The ISIS terrorist group stands for what it calls itself as “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).” The terrorist group also goes by the name “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” the “Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham,”or simply “Islamic State,” and is also referred to as the pejorative name “Daesh,” which generally means “a group of bigots who impose their will on others.” The ISIS group originated as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999, and had previously pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2004. It was part of the Iraq war after the March 2003 fighting with Western forces. In January 2006, it was part of other extremist groups rationalizing their violence on a twisted interpretation of Sunni religion that formed the Mujahideen Shura Council, which proclaimed the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in October 2006. Once the Syrian Civil War started in March 2011, this “ISI” was under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at that time. The ISI sent terrorist troops into the Syrian Civil War, which called themselves the Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahli ash-Shām) and developed beachheads in Sunni majority areas of Syria. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sought a merger of the ISIS with Al-Nusra Fron which was then called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Al-Nusra and Al-Qaead rejected the merger, which began the power struggle amongst the terrorist groups. On June 29, 2014, the ISIL declared itself a caliphate, and as of November 13, 2015, ISIS declared its version of an “Islamic” state in Iraq on October 13, 2006, claimed territory in the “Levant” including Syria on February 3, 2014, claimed territory in Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen on November 13, 2014, claimed territory in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India on January 29, 2015, claimed territory in Nigeria on March 12, 2015, and claimed territory in the North Caucasus on June 23, 2015.

ISIS was formally added to the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) on December 17, 2004, as “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (formerly al-Qa’ida in Iraq).”

Flag of ISIS

 

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in support of our universal human rights for all, and we stand in defiance against those, including terrorist and hate groups, which seek to attack such universal human rights, dignity, and security for all.