Columnist Anna Ayers argues that a war against ISIS would be inherently different compared to other terrorist groups.
History has the unfortunate tendency to repeat itself, whether it be for better or worse. The repetitions are not always duplicates, and sometimes, the “second coming” of an event or tragedy wears a different face than the first. Sometimes, not knowing that the face could change but the outcome will be the same makes the situation that much scarier and the wounds that much harder to heal.
With the attacks in Paris, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has proven that it intends to continue to remain close to the hearts and minds of the entire world by leaving us all with the gut-wrenching feelings when innocent lives are taken by terrorists. This face of terrorism that attacked Paris on Nov. 13 is certainly not just the second one the world has seen, but it is one that has found a way to operate in ways that make it unique.
It seems as if in the wake of the tragic events of several days ago that heightened military action against ISIS is inevitable. But a war against ISIS would not be like one we have ever seen before. It is not like al-Qaeda, which we fought against for decades before 9/11, and its roots were not in religious war or terrorism, but in fighting against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
In fact, something that many would be surprised to learn is that while ISIS is one of the many “off-spring” terrorist organizations that merged out of al-Qaeda, the latter refused to be tied to ISIS due to the newer group’s inability to compromise or consult in any capacity. That’s right, the newest and most dangerous enemy of the United States and the rest of the free world is a terrorist group that another terrorist group could not even work with.
To understand the fight ahead of us, and it only seems right to at least try to honor the lives lost thus far to ISIS and the suffering of their families and friends by avenging them, we must first accept that the past has already repeated itself and see this new enemy for who it really is. Fighting ISIS is like getting rid of smoke. You can open a window, but if you do not quell the source, the smoke will billow on. And if you don’t know what kind of fire you are dealing with, your attempts may only spread it.
ISIS has one mission, one ultimate force driving its every recruitment, bombing, beheading and killing: Abide by the prophecies and teachings of Muhammad and his earliest followers with unwavering faith and implementation. This standard may sound like exactly what the entirety of Islam is held to, but the distinction lies in the fact that ISIS believes that all who stray in any manner from these beliefs or do not have them at all do not deserve to live.
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It is vital to hold close in our hearts those feelings of anger and pain for the lives lost. With those feelings driving us, we can prevail, but not without first understanding our enemy. Perhaps the past repeats itself because we are too busy giving the “bad guys” the same face, so we aren’t as scared. Well, ISIS has shown its face, and we should be scared. But so should it.
Anna Ayers is a freshman studying journalism and finance. Do you agree with her about ISIS? Email her at aa183414@ohio.edu.
