So much death. Apparently, ISIS decided that the month of Ramadan was an extra special time for killing. A spokesman urged followers to “make it, with God’s permission, a month of pain for infidels everywhere.” Another statement—which included an instructional guide on how to use poisons—reminded its readers: “Dont forget Ramadan is close, the month of victories.”
Let’s start by expressing deepest condolences for and solidarity with all those who lost someone to an attack either ordered or inspired by ISIS. That includes, just in the last few weeks, not only the victims in Orlando, but hundreds of other people from Iraq to Bangladesh to Turkey to Saudi Arabia, the majority of whom are Muslim—as is the case overall for victims of ISIS. It is vitally important that we in the West recognize and stand with ISIS’ Muslim victims, as so many in Muslim communities worldwide stood with the victims of the attacks in Brussels and Paris, for example.
In addition to sympathy, however, I felt anger. Anger at those who would intentionally kill innocent people simply to show that they could, in order to strike terror in the hearts of anyone, anywhere, who might want to go to a public place or travel through an airport. These acts seek to stop people from being fully human, from doing things that we once took for granted, but which are part of what makes life worth living—namely, experiencing the world around us.
Before going any further, let’s be clear about something: The moral responsibility for these murders lies solely with those who carried them out, those who ordered them, and those who encouraged them. But beyond responsibility lies the question of how ISIS came to be, and what we can learn from this history.