accepts that the ISIS is a state, then it is a state. If the rest of the world views the ISIS as just a bunch of thugs, then it is just a bunch of thugs.

You are right, of course.

As a terrorist organisation ISIS does not comply with any international jurisdictions, but if they want to become a state/country they have to be internationally recognised.

I wonder if calling them the 'Islamic State' is actually benefiting their cause. Calling them a state could increase their influence as other groups see them as a more powerful entity.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

You are right, of course.

As a terrorist organisation ISIS does not comply with any international jurisdictions, but if they want to become a state/country they have to be internationally recognised.

I wonder if calling them the 'Islamic State' is actually benefiting their cause. Calling them a state could increase their influence as other groups see them as a more powerful entity.

I think that's probably the reason why they call themselves the Islamic State. And the media is helping them in their propaganda by following suit. I read somewhere that calling ISIS by their name in their language is a better idea.

The name Daesh, according to France24, is a "loose acronym" for "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (al-Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham). The name is commonly used by enemies of ISIS, and it also has many negative undertones, as Daesh sounds similar to the Arabic words Daes ("one who crushes something underfoot") and Dahes ("one who sows discord").