September 2014
News
The Stentorian \ NCSSM
ISIS in perspective:
A history of the terrorist organization
Joe Wisewell
Staff Writer
The Islamic State did
not spontaneously pop into
existence in early 2014, but has
evolved slowly since the 1990s.
Its current form represents a
new stage of terrorism with
ruthless attacks both on Iraq’s
majority Shiite population and
on its government.
The ideas and tactics put
on display by the Islamic State
were formed shortly after
the end of the Soviet War in
Afghanistan in the early 1990s
but were not utilized until the
US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
During 2003, al-Qaeda in Iraq
(AQl), which was a mostly
Sunni group, utilized tactics of
killing Shiites on a large scale.
This deepened the massive
rift between Sunni and Shiite
sects in Iraq. By 2006 this
movement was mostly dead,
but the rift remained and in
2011 these ideas were reborn.
The United States had
facilitated the creation of a
new government in Iraq before
the troop withdraw in 2011.
The rift between Sunnis and
Shiites, however, still lingered
and Iraq’s Prime Minister
— -
furthered this polarization by
flooding the police force with
Shiites and humiliating Sunni
politicians.
The AQl, rebranded as The
Islamic State of Iraq (ISl) and
led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
capitalized on this rift, this
time siding with Shiites. ISl
gained strength from a growing
number of former soldiers
the creation of this new Ifont,
the group was once again
relabeled as the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). ISIS
quickly grabbed land in Syria,
but its harsh control soon led
the world ISIS was ready to
take and hold land, instead of
making random attacks.
With this victory, ISIS
was once again renamed
“The Islamic State” (IS) and
Baghdadi, leader of ISIS, releases a press statement in Mosul. He is wearing a Rolex watch;
after robbing financial institutions in Mosul, ISIS' net worth grew to over $2 billion, moking
them the wealthiest terrorist group in the world.
and commanders of Saddam
Hussein’s army.
These military-style soldiers
powerful enough to expand
its already ruthless attacks in
Iraq to the mostly then secular
Syrian Civil War and the battle
against Bashar al-Assad. With
to rebellion and Assad’s forces
drove them out.
Baghdadi, however, had
uirtVi pltcrK5"fur I3TIT*tII3TT 3"
long war in Syria and quickly
moved to strike his home
country of Iraq. In early 2014,
ISIS took the city of Mosel
in northern Iraq, showing to
Baghdadi declared himself
Caliph. These titles give
insight into the nature of the
oigaiiizaiion: tttc term caitph
refers to four original Caliphs,
who were followers of the
prophet Muhammad. After the
death of Muhammad in 632
they ruled and expanded the
Islamic State in the Middle
East until 661.
It is Baghdadi’s goal to
reestablish that state and create
a new golden age of Islam.
There is an idea in IS that with
the establishment of Caliph,
people will flock to join them,
marketing their cause through
a heavy influence in social
media.
This influence has been
created from IS’s heavy
documentation of their own
atrocities, ironic because most
massacres and human rights
violations are covered up, yet
for almost every execution IS
has had film makers on site.
In early 2014, IS seemed
like a power to be reckoned
with. Its advances were
crushing the Iraqi military.
Low morale and discipline in
the military spawned reports
of thousands of troops fleeing
garrisons as IS approached,
some of which were never
actually overrun.
Years of sectarian violence
and foreign intervention have
brought little change to the war
ravaged country and it is now
clear that the U.S. war on terror
there has been a total failure.
RccETitly,"Ame‘i1'can air Strikes
have slowed IS’s advance
to a tentative standstill, but
if international work will
ultimately bring peace to Iraq
is unclear.
NCSSM initiates Safe Zone training,
Spectrum marches in Durham Pride Parade
By AJ Goren
Staff Writer
- September was a big
month for one of NCSSM’s
most colorful cultural clubs -
Spectrum, NCSSM’s LGBTQ-
straight alliance, participated
in the NC Pride Festival as
well as sponsored Safe Zone
Training during I-Week.
Spectrum meets approxi
mately once a month and is an
open forum for LGBTQ stu
dents to address issues which
affect themselves and their
community, and an opportu
nity for non-LGBTQ students
to learn more about the com
munity, express support, and
engage in discussion.
Safe Zone participants learn
to be sensitive and empathetic
LGBTQ allies while gaining
more information about the
LGBTQ community and the
issues they face.
These training sessions took
place during Innovation Week,
for faculty/staflf and students.
Sue Anne Lewis, SLI for
Reynolds 1E, 2E, and 2D; and
Ross Knight, SLI for 2 West,
led the three-hour sessions,
whieh were discussion-based
and included a range of
illustrative activities designed
to facilitate understanding.
Participants were not
required to disclose their
identity to participate, but
many LGBTQ participants
chose to do so in order to speak
from personal experience.
Trainees received a
handbook and signed a pledge
to agree that they will be an
understanding and accepting
resource for LGBTQ peers.
LGBTQ students in need of
support can look for rainbow
unicorn door decorations all
over residence halls.
Sarah Daugherty, co
president of Spectrum,
spoke to the importance of
LGBTQ visibility and said,
“It helps LGBTQ students
feel comfortable and safe in
our community. Seeing the
safe space door decorations
reassures students that they are
accepted and celebrated here at
NCSSM. It’s especially crucial
because a lot of people come
fi-om schools where it wasn’t
safe to be open about their
identity.”
Co-president Erick Aguilar
noted that Safe Zone addresses
a wide variety of intertwining
minority groups. “It’s about
raising awareness about trans
gender issues,
about the com
plexity of sex
uality, about
queer people
of color. I want
to raise aware
ness about
these even
more margin
alized groups,
and Safe Zone
lightly touch
es on this by
teaching appro
priate termi
nology,” said
Aguilar.
Spectrum
also participat
ed in this year’s
NC Pride Festi
val, on Satur
day, Sept. 27.
NCSSM
students were
able to walk
to the festival
which started
at 10 a.m. on
marched with Spectrum in
the parade, which began at
J. VZ U.lll. \J11
Duke East Cam- Daughtery poses in front of protesters
pus
at the 28th NC Pride Parade, the event
Students also ending four days of NC PrideFest.
1:00 PM at East Campus and
marched north up Broad Street
to Green Street and back south
down 9"’ Street.
The Pride Festival also in
cluded a 5K run at 8:30 AM,
a rally at noon, and speeches
from relevant community
members at 2:30 PM.
Daugherty and Aguilar are
excited that NCSSM had a
group marching in the parade
with iNSIDEoUT, a youth-led
network of LGBTQ student
groups.
According to Daugherty,
“It’s very important for
LGBTQ students to be able
to attend Pride and experience
an environment where they
are celebrated and surrounded
by other LGBTQ-identified
people. Many students
from other regions of North
Carolina don’t have similar
opportunities at home, so we’re
excited to help them have this
experience.”
Spectrum, which is
sponsored by Ground Reynolds
SLI Kim Howell and 1'"' Hunt
SLI Michael Newbauer, can
get more information about
Spectrum from through the
organization’s Facebook page.