Thursday, August 14, 2014

Medieval Thinking and Modern Weapons

Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraq-Syria border.
CreditAhmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The situation in Iraq, the confrontation with ISIL (or ISIS as at the US news media calls them because most Americans aren't familiar with the Levant) highlights a fundamentally medieval thinking foe armed with 21st Century technology and tactics threatening the peace of not only the region, but of the entire world.

The situation is truly a blast from the past and the barbarism being displayed is reason enough that these throwbacks need to be stopped to restore peace to the troubled region.

Already the ISIL is bringing together an alliance of enemies to be arrayed against them. Syria, Turkey, the Kurds, Iraq, Iran, the US, and the UK along with others I may have missed are coming together against them and trying to protect the innocent peace loving non-combatants in the region.

I have been appalled by the brutality and disrespect of life ISIL has shown. Just research some of the web sites to find examples of the genocide. There is a body of evidence that demonstrates that ISIL has executed unarmed men who were captured. This is a page right out of the middle part of the 20th Century associated with names like Hitler and Stalin.

The United States must use its ability as the last standing super power to confront these brutal people. It is clear the Russia is engaged in its own deception campaign to steal people and territory from another country and that China is trying to steal oil fields in the Asian region. They clearly are not going to get involved in stopping this medieval threat until it is upon their borders.

The following passage highlights the approach used by ISIL in dealing with civilians:

Christians living in areas under ISIS control who wanted to remain in the "caliphate" faced three options, converting to Islam, paying a religious levy—jizya—or death. "We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword", ISIS said. ISIS had already set similar rules for Christians in Ar-Raqqah, Syria, once one of the nation's most liberal cities.

This threat to peace is not going to go away. Americans need to take notice of this threat and realize that even though it is half a world away, this type of medieval mentality is alive and strong in the 21st Century.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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