Briefly examine the place of ethno-religious identity and affiliation Essay

Briefly examine the place of ethno-religious identity and affiliation within the rise of the group calling itself IS ect. and how this group should be opposed - Essay Example The sympathizers of the group argue that it is only applying Islam fully, an argument it uses to justify the killing of its opponents. The IS was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In 2003, the group attacked a UN compound in Baghdad in one of its biggest attacks. The attack claimed 22 lives, among them the UN special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello. The attack was closely followed by the killing of 150 people in twin attacks in Baghdad and Shiite during the Ashura festival. The group’s leader also personally beheaded American and British hostages in the year 2004. It is in the same year that group joined Al-Qaeda to be known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). It is said that the group was part of Al-Qaeda and was expelled from Afghanistan for being too extreme and radical. In fact, it participated in the war against American forces after the death of President Saddam Hussein. In 2013, the group was actively involved in the Syrian Civil War, where it grew its tenets. In fact, the Islamic state emphasized more on building an Islamic state rather than the regime change that was so desired. The group has been on a growth trajectory ever since as is evidenced by the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in mid 2014. The group’s caliph was declared to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The group, in 2006, planned to enforce its sharia laws in Iraq but was opposed by the local community. Tribal militias, with the support of American forces, fought against the ISIS group pushing it off Iraqi. Following the Iraq government’s failure to recruit the tribal militias in the security forces, they turned and joined ISIS. Between 2013 and 2014, the group built its base in Syria, specifically in Raqqa district. The struggle to seize this area, however, was not an easy one because they faced challenges from other rebel groups. The group used the tactic of divide and rule to strengthen its allies and weaken its antagonists. This strategy effectively helped IS to