Rise of a Demonic Force: Daesh
The pristine Hanafi school of Islam that prevails in the Central Asia is under severe threat of being displaced by a highly intolerant and violent version of Islam adopted by the likes of the IS. Increasingly marked by poverty and radicalization, the region has thus become a growing source of exported ‘jihadists’. While the damage is still limited, unless controlled with a heavy hand, the societal destruction in the name of Islam may reach a point of no return. This paper reviews this issue from various perspectives.
A Brief Background to the Evolution of ISIS: Today, one of the most serious threats that have engulfed a large portion of the Middle East is the emergence of the Sunni Muslim extremist group, infamously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). After capturing a sizeable territory in Iraq and Syria, the group changed its name to Islamic State (IS).