The US and the „Islamic State“

Donald Trump just accused Barack Obama of being the „founder of ISIS“ while calling Hillary Clinton its „co-founder.“ Although he did not go into detail, his remarks once again highlight the need to revisit the US‘ role in the region in general and the rise of the „Islamic State“ in particular. Unfortunately, Trump’s remarks are not completely off the mark.

Weiterlesen „The US and the „Islamic State““

Reads on ISIS

Why Turkey is reluctant to fight ISIS/IS and how it undermines Kurdish efforts (furthermore, it is possible that Turkey funds extremists such as al-Nusra):

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/18/turkey-cut-islamic-state-supply-lines-erdogan-isis?CMP=share_btn_fb 

Good read on the painful „does the Islamic state have anyhting to do with Islam“-debate (spoiler alert: yes, obviously. And pretending it doesn’t is not very helpful to spark inner-Islamic reform):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/18/does-isis-really-have-nothing-to-do-with-islam-islamic-apologetics-carry-serious-risks/?postshare=5661447886714901&tid=ss_tw-bottom

See also this article on how you can use the Quran and the life of Mohammed both as a justification and a rejection of ISIS strategy and actions:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/14/after-the-paris-attacks-heres-how-to-think-about-the-relationship-between-isis-and-islam/