The Social Media and the Battle against the ISIS

The rise of the ISIS and its battle against the governments of Syria and Iraq and the Kurds and other armed groups has caught the curiosity and attention of people around the world. Negative news reports on ISIS members’ actions in combats and their treatment of captives and civilians have horrified many people.

Aside from the physical battle, the parties to the conflict also take into account its psychological dimension to boost the war effort. In this regard, the social media particularly Facebook and Twitter has become an unwitting tool or a venue for the battle to win the people’s hearts and minds in the conflict involving ISIS and its opponents.

Concerned of the bad publicity it has brought to Islam since the ISIS claims that it has carried out its act in the name of the religion, leaders of Saudi Arabia and religious clerics as well as some Islamic association of America and Europe have denounced the ISIS stating that the actions and behavior of its members are not compatible with the tenets of Islam. In fact Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Jordan have joined the US led coalition to provide airstrike against the ISIS’ members and their facilities. Other western countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands and Australia have also given support to the forces that are fighting the ISIS such as the Kurds and the Iraqi army.

In a battle, the side which has a superior firepower, proficient and well motivated troops as well as good commanders usually prevails over its weaker opponent. However, the battle to win the people’s hearts and minds including those of the non-combatants cannot be overlooked. This is proven in the American defeat in the Vietnam War. And in the Arab Spring the social media particularly Facebook and Twitter was a tool that galvanized world opinion against state of affairs in the Middle East. The use of the social media stoked the flame of people’s revolt that toppled down long serving and well entrenched autocratic rulers such as the late Col. Muammar Khadafy of Libya and former President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

    

Appalled by the atrocities of the ISIS, some internet users are bringing their opinion and sentiments against it in the internet. Some formed groups in Facebook with the aim of denouncing the ISIS and of giving users updates on news and on the battle that is raging on between the ISIS and the Kurds and other forces opposing it such as the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

The opposition to ISIS is gaining momentum in the social media. And the post and the interaction of users about the ISIS could somehow influence world opinion for or against it. A group such as the ISIS that wants people to submit to their wishes and demands through sheer acts of terror cannot possibly win the hearts and minds of the people in the world.

The Brutalities of the ISIS

Waging jihad to establish Islamic caliphate, the ISIS emerges as the most fearsome and well funded terrorist organization in the world. Its ferocity and determination have made it conquer large swath of lands in Syria and Iraq. During a battle Iraqi security forces fled from engagement leaving behind large quantity of weapons given to them by the Americans. The bonanza of American weapons and their initial military victories were a big boost to the morale of the ISIS fighters.

The advance of the ISIS has displaced thousands of indigenous population. Its onslaught created a flow of refugees in Northern Iraq and the Turkish borders. The ISIS which is mostly composed of Sunnis is at odds with the local Shiites, and armed confrontations are common occurrence between them. Conquering an area, the ISIS militants give the minorities such as the Christians and the Yazidis to convert to Islam or be killed. In areas that fell under their control after a military operation, the militants imposed harsh actions to the local populace. Women and children are separated from the men. The men including older male children are then killed execution style. The method of execution includes shooting, beheading and crucifying. Captured or kidnapped women are then raped or made as sex slaves. Selected young women are gifted to ISIS commanders as “wives”. Captured children are trained to become “holy warriors” or suicide bombers.

The US and western nations airstrikes have given the Kurds, the Iraqi security forces and other local militias a breathing space to deal with the ISIS. The Peshmerga the Kurdish armed forces which took the brunt of the fighting were able to recapture lost grounds. With US air support and weapons supplied by France and other European nations' the Kurds stalled or halted the ISIS advance into their territory.

Getting back at the Americans, the ISIS beheaded two American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in an effort to intimidate them and their allies. France which is active in the campaign against the terror group was also given a warning that its citizens will be targeted.

Despite the US air strikes, the ISIS militants have shown their superiority over local adversaries especially the Iraqi security forces. In the middle of September 2014, ISIS militants besieged an Iraqi army unit guarding a strategic supply route in Western Anbar. Suicide bombers dressed as Iraqi soldiers on bomb-laden Humvee vehicles drove through an army camp and detonated the bombs into the Iraqi soldiers’ positions. The explosions inflicted heavy casualties to the surprised Iraqi army. Amid the chaos and confusion that ensued, the militants then assaulted and overran the camp and killed as many as 250 Iraqi soldiers. Those who were not killed were captured or were able to escape. It is estimated that the Iraqi security forces lost about 500 of its troops that are listed as either killed or missing in that battle.

The brutalities of the ISIS have made some leaders and clerics of Muslim world such as Saudi Arabia to denounce the group. They stated that the group’s actions are disgrace to the Islamic faith and are not compatible with the principles of Islam. And that the ISIS does not represent the Muslims. Putting their money where their mouths are, Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain with Qatar in supporting role have joined the coalition of countries that conducted airstrikes against the ISIS in Syria.