James Lemon
Well-known member
I this made this image Oct 29 2011. There was very little news media coverage of this crisis at the time.
I this made this image Oct 29 2011. There was very little news media coverage of this crisis at the time.
Its not about religion.
It's absolutely about religion. The different groups sincerely believe in their own groups scriptural interpretation of one shared holy book. They do not make anything up. Everything they do is derived from logical interpretation of what they treasure and are willing to defend with all their resources. Just that the Shia and Sunni factions differ in who was wronged in some key figure's actions after the period of the Prophet.
Take away the religion and Isis had no unifying magnetic draw and nothing to fuel its engines.
Now Russia is not in their for religion. They want their mediteranean port of Tarsus to be a long term asset and for Shia influence to be a buffer around greater Russia against the West. The West doesn't want violent extremists to come back home bringing terror technology to its shores, but again have no issues with religion,(except for right wing xenophobic sections of "older" Europe).
The reason why ISIS is transnational is only because of the common idealogy within the twin feelings of revulsion of the immoral "Crusader Infidels" and the sheer romantic devotion to the pure truth and total exclusive knowledge base and authority of the Holy Koran as read literally in the meanings current in the 7th Century. ISIS are not fraudsters, just devoted fanatics who are logical and steadfast just as an aeronautical engineer is logical and steadfast. However, one looks at the laws of physics as the only unquestionable guidance whereas the other find truth only in the scriptures.
Asher
Hi Asher
May I suggest that "sectarian strife in Syria has been engineered to provide cover for a war for access to oil and gas, and the power and money that come along with it"
James.