The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[Darth Wagtaros]

More bombing please.

Who bombing what?  Waiting for the Iranians to roll in?

[mongers]

More bombing please.

Who bombing what?  Waiting for the Iranians to roll in?

US/anyone - bombs - 'Islamic State'.   

[Viking]

I never really understand things like this. Seems like beheading Americans on video isn't a good way to get the US out of your business.

Like I alluded to earlier. These people are not operating with the scope of what we consider rational and intelligent behaviour. They are not doing this because they think it is smart, they are doing this because their book tells them to. They are not calculating their behaviour to manipulate american public opinion like so many terror groups which accrue useful idiots and fellow travellers in the west. They read the book, the book says behead infidels, so they behead infidels.

So it seems like they just pick and choose the passages that they like?

No, that is what regular people do. Not just religious moderates. Most people in general already know what they think is right and already know what they want to do and then rationalize a justification which suits that. Selectively reading passages from their preferred religious book or justifying your own actions by emphasizing the reasons which support your preferred choice and ignoring those which don't. (cake tastes good and well the calories thing can be dealt with by exercise, so eating cake is ok)

What jihadis are doing is they are approaching the book with a blank sheet and figuring out what they want to do not from their own desires and moral sentiments but rather subjugating them to the book itself. The IS fighters are to a large extent travelling jihadis who came because they wanted to do jihad. They want to do what the book tells them because they are not picking and choosing what they like and choose to ignore.

[Ed Anger]

More bombing please.

Slavedriver.

[garbon]

What jihadis are doing is they are approaching the book with a blank sheet and figuring out what they want to do not from their own desires and moral sentiments but rather subjugating them to the book itself. The IS fighters are to a large extent travelling jihadis who came because they wanted to do jihad. They want to do what the book tells them because they are not picking and choosing what they like and choose to ignore.

From what I know though the book mostly says that in the context of fighting. Apart from that one oblique reference to Muhammad's act, there isn't much about beheading already vanquished foes.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Tim needs to make a series of maps.

Iran suffers the worst martyr harvest in fifty years.... Jihadist uprising in Pakistan..... Indian troops invade.... Saudi and Kuwait reach troop strength goals of 50,000..... Labor Party gains control of Israel and withdraws from the West Bank.... ISIS stands alone.

[DontSayBanana]

Tim needs to make a series of maps.

Iran suffers the worst martyr harvest in fifty years.... Jihadist uprising in Pakistan..... Indian troops invade.... Saudi and Kuwait reach troop strength goals of 50,000..... Labor Party gains control of Israel and withdraws from the West Bank.... ISIS stands alone.

Ted Stevens was wrong.  The Internet isn't a series of tubes.  It's a series of maps.

...And they all suck.

[mongers]

What jihadis are doing is they are approaching the book with a blank sheet and figuring out what they want to do not from their own desires and moral sentiments but rather subjugating them to the book itself. The IS fighters are to a large extent travelling jihadis who came because they wanted to do jihad. They want to do what the book tells them because they are not picking and choosing what they like and choose to ignore.

From what I know though the book mostly says that in the context of fighting. Apart from that one oblique reference to Muhammad's act, there isn't much about beheading already vanquished foes.

Shall we play a game and guess the names of countries that are big on beheadings ?

[garbon]

What jihadis are doing is they are approaching the book with a blank sheet and figuring out what they want to do not from their own desires and moral sentiments but rather subjugating them to the book itself. The IS fighters are to a large extent travelling jihadis who came because they wanted to do jihad. They want to do what the book tells them because they are not picking and choosing what they like and choose to ignore.

From what I know though the book mostly says that in the context of fighting. Apart from that one oblique reference to Muhammad's act, there isn't much about beheading already vanquished foes.

Shall we play a game and guess the names of countries that are big on beheadings ?

[Valmy]

Do non Arabs do the beheading thing?  Maybe it is cultural.  Though I guess I recall the Taliban was big on it to.

[Darth Wagtaros]

The Ottomans were big on it. The French too for a while.

[Eddie Teach]

The English beheaded their king.

[DontSayBanana]

The Lannisters beheaded Ned Stark.

[Valmy]

The Ottomans were big on it. The French too for a while.

It was the humane way to kill people

Obviously everybody used to behead people back before we could use civilized methods like firing squads.

[Ed Anger]

The Lannisters beheaded Ned Stark.

SPOILERS