Reflecting its virtually uncontested control over a broad swath of land in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has announced the formation of a new nation, dubbed simply The Islamic State (TIS).
According to the announcement, TIS has been determined by Shura councils to be the “restoration of the Caliphate,” and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been declared the Caliph.
While TIS has been a de facto state for quite some time, albeit one with ill-defined borders engaged in multiple wars, the declaration of themselves as the new Caliphate is likely to fuel controversy around the world, and a direct challenge to Islamist factions.
That’s because a Caliphate claims to be the direct successor of the Prophet Muhammad, and its Caliph would at least claim to be the consensus final religious authority for all of Sunni Islam.
Caliphates have a long history across the Middle East, with dominant Caliphates ruling significant territory and wielding broad influence through much of history. For centuries, Ottoman sultans also held the position of Caliph. In 1924, Turkey dissolved the institution of Caliphate, and there has been no consensus Caliph since. In recent decades several Islamist factions have called for the restoration of the Caliphate, though naturally each has envisioned itself at the head, and none has gained anywhere near this much traction.
With the declaration, ISIS is making an enormous power play, aiming to put itself formally in command of all “faithful” Sunnis on a religious level. While that’s unlikely to matter across the broader Sunni world, except as a slap in the face, among Salafist factions like al-Qaeda this is a direct challenge, and a call for al-Qaeda and other such factions to submit to a position under Baghdadi’s rule.
Virulent crazed religious obscurantists (rejected by their own patrons, no less) trying to re-enact an opulently decadent empire?
Clearly humanity must one of the major irony generators of the galaxy.
This is all going to end in horrible shows of pro cleaning.
"Clearly humanity must one of the major irony generators of the galaxy. "
That line is too good to waste, I just wanted to print it again.
Okay and one more time:
Clearly humanity must one of the major irony generators of the galaxy.
Sunnis will never be happy until they kill all the Shia men, rape all the Shia women and take the Shia children (boys and girls) as sex slaves.
Good bye Sikes-Picot, hello New World Order…just not the one envisioned by Bush Daddy, ex-CIA, ex-VPOTUS. The western vision for the great 12th Century Unwashed is unraveling, get used to it.
For openers: Sykes-Picot died a long time ago by the Paris Peace Conference and its progeny plus Kemal Ataturk.
ISIS may fail but the idea will survive because of the treatment of the Arab nations after 1918 by "the West".
Arab nations were dysfunctional long before 1918 sport.
In a region known for centuries old conflicts, only a Western backed, crazed, outnumbered, foreign fighters would believe they can carve a "Caliphate' in the ME territories that the West, with all its sophisticated weaponry, couldn't hold onto despite over a decade of bitter fighting.
Israel intend to arm and train both sides of the conflict, weakening both sides hoping to pick up the pieces, but this is pure bs, wishful thinking and Western spin because one would have to ignore the obvious influence of Syria, Iran and Russia.
As EU and NATO is about militarizing the entire Europe, the expansion itself is about the Neo fascism and its social political ideology., Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the head of out going NATO, is one of them rest are already voted in EU parliament. USG policies in Middle East is about dividing nations and destroying what they have when it comes to nationalism and any kind of democracy that they have built, Iraq, Syria later Iran is part of the Neo cons policies and Barack Hussein Obama is working on both.
The criminality of Neo cons and those of democrats or otherwise working or helping for plans to succeed are nothing but vulture capitalism criminals. The us Neo democrats and old far rights democrats are just that.
Ah, the "blessings" of an imperialist foreign policy. Don't you just love the smell of insanity in the morning?
TIS blocks any Iranian route to the mediterranean, sounds like the neo con game plan.
Sunni Islam seems to have illegitimate roots in the Israeli-led West..I don’t buy this rubbish at all..
It is well to keep in mind that the world’s largest number of Muslims live in Indonesia.
Now, I wonder whether AW’s Cerberus will allow this factual and non-insulting posting to appear in print. I seem to be on a no-publish list for unknown reasons.
[moderator’s note: “I fantasize that I am on a no-publish list for dark imaginary reasons.” There, fixed that for ya – TLK]
This is just the US plan made years ago by PNAC:
http://ugghani.blogspot.de/2008/12/project-for-ne…
3:47
4:16but one thing we did learn
4:56 the purpose of the military is to start wars and change governments ? we invade countries …
5:13 "this country was taken over by a policy coup Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rumsfeld and 6 more of the PNAC , "they wanted us to destablize the middle east, turn it upside down, make it under our control
The PNAC Plan to Destabilize the Middle East (and the world?)
From when McCain took the photo opportunity with ISIS to when these barbarians prove themselves to be nothing but savages from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait feed by Turkish, EU and USG, is time to examen what is the nature of AIPAC, these governments and Israel, your choice, savages or barbarians or both with modernized politics and militarism regimes whom are in business creating these elements turning the time back to when they themselves were savages, yet in 2014 they feed on their creation as vultures.
I don't understand the knee-jerk hatred of the Caliph. It may turn out to be bad or maybe it can be a turn for the better – better than what prevails now – the institutionalized hatred by an Israel, the vulture-like , materialistic, cruel behavior of the West, or even the nonsensical Sunni/Shiite civil war. At one point in history, Islam was the leader of science and culture. Maybe it can be so again. I certainly, hold out little hope that our capitalistic system will dig its way out of its own grave of unlimited greed and theft ever again. Let it rot; and let something new be tried
Murder with any weapons is still murder. In the West we seem to worship armies and armaments, calling soldiers heroes, rather than people doing constructive work.
Peculiar religious beliefs, throughout history, seem to have fueled the differences between humans.
Sunnis and Shiahs, Catholics and Protestants show that even those who follow a particular leader cannot agree and try to kill each other.
Worldwide, not only are soldiers almost worshipped for generations, but armaments of all sorts are one of the biggest international trades, ready to fuel any conflicts, producing profits for their shareholders.
I don't hold with the twisted vision of Islam as espoused by ISIS, nor do I recognize this 'caliphate' as a legitimate entity within the bounds of Islam- and I'm certainly not going to pledge my unconditional support for this self-styled Caliph who appears out of nowhere with a rock-solid pedigree reaching straight back to Muhammad himself. And this being declared on the first day of Ramadan? What it looks like to me is a convenient excuse for ISIS to kill its detractors and local enemies within the region. It just doesn't pass the smell test at all.