Watch “Doru Stanculescu – Hai, hai, haidi, hai (Pe sub flori ma leganai)” on YouTube

Ai, hai lyrics

Artist: Doru Stănculescu
Translations: English, French, German
Romanian
Ai, hai

N-a ști nimeni că m-am dus,
Numa’ m-or vedea că nu-s.

Sus e cerul, largă-i lumea,
Bine c-a-nfrunzit pădurea!

Ai, hai, ai, haidi, haidi, hai,
Pe sub flori mă legănai.

Sus e cerul, largă-i lumea,
N-a ști nimeni că m-am dus.

Bine c-a-nfrunzit pădurea,
Numa’ m-or vedea că nu-s

Ai, hai, ai, haidi, haidi, hai,
Pe sub flori mă legănai.

© 2008-2016 LyricsTranslate.com

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Christians United By One Faith

#ChriatiansUnitedByOneFaith

#ChriatiansUnitedByOneFaith

pic.twitter.com/RBBlsExcvL — Tammy (@PinkChocoCandy) February 4, 2016

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— Tammy (@PinkChocoCandy) February 4, 2016

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Fabulous Renditons: Valentina Lisitsa plays Tchaikovsky Overture 1812 for Piano

Tchaikovsky Overture 1812 for Piano+ Valentina Lisitsa

ValentinaLisitsa

Published on Oct 7, 2015

Piano arrangement by Yessipov. Freely available on IMSLP .
Warning: one of the most technically challenging pieces ever 🙂

Recorded September 5-9 2015 at the wonderful http://www.schaubuehne.com/

Performers – me at the piano,
Benjamin at bells, Chimemaster and cannons :-))))

My heartfelt thanks to ©MDR Klassik Symphony Orchestra http://www.mdr.de/konzerte/artikel111…
and personally to Franziska Simon for letting me use their great piano.
And to Echoschall Verleih http://www.echoschall.de/ for best-sounding microphones.
Full credit for the bells to Ohio-based http://www.chimemaster.com/

this pressed: Republican debate: Tweeters mock Trump’s internet call – BBC News |(No WIFI PASSWORD FOR ISIS, Donald Trump)

As the candidates in Tuesday’s Republican debate grappled over how to tackle the growing threat of the Islamic State group (also known as Isis), Donald Trump calmly reassured them “the answer is simple”.Rather than focus on a bombing campaign in Syria, or sending in ground troops, the billionaire offered a more novel, technological strategy: to “close off areas of the internet”.”Isis is using the internet better than we are using the internet, and it was our idea,” the 69-year-old entrepreneur told the audience in Las Vegas.”We should be able to penetrate the internet and find out exactly where Isis is and everything about Isis. “We can do that if we use our good people.”And indeed, the good people of the internet were quick to offer their help:

Source: Republican debate: Tweeters mock Trump’s internet call – BBC News

Memorial services are being held today for three victims of the San Bernardino shootings— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 12, 2015

Memorial services are being held today for three victims of the San Bernardino shootings https://t.co/j6k7bVwnWi pic.twitter.com/NtJKHDVVTi

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 12, 2015

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Like a bridge over troubled waters (Simon and Garfunkel YouTube)

Like a bridge over troubled waters

Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over troubled water (with lyrics)

46nicole

When you’re weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all (all)
I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you (ooo)
I’ll take your part, oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
Oh, if you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Songwriters
SIMON, PAUL

Published by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Grou

Read more: Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water Lyrics | MetroLyrics

this pressed for your hearts and minds: STATELESS OF LEBANON | Linda Dorigo

The offspring of a Lebanese woman who is married to a non-Lebanese man cannot be considered Lebanese citizens. Even if they have been born and raised in the country. These children are Al-Maktum Qaid or “Stateless.” The stateless in Lebanon also consist of Palestinian refugees or descendants of Palestinians who rejected Lebanese citizenship in order to steer clear of military service when the country was under the French mandate in 1932. Unofficial estimates speak of 35,000 women married to foreigners, and a number of stateless that exceeds 100,000 out of a population of almost 4 million.The stateless have no passports, do not have access to public health care and cannot attend public schools. They are also unable to own private property. Even marriage and travel are incredible obstacles. Gender inequality in nationality laws can create statelessness in which children cannot acquire nationality from their fathers, and are forced to live an incomplete life.The Lebanese government has refused to discuss the archaic law, which dates back to 1925. Some critics say this is because a change in numerical terms by one group over another would result in a shift in political representation and the balance of power within the already vulnerable and sectarian-divided government. Granting women the right to pass on citizenship would lead to an increase in the number of Muslims within Lebanon and could possibly open the doors to Palestinian refugees too.Karim is 9 years old. Every 3 years he has to renew his resident visa to remain in Lebanon. He must study at a private school, since he is not allowed to attend public school. He says he would like to become a doctor to help his mother, Nadia, who is paying for his education. His father, who is also stateless and is of Kurdish origin, was born in Lebanon 55 years ago. Ibrahim lives with his mother in the Beqa‘ valley. He never knew his Syrian father because he left the family and never returned home. “I did not grow up with my real father,” he says. “My brothers and I can not even go to Syria because when we were born there was not enough money to register births, marriages and deaths.” Ibrahim went to school for only 4 years. He was engaged once, but she left him because of his social condition. Moustafa is the founder of the independent movement “Our rights group”. He is stateless, married and father of 3 children, who are therefore also stateless. “I started this campaign alone, without money, more or less two years ago,” he explains. “I suffered a lot for my condition. Today we need to be united because the inability to extend the nationality denies not only women their full rights as nationals, but also denies her children their basic rights as human beings. The same happened to Youssef: he is Palestinian, married to Nada, and they have 3 children. He and his wife are engineers, they work together, they have a studio, but officially he is her employee. The family house, cars, and properties belong to Nada because Youssef is not allowed to own anything. “Before opening the studio with Nada, I was project manager and I had 12 engineers under me,” Youssef says. “No one knew my origins, otherwise I would have been forced to leave the job. Our children understand the restrictions, and when they get married, we will be careful to choose the ‘right’ person”. The story of Samira is well known in Lebanon. She was married to an Egyptian man who passed away in 1994. She has 5 children. None are studying at university because education for non-Lebanese is very expensive. In 2009, for the first time in Lebanon, Judge John Azzi granted citizenship to her children, but two days later the government intervened and quashed the decision. Azzi, who was Head of the Court, lost his office and became a lawyer. He wrote his experience in “A Trip of a Lifetime to Nationality”. Many other families pay the consequences of the Lebanese law. Yousra for example is mother of 2 sons. Hani’s father is Jordanian, while Ali’s father is Lebanese. Yousra has been divorced twice. Since Hani, the youngest, has no nationality he cannot go to public school. The family pays $2.000 a year for his education and his residence permit needs to be renewed every 3 years. Lorenzo he is an Italian journalist married to a Lebanese woman. Their 2 sons can apply for Italian IDs but not Lebanese ones. “I did not think this could be a problem,” Lorenzo said “But talking with my wife I felt more involved, and discovered the injustice”.Links: Private Magazine, Cargo Collective

Source: STATELESS OF LEBANON | Linda Dorigo

this pressed for the Jubilee Year of Mercy: Meet the Christian Minorities of the Middle East | TIME

Ani, Turkey. Ani is the ancient capital of the Armenian empire, situated at the closed border between Armenia and Turkey. Nowadays Ani is a stack of churches’ ruins, homes and the Cathedral. August 2013.

Ani, Turkey. Ani is the ancient capital of the Armenian empire, situated at the closed border between Armenia and Turkey. Nowadays Ani is a stack of churches’ ruins, homes and the Cathedral. August 2013.

During a four-year journey throughout the Middle East – one that placed photographer Linda Dorigo and journalist Andrea Milluzzi on the trail of Christian minorities in countries where Christianity originated and took root – the two reporters, often against their will, adopted what might be considered a theatrical disguise: they were welcomed as academic researchers in Iran, confused for a newlywed couple in Syria, and even referred to as a priest and nun in Gaza.This speaks for only a fraction of the adventures that marked their extensive “pilgrimage” on the trail of secluded Christian minorities, as the reporters sought them out in the capital cities of Muslim countries such as Damascus, or in remote Assyrian towns like Qaraqosh, Iraq. Their interest in this subject was sparked by a dramatic event – a suicide bomb attack that shocked a Coptic Christian Mass in Alexandria, Egypt, on New Year’s Eve 2011. After the news made headlines, it quickly faded from broader media attention, prompting Dorigo and Milluzzi to start their project.The result is Rifugio – Christians of the Middle East, a black-and-white photobook and journalistic reportage that documents their project chronicling the life of Christian communities in nine countries – Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq. Milluzzi’s essays and Dorigo’s photographs complement each other seamlessly, grouped into six chapters, describing what they say is the burdensome and often heart-rending plight that these minorities endure. Dorigo’s subtle but eloquent photographs – often blurry, elusive, at time dramatic – capture both joyful moments and oppressions encountered, illustrating a reality suspended between the cultural heritage that these communities embody and their minority nature.“It has been a discovery, a never-ending discovery really, because surely we began our journey with an idea in mind of what we were going to look for,” Dorigo says. “But it is [only] when you travel that you realize that, comparing the reality of each country, that you can’t equate Christians in Egypt with Christians in Iran,” she adds.As they toured the area, their research brought them to some of the most remote places in the region, covering events so extraordinary that they seem part of a different era: In the Old City of Jerusalem, they watched the enactment of the Via Crucis staged by Capuchin monks in the streets of the Christian Quarter. In Rojava, in the Syrian Kurdistan, Dorigo photographed the ruins of the last church in Gharduka, which ISIS jihadists bombed. In Iran’s west Azerbaijan province, they witnessed the annual Armenian pilgrimage to Saint Thaddeus monastery, a custom dating back to 68 AD. On that occasion, the ancient church became their dwelling.Planning their trip, Dorigo and Milluzzi avoided hotels and opted for local lodging. “The more you share, the more you are actually able to go deep in what you’re documenting,” Dorigo says. “We sought the real stories, inside the houses, inside the families.”Some destinations, however, proved difficult to explore. To reach Syria’s far east region from its capital, they bypassed ISIS-controlled territories only by returning to Lebanon, flying to Turkey, taking a bus to Iraq and finally entering Syria’s east border all in the same day. On another occasion, as Iranian authorities were after them, they left the country in a couple of days (but returned after a few months.) They gained access to Christian minorities through religious gatherings, local priests or through the encounters in cosmopolitan Beirut. Surprisingly to them, more than once the Muslims themselves introduced the reporters to their Christian neighbors. “That was a beautiful thing,” Dorigo says, “and it really testifies that a spirit of friendship and brotherhood does exist, despite being often flattened and even obstructed by a series of propagandistic efforts in the name of a religious conflict.

Linda Dorigo is an independent documentary photojournalist and Andrea Milluzzi is a freelance journalist. They are based both in Italy and in the Middle East. Their latest work, Rifugio – Christians of the Middle East, is published by Schilt Publishing.

Paul Moakley, who edited this photo essay, is TIME’s Deputy Director of Photography and Visual Enterprise. Follow him on Twitter @paulmoakley.

Lucia De Stefani is a writer and contributor at TIME LightBox. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow TIME LightBox on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: Meet the Christian Minorities of the Middle East | TIME

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this pressed: Périple : à la rencontre des derniers Chrétiens du Moyen-Orient |— L’important (@Limportant_fr) December 11, 2015

Périple : à la rencontre des derniers Chrétiens du Moyen-Orient https://t.co/pJfvaTbElX pic.twitter.com/WsJd8C27sg

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STAND BY ME – John Lennon – Lyrics

ianluvmusic

Jean Sibelius – Scènes historiques II, Op. 66 (1912)

musicanth

Uploaded on Jan 20, 2011

Scènes historiques: Suite No. 2, Op. 66 (1912)

I. The Hunt [0:00]
II. Love Song [6:44]
III. At the Drawbridge [11:05]

An orchestral suite by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), performed by conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

VISIT THE INTERNET ARCHIVE -WayBackMachine: You”l be surprised of what you’ll find…Check out your website there!

Click here to visit archive!

quotation: Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart. Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) Discuss

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain – FULL AudioBook | Greatest Audio Books

Greatest AudioBooks

Published on Feb 18, 2013

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain – FULL AudioBook | Original Version | Greatest Audio Books
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (or, in more recent editions, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism. It is told in the first person by Huckleberry “Huck” Finn, a friend of Tom Sawyer and narrator of two other Twain novels (Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective). It is a direct sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The book is noted for its colorful description of people and places along the Mississippi River. Satirizing a Southern antebellum society that had ceased to exist about twenty years before the work was published, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an often scathing look at entrenched attitudes, particularly racism.

Perennially popular with readers, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has also been the continued object of study by literary critics since its publication. It was criticized upon release because of its coarse language and became even more controversial in the 20th century because of its perceived use of racial stereotypes and because of its frequent use of the racial slur “nigger”, despite strong arguments that the protagonist, and the tenor of the book, is anti-racist. (Summary from Wikipedia.org)

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– READ along by clicking (CC) for Closed Caption Transcript!

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Chapter listing and length:

Chapter 01 — 00:10:54

Chapter 02 — 00:15:21

Chapter 03 — 00:10:55

Chapter 04 — 00:09:01

Chapter 05 — 00:10:39

Chapter 06 — 00:17:55

Chapter 07 — 00:15:36

Chapter 08 — 00:27:20

Chapter 09 — 00:09:33

Chapter 10 — 00:08:39

Chapter 11 — 00:17:37

Chapter 12 — 00:17:55

Chapter 13 — 00:12:35

Chapter 14 — 00:10:33

Chapter 15 — 00:14:48

Chapter 16 — 00:20:35

Chapter 17 — 00:20:40

Chapter 18 — 00:28:56

Chapter 19 — 00:21:43

Chapter 20 — 00:22:03

Chapter 21 — 00:22:38

Chapter 22 — 00:13:31

Chapter 23 — 00:15:22

Chapter 24 — 00:15:05

Chapter 25 — 00:17:59

Chapter 26 — 00:17:48

Chapter 27 — 00:16:34

Chapter 28 — 00:22:39

Chapter 29 — 00:22:34

Chapter 30 — 00:07:52

Chapter 31 — 00:22:47

Chapter 32 — 00:15:00

Chapter 33 — 00:16:39

Chapter 34 — 00:13:43

Chapter 35 — 00:17:21

Chapter 36 — 00:13:16

Chapter 37 — 00:16:12

Chapter 38 — 00:16:25

Chapter 39 — 00:13:14

Chapter 40 — 00:13:57

Chapter 41 — 00:16:21

Chapter 42 — 00:18:33

Chapter 43 — 00:04:31

Total running time: 11:33:19
Read by Mark F. Smith
This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer visit librivox.org.
This video: Copyright 2013. Greatest Audio Books. All Rights Reserved.

great compositions/performances: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, in C minor, Op. 37, Daniel Barenboim / Dresden Staatskapelle 2007

Beethoven : Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Daniel Barenboim / Dresden Staatskapelle 2007

Adagio fukax2

Beethoven : Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 : Daniel Barenboim / Dresden Staatskapelle 2007
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Piano Concerto No. 3 (Beethoven)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 Title page, first edition

The Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1800 and was first performed on 5 April 1803, with the composer as soloist. The year for which the concerto was composed (1800) has however been questioned by contemporary musicologists.^[1] It was published in 1804. During that same performance, the Second Symphony and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives were also premiered.^[2] The composition was dedicated to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. The first primary theme is reminiscent of that of Mozart’s 24th Piano Concerto.

Structure

The concerto is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in E-flat, 2 trumpets in C, timpani, strings and piano soloist.

As is standard for Classical/Romantic-era concertos, the work is in three movements:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Largo
3. Rondo. Allegro

I. Allegro con brio

	First movement  Menu       0:00
Problems playing this file? See media help.

 Cadenza of the first movement

This movement is known to make forceful use of the theme (direct and indirect) throughout.

Orchestral exposition: In the orchestral exposition, the theme is introduced by the strings, and used throughout the movement. It is developed several times. In the third section (second subject), the clarinet and violin 1 introduce the second main theme, which is in the relative major key, E-flat major.

Second exposition: The piano enters with an ascending scale motif. The structure of the exposition in the piano solo is similar to that of the orchestral exposition.

Development: The piano enters, playing similar scales used in the beginning of the second exposition, this time in D major rather than C minor. The music is generally quiet.

Recapitulation: The orchestra restates the theme in fortissimo, with the wind instruments responding by building up a minor ninth chord as in the exposition. For the return of the second subject, Beethoven modulates to the tonic major, C major. A dark transition to the cadenza occurs, immediately switching from C major to C minor.

Cadenza: Beethoven wrote one cadenza for this movement. The cadenza Beethoven wrote is at times stormy and ends on a series of trills that calm down to pianissimo. Many other composers and pianists have written alternative cadenzas.

Coda: Beethoven subverts the expectation of a return to the tonic at the end of the cadenza by prolonging the final trill and eventually arriving on a dominant seventh. The piano plays a series of arpeggios before the music settles into the home key of C minor. Then the music intensifies before a full tutti occurs, followed by the piano playing descending arpeggios, the ascending scale from the second exposition, and finally a resolute ending on C.

II. Largo

	Second movement  Menu       0:00     Third movement  Menu       0:00
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The second movement is in the key of E major, in this context a key relatively remote from the concerto’s opening key of C minor (another example being Brahms’s first symphony.). If the movement adhered to traditional form, its key would be E-flat major (the relative key) or A-flat major (the submediant key). The movement opens with the solo piano and the opening is marked with detailed pedalling instructions.

III. Rondo – Allegro

The finale is in sonata rondo form. The movement begins in C minor with an agitated theme played only by the piano. The movement ends with a C major coda marked presto.

First performance

The score was incomplete at its first performance. Beethoven’s friend, Ignaz von Seyfried, who turned the pages of the music for him that night, later wrote:^[2]

“I saw almost nothing but empty pages; at the most, on one page or another a few Egyptian hieroglyphs wholly unintelligible to me were scribbled down to serve as clues for him; for he played nearly all the solo part from memory since, as was so often the case, he had not had time to set it all down on paper.”

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great compositions/performances: Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini: Quintet for Guitar No.4 ‘Fandango’ in D major, (G.448)

Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini: Quintet for Guitar No.4 ‘Fandango’ in D major, (G.448)

vivaldi369

Published on Jan 18, 2013

Álbum: Boccherini: Fandango, Sinfonie & La Musica Notturna Di Madrid
Interpretes del álbum: Jordi Savall, Rolf Lislevand, Bruno Cocset, Manfredo Kraemer, Pablo Valetti, José da Udaeta & Le Concert des Nations
Compositor: Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini
Genero: Clásico Español
Año: 2005
Movimientos: Pastorale-Allegro Maestoso-Grave Assai: Fandango

great compositions/performances: Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suites – 1 and 2

Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suites – 1 and 2

doffdoff

Published on May 5, 2013

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843 – 1907)
Peer Gynt Suites 1 and 2
Incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s play. (1875, Op. 23)

Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE
Guillermo Garcia Calvo – Conductor

Suite No. 1, Op. 46 (1888):
I. Morning Mood (Morgenstemning) 00:01
II. The Death of Åse (Åses død) 04:31
III. Anitra’s Dance (Anitras dans) 09:39
IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King (I Dovregubbens hall) 13:14

Suite No. 2, Op. 55 (1891):
I. The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid’s Lament (Bruderovet. Ingrids klage) 15:48
II. Arabian Dance (Arabisk dans) 20:14
III. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming (Stormy Evening on the Sea) (Peer Gynts hjemfart (Stormfull aften på havet)) 24:58
IV. Solveig’s Song (Solveigs sang) 27:36

This pressed for clarification: Decolonizing the History of Thanksgiving|Via CounterPoint

Telling Facts and Naming Names
Since 1993

November 26, 2015

Decolonizing the History of Thanksgiving

by Ashley Nicole McCray – Lawrence Ware

It’s Thanksgiving once again: that day, every year, when we are all gluttonous to celebrate the fact that ‘Pilgrims and Indians’ had a harmonious meal — at least that is how it has been framed historically.
Let’s be honest. On the last Thursday of November, every year, we celebrate the beginning of an European invasion that ends with the death or relocation of millions of native people. While many have tried to redefine the meaning of Thanksgiving into a time wherein we cultivate a sense of gratitude, the undeniable truth is that the blood of native people stains the genesis of the holiday. The colonial origins of Thanksgiving – or what many natives often refer to as Thankskilling or Thankstaking – is not something to celebrate. While we cannot pinpoint one specific or original “Thanksgiving” celebration, President Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday in 1863 and conceived it as a national day of thanksgiving. “Pilgrims and Indians” weren’t included in the tradition until 1890. The national mythos surrounding this holiday does not take into consideration the long and violent history of contact between European settlers (in this case English pilgrims – puritans) and indigenous populations that already inhabited the land. It is in these forgotten histories that we see the history of this holiday for what it truly is: English pilgrims, unprepared to survive on the land and unfamiliar with the vegetation, waterways, and others food sources, stranded on Turtle Island who survive those early winters and ultimately engage in a brutal campaign of colonialism and genocidal activity. It is important that we think clearly and honestly about how the beatified pilgrims saw the natives. Five time Plymouth County Governor William Bradford said the natives were “savage people, who are cruel, barbarous, and most treacherous.” Clearly not the people you would like to feast with, yet our national narrative surrounding this holiday celebrates the first Thanksgiving as a moment of harmonious bridge building. This is clearly not the case. Especially when we learn about the Pequot Massacre of 1637. This is just one in a multitude of genocidal tactics employed against the indigenous peoples of this land since white Europeans arrived in 1492. Of this event, Governor Bradford said, Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword; some hewed to pieces, others run through with their rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire…horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them. The occupiers celebrated the genocide — and thanked God for the victory. Immediately following the Pequot Massacre of 1637, the occupiers worked diligently to whitewash history. The name of the tribe was erased from the map. The Pequot River became the Thames, and the geographic space the Pequot inhabited became known as New London. It is as if they never existed. The whitewashing and erasure of indigenous histories is not unique to this holiday, but it is, perhaps, one of the most ironic instances of indigenous mass murder in service of white European colonial expansion. The idea that we celebrate the notion that indigenous peoples and the white European occupiers who literally sought their extinction were able to put their differences to the side long enough to sit down and feast upon food, in relative peace and harmony, is deeply problematic. Even more so is the idea that it was the white European occupiers who had to teach and demonstrate “civility” to these “barbarous savages.” With the Pequot massacre in mind, it is clear which group in the Thanksgiving picture were the real “barbarous savages” and who were the ones practicing civility.

The language and the rhetoric surrounding the holiday erase the true history of settler-colonialism. The Pequot Massacre is just one mere instance in the long history of evil acts that began with the white European occupation of Turtle Island. This is also not the first time we have seen the descendants of the occupiers attempt to create a new civic identity by whitewashing history and silencing indigenous voices while erasing indigenous bodies. We see this unfolding in Oklahoma (Okla-humma, Choctaw for “Red People”), where non-native occupiers see no shame in calling themselves “Sooners” (those who stole land prior to the Oklahoma Land Runs — a territory that was, by treaty, set aside specifically and solely for tribal communities “so long as the rivers run and the sun shines…”).

However, indigenous peoples and our co-conspirators cannot stand idly by as those who continue to employ colonial and, ultimately, genocidal tactics against our communities, rewrite, and revise history to justify both their actions and the actions of their ancestors. We must thoughtfully and intentionally intervene because while “Boomer Sooner,” “R*dsk*ns,” and “Thanksgiving” may seem inconsequential to some, the historical context that gave rise to these terms and celebrations contribute to real life consequences that still impact native people in this country.

Native women are the group most likely to be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes, with low estimates suggesting 1-in-3 in her lifetime. Upwards of 80% or more of these cases are perpetrated by non-native males. There are 2,000 reports of missing and murdered Indigenous Women from Turtle Island, and suicide in native communities far surpasses the national average for every age group. Natives have the shortest lifespan of any group living in the United States, and this rate is even lower for those living on reservations. Historical or intergenerational trauma is literally embedded in native DNA, and many of our parents and grandparents were stolen from their families and forced into boarding schools that had the expressed mission to “civilize the savage” and “kill the Indian but save the man.”

Physical torture, sexual assault, murder, public shaming, and stealing the culture of native children accomplished this. Psychological studies have demonstrated that native mascots negatively affect the psyche and wellbeing of native youth and many of these children have a difficult time making it through K-12, never mind college. Further, native people are virtually helpless when a non-native perpetrates a crime on native land. The victims have no jurisdiction over non-natives and the only way they could ever achieve justice is if the already overloaded federal government decides the case is worth pursuing. The silencing of native voices not only happened historically, but also continues today.

Whitewashing history, revising history, and developing rhetoric that celebrates the creation of a new civic identity for European occupiers—these all contribute to the oppression of indigenous peoples and tribal communities. The stories like those told about the Indians and Pilgrims at Thanksgiving ingrain a false sense of truth into the mind of the general public. These stories tell the populace that “everything is okay,” and, in fact, the “Indians owe a lot to the Pilgrims.” A closer examination and orientation with actual history, however, will negate these ideas and will enable the public to see how and, more importantly, why these stories – Columbus, Thanksgiving, Boomer Sooner – are told the way they are. These stories are extensions of colonialism and are in fact genocidal tactics. By erasing and replacing the true stories with those of “Thanksgiving,” the occupier continues to remain complicit in genocide.

So enjoy that turkey…but remember that you are doing so in a land that was stolen. Honor the dead by remembering their stories and their sacrifice.

Ashley Nicole McCray is a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe (Li-Si-Wi-Nwi) and the Oglala Lakota Nation (Oceti Sakowin). She is a Ph.D student/Graduate Assistant in the History of Science, Technology, & Medicine at the University of Oklahoma. She is a 2015 White House WHO Champion of Change: Young Women Empowering their Communities, a 2015 Norman Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Award Recipient, and a CoreAlign Speaking Race to Power Fellow. Lawrence Ware is an Oklahoma State University Division of Institutional Diversity Fellow. He teaches in OSU’s philosophy department and is the Diversity Coordinator for its Ethics Center. A frequent contributor to the publication The Democratic Left and contributing editor of the progressive publication RS: The Religious Left, he has also been a commentator on race and politics for the Huffington Post Live, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and PRI’s Flashpoint. He can be reached at law.writes@gmail.com

More articles by:Ashley Nicole McCray – Lawrence Ware

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previous – The Enduring Tragedy: Guatemala’s Bloody Farce,

Source: Decolonizing the History of Thanksgiving|Via CounterPoint

Happy Thanksgiving: IRON BUTTERFLY – IN A GADDA DA VIDA – 1968 (ORIGINAL FULL VERSION) CD SOUND & 3D VIDEO

IRON BUTTERFLY – IN A GADDA DA VIDA – 1968 (ORIGINAL FULL VERSION) CD SOUND & 3D VIDEO

Paulo Roberto

Uploaded on Apr 20, 2011

IRON BUTTERFLY – IN A GADDA DA VIDA-ORIGINAL FULL VERSION -1968 VIDEO CONVERTED IN 3D (Red & Blue – 480P) The video track was recorded on May 27,1968, at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. CD SOUND – HIGH QUALITY (856 X 480) – BEST VIDEO AND SOUND BY IRON BUTTERFLY ON YOUTUBE – 17:02 Minutes

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, honey,
don’t you know that I love you?
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, baby,
don’t you know that I’ll always be true?

Oh, won’t you come with me
and take my hand?

Oh, won’t you come with me
and walk this land?

Please take my hand!

-Repeat-

~solos~

-Repeat-

this pressed for reality check: France – French PM Valls says ‘no room for more refugees’ in Europe – France 24

© AFP | French Prime Minister Manuel Valls wants to limit the number of refugees coming into Europe Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2015-11-25European countries are stretched to their limits in the refugee crisis and cannot take in any more new arrivals, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was quoted as saying in a German newspaper on Wednesday. Europe is grappling with its worst refugee crisis since World War Two. Germany so far has taken in the bulk of some 1 million people expected to arrive this year.“We cannot accommodate any more refugees in Europe, that’s not possible,” Valls told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, adding that tighter control of Europe’s external borders would determine the fate of the European Union. “If we don’t do that, the people will say: Enough of Europe,” Valls warned.The comments were published only hours before German Chancellor Angela Merkel was scheduled to meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris. Merkel was initially celebrated at home and abroad for her welcoming approach to the refugees, many of whom are fleeing conflict in the Middle East. But as the flow has continued the chancellor has come under increasing criticism.Some conservatives say Merkel’s decision to open up Germany’s borders to Syrian refugees in September has spurred more migrants to come.The refugee debate has become more politically charged after the deadly attacks in Paris that stoked fears Islamic State militants could exploit the migrant crisis to send extremists to Europe. Valls avoided criticising Merkel directly for having suspended European asylum rules to allow in Syrian refugees stranded in Hungary. “Germany has made an honourable choice there,” he said.But he signalled that Paris was taken by surprise by Merkel’s decision: “It was not France that said: Come!” French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron and his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, have proposed setting up a 10 billion euro fund to pay for tighter security, external border controls and caring for refugees.The United Nations on Tuesday condemned new restrictions on refugees that have left around 1,000 migrants stuck at the main border crossing into Macedonia from Greece.(REUTERS)Date created : 2015-11-25

Source: France – French PM Valls says ‘no room for more refugees’ in Europe – France 24

this pressed for your sensibility: Europe – Russia accuses Turkey of ‘planned provocation’ in downing jet – France 24

Russia on Wednesday accused Turkey of a “planned provocation” in downing one of its planes on the Syrian border, killing one pilot, amid fears the incident could escalate into a wider geopolitical conflict. As the diplomatic fallout from Tuesday’s incident continued, Moscow said Russian and Syrian special forces had rescued one of the pilots who ejected from the burning Russian plane but confirmed the second airman was dead. The jet downing has threatened ties between two major rival players in the Syrian war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ratcheted up the pressure after talking to Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu by phone in the first contact between the two sides since the plane went down. “We have serious doubts about this being an unpremeditated act, it really looks like a planned provocation,” Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow. But the Russian response was also carefully calibrated. There was no sign Russia wanted a military escalation, or to jeopardise its main objective in the region: to rally international support for its view on how the conflict in Syria should be resolved. “We do not plan to go to war with Turkey, our attitude towards the Turkish people has not changed,” Lavrov said, but warned that Moscow would “seriously reevaluate” relations with Ankara. Turkey has sought to turn down the heat, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisting Ankara was simply defending its border. “We have no intention to escalate this incident. We are just defending our security and the rights of our brothers,” Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called Russia “our friend and our neighbour” and said Ankara did not want to strain ties with Moscow. Second airman rescued The Russian Su-24 jet downed on Tuesday was hit by missile fire from Turkish aircraft as it flew a mission over Syria near the Turkish border, where the Russian air force has been bombing rebel targets.Turkey said the plane had encroached on Turkish air space and was warned repeatedly to change course, but Russian officials said the plane was at no time over Turkey. The crew ejected, and one pilot was shot dead by rebels as he parachuted to the ground. A Russian marine sent to recover the crew was also killed in an attack by rebels, Moscow said.Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday that the second member of the plane’s crew had been rescued by Russian special forces alongside Syrian troops and that the serviceman was now safe at a Russian air base in Syria.”The operation ended successfully. The second pilot has been brought to our base. He is alive and well,” he said.In an apparent response to Turkey’s action, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday also ordered the dispatch of an advanced weapons system to Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province. “I hope that this, along with other measures that we are taking, will be enough to ensure (the safety) of our flights,” Putin told reporters on a trip to the Ural mountains city of Nizhny Tagil. The dispatch of the weapons, which officials later said would be the S-400 missile system, is likely to be viewed as a stark warning to Turkey not to try to shoot down any more Russian planes. Threat to Syria peace efforts. The shooting risks derailing efforts to bring peace to Syria that were gaining tentative momentum following the November 13 Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, which controls swathes of northern Syria. Ankara and Moscow are already on starkly opposing sides in the four-year Syrian civil war, with Turkey wanting to see the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad while Russia is one of his last remaining allies.Assad’s other key ally Iran also slammed Ankara. Turkey’s behaviour “sends the wrong message to the terrorists” in Syria, its Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Lavrov.There has been fears of such a mid-air incident since Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September, to the consternation of nations already involved in a US-led anti-IS group coalition. Turkey had protested that Russia’s campaign was aimed at hitting Syrian rebels and buttressing the Assad regime rather than hurting IS group jihadists.(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)Date created : 2015-11-25

Source: Europe – Russia accuses Turkey of ‘planned provocation’ in downing jet – France 24

this pressed: Ninge! Braşovul începe să devină oraşul de poveste | adevarul.ro

În această dimineaţă am fost întâmpinaţi de fulgi mari de zăpadă care nu se mai opresc. Zăpada începe să se aşterne pe acoperiş, maşini şi în parcuri.Ştiri pe aceeaşi temă Mesaj emoţionant al fiului pilotului Mircea Crăciun prăbuşit cu planor… Braşovul, în coaliţie a oraşelor împotriva radicalizării şi a extremis… Teatrul Sică Alexandrescu a câştigat majoritatea premiilor de la Festi…Totul începe să capete înfăţişarea pe care ne-o dorim pentru sărbătorile de iarnă. În Poiana Braşov, ninge mult mai serios. Din păcate, ieri nu a putut fi ridicată cu un elicopter epava planorului prăbuşit, iar vremea de astăzi face această misiune aproape imposibilă.La ora şase, trei utilaje de deszăpezire de la Primăria Braşov au intervenit pe drumul spre Poiana Braşov, „În partea de sus, unde a început să se adune zăpada pe carosabiol, au intervenit şi cu lama, iar pe întreg traseul s-a împrăştiat material antiderapant”, a declarat purtătorul de cuvânt al Primăriei Braşov, Sorin Toarcea. Braşov – Ninge în oraşul de poveste 00 (0 voturi)Vizionez mai târziuImagini din aceeasi galerieDistribuie imaginea 0 share Tweet 0 inShare Liveciteste totul despre: brasov zapada ninsoare

Source: Ninge! Braşovul începe să devină oraşul de poveste | adevarul.ro

trecut prin presa…pentru posteritate: Perle ale absolvenţilor de Drept care vor să ajungă magistraţi: „Ca judecător nu trebuie să fiu imparţial”/„Prin verbul a discredita înţeleg a înjura” | adevarul.ro

Unii absolvenţi de Drept care participă la concursul de admitere la Institutul Naţional al Magistraturii „se exprimă cu dificultate accentuată, comit numeroase erori gramaticale şi de comunicare, sunt inabili de a purta un dialog, nu au proprietatea termenilor sau sunt în imposibilitate de a formula definiţia unora”. Aceasta este concluzia unui raport al Consiliului Superior al Magistraturii (CSM).Ştiri pe aceeaşi temă VIDEO Descinderi în nordul Republicii Moldova. O grupare paramilitară … Moment de excepţie pentru handbalul românesc: CSM şi HCM sunt în Runda… Imunitatea lui Dan Şova, primul examen pentru Liviu Dragnea. Ce şanse …“În şedinţa Plenul CSM de marţi, 24 noiembrie 2015, am validat concursul de admitere la Institutului Naţional al Magistraturii (INM) desfăşurat în această vară. Cea mai discutată – dar nu şi discutabilă, zic eu – probă a fost cea a interviului. Membrii comisiilor în faţa cărora s-a susţinut această probă au formulat în scris un punct de vedere pe care, cu acordul lor, am ales să îl dau publicităţii”, a scris judecătorul Cristi Danileţ pe blogul său, într-o postare intitulată “Deficienţe în pregătirea candidaţilor pentru magistratură”.Judecătorul arată că susţinerile constituie o atenţionare foarte serioasă asupra stadiului educaţiei unor tineri şi a calităţii învăţământului românesc – „desigur, ne referim la tinerii candidaţi la concursul de admitere la INM sau la admiterea directă în magistratură, care este probabil cel mai greu şi mai serios concurs desfăşurat în România pentru o instituţie public”.Cristi Danileţ a precizat că în cadrul probei interviului se examinează trei aspecte: motivaţia, aptitudini specifice profesiei de magistrat (comunicarea, gândirea autonomă, cooperarea, înţelegerea realităţii sociale, folosirea corectă a limbii române), elemente de etică specifică persoanei (identificarea dilemei etice, identificarea opţiunilor, analiza valorii acestora alegerea justificată a variantei optime a acţiunii umane, implicarea subiectului în argumentarea alternativelor).Concluziile ComisieiComisia prin faţa căreia anul acesta s-au perindat sute de candidaţi a ajuns la anumite concluzii cu privire la candidaţi şi cu privire la măsuri necesare pentru îmbunătăţirea concursurilor următoare. Iată câteva constatări: din cei 3.297 de candidaţi la INM, 285 candidaţi au reuşit la probele anterioare, iar dintre aceştia 217 au trecut de proba interviului, astfel că în final au fost selectaţi primii 140 în ordinea mediilor; dintre cei respinşi 29 se situau pe primele 150 locuri, iar 39 în ultimele 135 locuri după parcurgerea primelor două probe; unii candidaţi au un nivel redus de instruire educaţională, de cultură generală, lipsă de orizont şi de repere culturale, profesionale, morale; unii se exprimă cu dificultate accentuată, comit erori gramaticale şi de comunicare, sunt inabili în a purta un dialog, nu au proprietatea termenilor folosiţi; unii au demonstrat o incapacitate de a înţelege problemele şi realităţile sociale; unii învaţă grile sau învaţă mecanic coduri; unii au anumite activităţi, dar nu dobândesc experienţa cuvenită în exercitarea acestora; unora le lipseşte gândirea logică, alţii simulează abilităţi, deprinderi sau calităţi inexistente.Potrivit raportului CSM, un semnal autentic de alarmă este acela că mulţi candidaţi se exprimă cu dificultate accentuată, comit numeroase erori gramaticale şi de comunicare, sunt inabili de a purta un dialog, nu au proprietatea termenilor sau sunt în imposibilitate de a formula definiţia unora.”Persoanele care se sacrifică pentru idealuri, principii sunt fanatice”Cu titlu exemplificativ, redăm câteva fragmente din răspunsurile formulate de candidaţi, exemple care relevă necunoaşterea semnificaţiei unor termeni:”Ignoranţa presupune, în viziunea mea, a nu acorda atenţie fiecărui element care construieşte drumul către realizarea ”justiţiei”. La insistenţele comisiei de a da un sinonim pentru ignoranţă, a afirmat că ”înseamnă a nu avea disponibilitatea de a te perfecţiona.””Libertatea este o valoare fundamentală a unui stat de drept, un atribut al tuturor oamenilor, care dacă îşi cultivă stăpânirea de sine pe un drum ce nu tot timpul este uşor o vor găsi în forma ei cea mai autentică.” Întrebare: O calitate? Răspuns: ” Perseveritatea.””Persoanele care se sacrifică pentru idealuri, principii sunt fanatice.”„Cunoaşterea de sine presupune cunoaşterea limitelor şi atunci eşti un om moral”.”Un prieten adevărat nu mi-ar putea cere aşa ceva, el cunoaşte etica mea faţă de justiţie.””Totodată, după trecerea în nefiinţă, din viaţa unui om rămân realizările sale, iar pentru el însuşi amintirile şi experienţele trăite pe parcursul vieţii.””Procurorii au prea mult liber-arbitru, iar eu nu o să tolerez aşa ceva ca judecător”.”Sunt foarte corectă, dar cu excepţii.””Prin verbul a discredita înţeleg a înjura.”

Source: Perle ale absolvenţilor de Drept care vor să ajungă magistraţi: „Ca judecător nu trebuie să fiu imparţial”/„Prin verbul a discredita înţeleg a înjura” | adevarul.ro

historic musical bits: Franz Schubert Symphony No.8 “Unfinished” D 759, Leonard Bernstein

Franz Schubert Symphony No.8 “Unfinished” D 759, Leonard Bernstein

HarpsichordA6

Published on Mar 14, 2015

Franz Schubert Symphony No.8 “Unfinished” D 759
1. Allegro Moderato
2. Andante con moto
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein Conductor

historic musical bits: Beethoven Symphony No 7 A major Leonard Bernstein Wiener Philarmoniker

Beethoven Symphony No 7 A major Leonard Bernstein Wiener Philarmoniker

Sonorum Concentus

Published on Dec 26, 2014

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No 7 A major
Leonard Bernstein conducts Wiener Philarmoniker
Poco sostenuto. Vivace 0:00
Allegretto 14:45
Presto. Assai meno presto 23:50
Allegro con brio 32:59

• Music

  • “Beethoven: Symphony No.7 In A, Op.92 – 3. Presto – Assai meno presto” by Wiener Philharmoniker (Google Play • iTunes • AmazonMP3)

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Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Portrait of Beethoven in 1815, by Joseph Willibrord Mähler, two years after the premiere of his 7th Symphony

The Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1811 and 1812, while improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice. The work is dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.

At its première, Beethoven was noted as remarking that it was one of his best works. The second movement, Allegretto, was the most popular movement and had to be encored. The instant popularity of the Allegretto resulted in its frequent performance separate from the complete symphony.^[1]

Premiere

The work was premiered with Beethoven himself conducting in Vienna on 8 December 1813 at a charity concert for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau. In Beethoven’s address to the participants, the motives are openly named: “We are moved by nothing but pure patriotism and the joyful sacrifice of our powers for those who have sacrificed so much for us.”^[2]

The program also included the patriotic work Wellington’s Victory exalting the victory of the British over Napoleon‘s France. The orchestra was led by Beethoven’s friend Ignaz Schuppanzigh and included some of the finest musicians of the day: violinist Louis Spohr,^[3] Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Antonio Salieri, bassoonist Anton Romberg, and the Italian double bass virtuoso Domenico Dragonetti, whom Beethoven himself described as playing “with great fire and expressive power”. It is also said that the Italian guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani played cello at the premiere.

The piece was very well received, and the second movement, the Allegretto, had to be encored immediately.^[3] Spohr made particular mention of Beethoven’s antics on the rostrum (“as a sforzando occurred, he tore his arms with a great vehemence asunder … at the entrance of a forte he jumped in the air”),^[4] and the concert was repeated due to its immense success.

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in A (E and D in the inner movements), 2 trumpets in D, timpani, and strings.

Form

	II. Allegretto   Menu       0:00     IV. Allegro con brio   Menu       0:00   Both performed by John Michel
Problems playing these files? See media help.

The Seventh Symphony is in four movements:

1. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
2. Allegretto
3. Presto – Assai meno presto (trio)
4. Allegro con brio

Performance time lasts approximately 40 minutes. The work as a whole is known for its use of rhythmic devices suggestive of a dance, such as dotted rhythm and repeated rhythmic figures. It is also tonally subtle, making use of the tensions between the key centres of A, C and F. For instance, the first movement is in A major but has repeated episodes in C major and F major. In addition, the second movement is in A minor with episodes in A major, and the third movement, a scherzo, is in F major.

First movement

The first movement starts with a long, expanded introduction marked Poco sostenuto (metronome mark: quarter=69) that is noted for its long ascending scales and a cascading series of applied dominants that facilitates modulations to C major and F major. From the last episode in F major, the movement transitions to Vivace through a series of no fewer than sixty-one repetitions of the note E. The Vivace (dotted quarter=104) is in sonata form, and is dominated by lively dance-like rhythms (such as dotted rhythms), sudden dynamic changes, and abrupt modulations. In particular, the development section opens in C major and contains extensive episodes in F major. The movement finishes with a long coda, which starts similarly as the development section. The coda contains a famous twenty-bar passage consisting of a two-bar motif repeated ten times to the background a grinding four octave deep Pedal point of an E. The critic and composer Carl Maria von Weber took particular exception to this (see below).

Second movement

The second movement in A minor has a tempo marking of Allegretto (a little lively), making it slow only in comparison to the other three movements. This movement was encored at the premiere and has remained popular since. The ostinato (repeated rhythmic figure) of a quarter note, two eighth notes and two quarter notes is heard repeatedly. This movement is structured in a double variation form. The movement begins with the main melody played by the violas and cellos. This melody is then played by the second violins while the violas and cellos play a second, but equally important melody, a melody described by George Grove as “a string of beauties hand-in-hand”.^[5] Then, the first violins take the first melody while the second violins take the second. This progression culminates with the wind section playing the first melody while the first violin plays the second. After this climax, the music changes from A minor to A major as the clarinets take a calmer melody to the background of light triplets played by the violins. This section ends thirty-seven bars later with a quick descent of the strings on an A minor scale, and the first melody is resumed and elaborated upon in a strict fugato.

Third movement

The third movement is a scherzo in F major and trio in D major. Here, the trio (based on an Austrian pilgrims’ hymn^[6]) is played twice rather than once. This expansion of the usual A–B–A structure of ternary form into A–B–A–B–A was quite common in other works of Beethoven of this period, such as his Fourth Symphony, “Pastoral” Symphony and String Quartet Op. 59 No. 2.

Fourth movement

The last movement is in sonata form, the coda of which contains an example, rare in Beethoven’s music, of the dynamic marking ƒƒƒ (called forte fortissimo or fortississimo). In his book Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies (1896), Sir George Grove wrote, “The force that reigns throughout this movement is literally prodigious, and reminds one of Carlyle’s hero Ram Dass, who has ‘fire enough in his belly to burn up the entire world.’ ” Donald Tovey, writing in his Essays in Musical Analysis, commented on this movement’s “Bacchic fury” and many other writers have commented on its whirling dance-energy: the main theme vaguely resembles Beethoven’s arrangement of the Irish folk-song “Save me from the grave and wise”, No. 8 of his Twelve Irish Folk Songs, WoO 154.

Reception

Critics and listeners have often felt stirred or inspired by the Seventh Symphony. For instance, one program-note author writes:^[7]

… the final movement zips along at an irrepressible pace that threatens to sweep the entire orchestra off its feet and around the theater, caught up in the sheer joy of performing one of the most perfect symphonies ever written.

Composer and music author Antony Hopkins says of the symphony:^[8]

The Seventh Symphony perhaps more than any of the others gives us a feeling of true spontaneity; the notes seem to fly off the page as we are borne along on a floodtide of inspired invention. Beethoven himself spoke of it fondly as “one of my best works”. Who are we to dispute his judgment?

Another admirer, Richard Wagner, referring to the lively rhythms which permeate the work, called it the “apotheosis of the dance”.^[5]

On the other hand, admiration for the work has not been universal. Friedrich Wieck, who was present during rehearsals, said that the consensus, among musicians and laymen alike, was that Beethoven must have composed the symphony in a drunken state;^[9] and the conductor Thomas Beecham commented on the fourth movement: “What can you do with it? It’s like a lot of yaks jumping about.”^[10]

The oft-repeated claim that Carl Maria von Weber considered the chromatic bass line in the coda of the first movement evidence that Beethoven was “ripe for the madhouse”, seems to have been the invention of Beethoven’s first biographer, Anton Schindler. His possessive adulation of Beethoven is well-known, and he was criticised by his contemporaries for his obsessive attacks on Weber. According to John Hamilton Warrack, Weber’s biographer, Schindler was characteristically evasive when defending Beethoven, and there is “no shred of concrete evidence” that Weber ever made the remark.^[11]

 

Saint of the Day for Wednesday, November 25th, 2015: St. Catherine of Alexandria

Saint of the Day for Wednesday, November 25th, 2015

St. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr whose feast day is November 25th. She is the patroness of philosophers and preachers. St. Catherine is believed to have been born in Alexandria of a … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

St. Catherine of Alexandria St. Alnoth St. Catherine of Alexandria St. Imma

St. Jucunda St. Mesrop St. Moses St. Peter of Alexandria

The Deepest Ocean

In 1951, the British Royal Navy ship HMS Challenger II surveyed the Challenger Deep trench of the Pacific Ocean, located between Indonesia and Japan, establishing it as the deepest known point of any ocean on Earth. Less than a decade later, a US Navy deep-sea diving submersible descended to the trench floor. There, the crew observed small sole and flounder and noted that the floor consisted of diatomaceous ooze. What is the maximum depth surveyed at the Challenger Deep? More… Discuss

this pressed for Jolly Roger: Activists ‘glue themselves to immigration centre gate’ in deportation protest – Telegraph

Activists ‘glue themselves to immigration centre gate’ in deportation protest Two protesters attempt to stop departure of charter flight deporting people from UK back to Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone 11 0 1 12 Email By Agency1:21AM GMT 25 Nov 2015Two people are believed to have glued themselves to the gate of an immigration centre in an attempt to stop the departure of a charter flight deporting people from the UK.Ten anti-deportation activists gathered to protest at Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow airport, the Unity centre said.The protesters formed a blockade in a bid to stop a bus carrying deportees from the centre being taken to Stansted airport for a flight to Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone, the group added.Police attended the scene on Tuesday evening for around five-and-a-half hours but no arrests were made.London Fire Brigade also sent a fire engine to the scene.A Met police spokesman said: “There were a small number of demonstrators in attendance at the immigration centre who had been there since 5.30pm.”We were on the scene with the fire brigade in a monitoring role and there have been no arrests.”

Source: Activists ‘glue themselves to immigration centre gate’ in deportation protest – Telegraph

this pressed for posterity: “Turkey, like every country has a right to defend its territory and airspace” — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 25, 2015

“Turkey, like every country has a right to defend its territory and airspace” @POTUS https://t.co/0gj0JicpOc pic.twitter.com/tWoOUIDToe

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 25, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

this pressed for Jolly-Rogers=ISIS: Honduras judge rules five Syrians to face charges of falsifying documents

Honduras judge rules five Syrians to face charges of falsifying documentsHonduras judge rules five Syrians to face charges of falsifying documentsTEGUCIGALPA A judge in Honduras on Tuesday ordered that five Syrians allegedly caught traveling with fake Greek documents as they tried to head north to the United States must remain behind bars as they await trial to face charges of falsifying documents.The Syrians were caught last week after crossing continents from war-torn Syria, traveling through South America and ending up in Honduras. The five men, aged 19 to 30, acquired forged passports in Brazil, a U.S. source said.The judge decided that the five men, who have asked to be granted refugee status, should remain behind bars pending the trial, said judicial spokeswoman Barbara Castillo.

Source: Honduras judge rules five Syrians to face charges of falsifying documents

this pressed…so you too can remember…: Flashback September 5th 2014 – ISIS: McCain says everyone in the National Security Team recommended arming ISIS | David Icke

Listen at the 1:40 mark

Listen at the 1:40 mark

Source: Flashback September 5th 2014 – ISIS: McCain says everyone in the National Security Team recommended arming ISIS | David Icke

this pressed for…”Wake up and start thinking people”: Nato and UN seek calm over Turkish downing of Russian jet | World news | The Guardian

Turkmen militiamen in Syria claimed to have shot the pilots as they descended on parachutes from the stricken Su-24 bomber. The Turkmen rebels, who are supported by Ankara and who have been the target of earlier Russian bombing, broadcast a video of what appeared to be a dead Russian pilot.The rebels also posted footage appearing to show one of their missiles destroying a helicopter while it was on the ground, which they said was a Russian aircraft sent to rescue the downed Su-24 crew, although it was not possible to verify the footage.A Russian military spokesman later said one of the rescue helicopters had been forced to make an emergency landing after being hit by fire from the ground and a marine on board had been killed.Within hours of the jet’s downing, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced the first reprisal, warning Russian tourists not to go to Turkey, a potentially significant loss of revenue for Ankara. Lavrov compared the terrorist threat there to Egypt, where a Russian airliner was brought down by a bomb earlier this month, and he cancelled a planned trip to Ankara on Wednesday.Mute Current Time 0:00/Duration Time 0:53Loaded: 0%Progress: 0cebookTwitterPinterestRussia cancels Turkey meeting and warns its citizens not to visit The Russian defence ministry said on its website that it considered the “actions of the Turkish air force as an unfriendly act”, adding that it was “designing a complex of measures directed to respond such incidents”. In his remarks, Putin complained in particular that Turkey had contacted its Nato allies before getting in touch with Moscow, “as if we shot down their plane and not they ours”. Analysis Is Vladimir Putin right to label Turkey ‘accomplices of terrorists’?The relationship hinted at by Russian leader after warplane was shot down is a complex one, and includes links between senior Isis figures and Turkish officials Read more Ankara summoned an emergency meeting of Nato ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council on Tuesday evening to share information about the incident. However, the Turkish government stopped short of calling the meeting under article 4 of the alliance’s founding treaty, which would have represented a more formal response to a threat to a member state’s territorial integrity and security.Turkey said one of its US-made F-16 fighters fired on the Russian plane when it entered Turkish airspace after having been warned on its approach to the Turkish border.In a letter to the British ambassador to the United Nations, currently serving as the president of the UN security council, the Turkish government wrote: “This morning, two Su-24 planes have approached Turkish national airspace in Yayladaga/Hatay region. The planes in question have been warned 10 times during a period of five minutes via ‘emergency’ channels and asked to change their headings south immediately. Disregarding these warnings, both planes, at an altitude of 19,000 feet violated Turkish airspace to a depth of 1.36 miles and 1.15 miles for 17 seconds from 9.24.05 local time.

Source: Nato and UN seek calm over Turkish downing of Russian jet | World news | The Guardian

great compositions/performances: Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suites – 1 and 2 Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE Guillermo Garcia Calvo – Conductor

Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt  Suites 1 / 2

doffdoff

Published on May 5, 2013

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843 – 1907)
Peer Gynt Suites 1 and 2
Incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s play. (1875, Op. 23)

Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVEGuillermo Garcia Calvo – Conductor

Suite No. 1, Op. 46 (1888):
I. Morning Mood (Morgenstemning) 00:01
II. The Death of Åse (Åses død) 04:31
III. Anitra’s Dance (Anitras dans) 09:39
IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King (I Dovregubbens hall) 13:14

Suite No. 2, Op. 55 (1891):
I. The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid’s Lament (Bruderovet. Ingrids klage) 15:48
II. Arabian Dance (Arabisk dans) 20:14
III. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming (Stormy Evening on the Sea) (Peer Gynts hjemfart (Stormfull aften på havet)) 24:58
IV. Solveig’s Song (Solveigs sang) 27:36

Sakura – Japanese Cherry Tree

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fABULOUS HISTORIC MUSICAL BITS: Leonid Kogan – Mozart – Adagio in E major, K 261 (1981)

Leonid Kogan – Mozart – Adagio in E major, K 261(1981)

Classical Vault 1

Published on Jun 18, 2013

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adagio in E major for violin and orchestra, K 261

Leonid Kogan, violin

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Pavel Kogan, conductor

Live recording, May 1981

GREAT COMPOSITIONS/PERFORMANCES: Antonin Dvorak: Slavonice Dances Op.72 no.2 in E minor – Allegretto grazioso (Conductor: Szell)

Antonin Dvorak: Slavonice Dances Op.72 no.2 in E minor – Allegretto grazioso (Conductor: Szell)

Siraarongirl2

Published on Jun 5, 2012

I love this creepy yet elegant song! The conductors name is Szell and it’s performed by the Cleveland Orchestra. This song is also the theme for the Karrucci dragons in The Society On Da Run.

I own nothing in this video, except the image of the dragon.

FABULOUS RENDITIONS: VALENTINA LISITSA, PLAYS F. Schubert, Schwanengesang #7 Ständchen (Liszt) come over see why it’s fabulous!)

F. Schubert, Schwanengesang #7 Ständchen (Liszt)

ValentinaLisitsa

Uploaded on Dec 19, 2008

Valentina Lisitsa, Schwanengesang DVD Ständchen #7

GREAT COMPOSITIONS/PERFORMANCES: Bedřich Smetana – The Bartered Bride (Prodaná nevěsta) – Polka (Conductor: Herbert von Karajan Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker)

Bedřich Smetana – The Bartered Bride (Prodaná nevěsta) – Polka

Fledermaus1990

Published on May 12, 2012

The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863-66, and first performed at the Provisional Theatre, Prague, on 30 May 1866 in a two-act format with spoken dialogue.

Set in a country village and with realistic characters, it tells the story of how, after a late surprise revelation, true love prevails over the combined efforts of ambitious parents and a scheming marriage broker.

Smetana’s musical treatment makes considerable use of traditional Bohemian dance forms such as the polka and furiant, although he largely avoids the direct quotation of folksong.

Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker

GREAT COMPOSITIONS/PERFORMANCES: Edvard Grieg – Norwegian Dances / Danses Norvégiennes

Edvard Grieg – Norwegian Dances / Danses Norvégiennes

miljkmi

Published on Mar 29, 2012

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Norge

– Danses norvegiénnes (pour orchestre), op. 35
– Norwegian Dances (for Orchestra), Op. 35

I. Allegro marcato
II. Allegro tranquille e grazioso
III. Allegro moderato alla marcia
IV. Allegro molto

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

great compositions/performances: Theme From Schindler’s List conducted by John williams (featuring Itzhak Perlman)

Theme From Schindler’s List conducted by John williams (featuring Itzhak Perlman)

martyprod2

Uploaded on Jul 14, 2011

Composer and Conductor : John Williams
Violin : Itzhak Perlman

• Music

  • “Theme (From “Schindler’s List”)” by John Williams (Google Play • iTunes • AmazonMP3)

great compositions/performances: Carlos Kleiber – Johann Strauss II – Frühlingsstimmen (“Voices of Spring”) Op. 410

Carlos Kleiber – Johann Strauss II – Frühlingsstimmen (“Voices of Spring”) Op. 410

tumich

Published on May 3, 2012

Johann Strauss II – Frühlingsstimmen” (“Voices of Spring”)
New Year’s Concert 1989
Wiener Philharmoniker
Carlos Kleiber

historic musical bits: Appalachian Spring · Leonard Bernstein · New York Philharmonic · Aaron Copland (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Appalachian Spring

#NewYorkPhilharmonic

Published on Mar 19, 2015

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Appalachian Spring · Leonard Bernstein · New York Philharmonic · Aaron Copland

Leonard Bernstein Conducts… New York Philharmonic

℗ 2014 Ameritz Music Ltd.

Released on: 2014-06-20
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Appalachian Spring

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Appalachian Spring is a composition by Aaron Copland that premiered in 1944 and has achieved widespread and enduring popularity as an orchestral suite. The ballet, scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra, was created upon commission of choreographer and dancer Martha Graham with funds from the Coolidge Foundation. It premiered on Monday, 30 October 1944 at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, with Martha Graham dancing the lead role. The set was designed by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Copland was awarded the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his achievement.^[1][2]

Composition process

	Opening: Appalachian Spring, original version for 13 instruments   Menu       0:00   Sample of the opening movement in Copland’s ballet
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In 1942, Martha Graham and Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge commissioned Copland to write a ballet with “an American theme”. Copland did the bulk of the work in 1943/44, and the work was premiered at the Library of Congress on Oct. 30, 1944, with Graham dancing the lead role. In 1945, Copland was commissioned by conductor Artur Rodzinski to rearrange the ballet as an orchestral suite, preserving most of the music. Copland cut about 10 minutes from the original 13-instrument score to make the suite. From the preface in the original Boosey & Hawkes publication of the suite:

The original scoring called for a chamber ensemble of thirteen instruments. The present arrangement for symphony orchestra was made by the composer in the Spring of 1945. It is a condensed version of the ballet, retaining all essential features but omitting those sections in which the interest is primarily choreographic.^[3]

The Orchestral Suite from 1945 was first recorded by Serge Koussevitzky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.^[4] In 1954, Eugene Ormandy asked Copland to expand the orchestration for the full score of the ballet. In 1972, Boosey & Hawkes published a version of the suite fusing the structure of it with the scoring of the original ballet: double string quartet, bass, flute, clarinet, bassoon, and piano. Thus we see that there are four versions of Appalachian Spring, dating from 1944 (13-player complete), 1945 (orchestral suite), 1954 (orchestral complete) and 1972 (13-player suite).

The 1944 version was recorded in 1991 by Hugh Wolff with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for Teldec.^[5] The 1954 version was recorded by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for RCA Victor in May 1999.

The original ballet and the orchestral suite were well received. The latter was credited as more important in popularizing the composer.

Originally, Copland did not have a title for the work, referring to it simply as “Ballet for Martha”—a title as simple and direct as the Shaker tune ‘Tis the Gift to be Simple quoted in the music.^[6] Shortly before the premiere, Graham suggested Appalachian Spring, a phrase from a Hart Crane poem, “The Dance” from a collection of poems in his book “The Bridge.”

O Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;
Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bends
And northward reaches in that violet wedge
Of Adirondacks!

Because he composed the music without the benefit of knowing what the title was going to be, Copland was often amused when people told him he captured the beauty of the Appalachians in his music, a fact he alluded to in an interview with NPR’s Fred Calland.^[7] Little known is that the word “spring” denotes a source of water in the Crane poem; however the poem is a journey to meet springtime.

Ballet storyline

The story tells of a spring celebration of the American pioneers of the 19th century, after building a new Pennsylvania farmhouse. Among the central characters are a bride, a groom, a pioneer woman, a preacher and his congregation.

Form of the piece

The orchestral suite is divided into eight sections. Copland describes each scene thus:

1. Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light.
2. Fast/Allegro. Sudden burst of unison strings in A major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and religious gives the keynote to this scene.
3. Moderate/Moderato. Duo for the Bride and her Intended – scene of tenderness and passion.
4. Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling – suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers.
5. Still faster/Subito Allegro. Solo dance of the Bride – presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder.
6. Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent of the introduction.
7. Calm and flowing/Doppio Movimento. Scenes of daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer husband. There are five variations on a Shaker theme. The theme, sung by a solo clarinet, was taken from a collection of Shaker melodies compiled by Edward D. Andrews, and published under the title “The Gift to Be Simple.” The melody borrowed and used almost literally is called “Simple Gifts.”
8. Moderate. Coda/Moderato – Coda. The Bride takes her place among her neighbors. At the end the couple are left “quiet and strong in their new house.” Muted strings intone a hushed prayerlike chorale passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music.

Themes

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Variations

The original ballet version is divided into 14 movements. The movements that do not appear in the orchestral suite occur mostly between the 7th and last movement as variations on the Shaker melody Simple Gifts (1848). The second variation provides a lyrical treatment in the low register while the third contrasts starkly in a fast staccato. The last two variations of this section use only a part of the folk tune, first an extraction treated as a pastoral variation and then as a majestic closing. In the ballet, but not the suite, there is an intermediary section that moves away from the folk tune preceding the final two variations.

Shaker Melody

Shaker music

Music
* Issachar Bates, Ode to Contentment Joseph Brackett, Simple Gifts Wyeth and Hammond, The Humble Heart
Works inspired by Simple Gifts
* Air and Simple Gifts Joel Cohen, Simple Gifts Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring Roger Lee Hall, Simple Gifts Lord of the Dance Old American Songs Weezer, The Greatest Man That Ever Lived
Works inspired by Shakers
* William Coulter, Shaker trilogy Roger Lee Hall, Four New England Shaker Spirituals David Johansen, Shaker R.E.M., Fireplace (Document) Eric W. Sawyer, The Humble Heart

Known as the “Shaker Melody”, “Shaker Song”, and the “Shaker Hymn”, the music Copland based his ending variations on was actually called Simple Gifts. This same Shaker tune was used by Sydney Carter in a widely recognized hymn entitled “Lord of the Dance“. Copland published independent arrangements of this section for band (1958) and orchestra (1967) titled Variations on a Shaker Melody.

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this pressed for “WAKE UP PEOPLE”: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (from WIKIPEDIA)

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

“ISIL”, “ISIS”, “Daesh”, and “Islamic State group” redirect here. For other uses, see ISIL (disambiguation), ISIS (disambiguation), Daish (disambiguation), and Islamic state (disambiguation).

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī ‘l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām Participant in the Syrian Civil War, Iraq War (2003–2011), Iraqi insurgency, Iraq War (2014–present), Second Libyan Civil War, Boko Haram insurgency, War in North-West Pakistan, War in Afghanistan, Yemeni Civil War, and other conflicts Primary target of Operation Inherent Resolve and of the military intervention against ISIL: in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Nigeria.
Flag
Active	1999–present Joined al-Qaeda: October 2004 Declaration of an Islamic state in Iraq: 13 October 2006 Claim of territory in the Levant: 8 April 2013 Separated from al-Qaeda:[1][2] 3 February 2014[3] Declaration of caliphate: 29 June 2014 Claim of territory in: Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen: 13 November 2014 Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India: 29 January 2015[4] Nigeria: 12 March 2015[5][6] North Caucasus: 23 June 2015[7]
Ideology	Salafism[8][9][10] Salafi jihadism[10][11] Wahhabism[11][12]
Leaders	Leader: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,[13] Deputy leader: Abu Ala al-Afri still unconfirmed †,[14][15] Deputy leader in Syria: Abu Ali al-Anbari,[16] Deputy leader in Iraq: Abu Muslim al-Turkmani †,[16][17] Military chief: Abu Suleiman al-Naser,[18][19] Head of the Shura Council: Abu Arkan al-Ameri,[20] Chief spokesperson: Abu Mohammad al-Adnani,[18][21][22] Chief of Syrian military operations: Abu Omar al-Shishani[18][23]
Headquarters	Ar-Raqqah, Syria (de facto capital)
Area of operations	Military situation as of 18 November 2015, in the Iraqi, Syrian, and Lebanese conflicts.   Controlled by the Iraqi government   Controlled by the Syrian government   Controlled by the Lebanese government   Controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant   Controlled by Iraqi Kurdistan forces   Controlled by Syrian Kurdistan forces   Controlled by Syrian opposition forces   Controlled by al-Nusra Front   Controlled by Hezbollah Note: Iraq and Syria contain large desert areas with limited populations. These areas are mapped as under the control of forces holding roads and towns within them. Detailed map of the Syrian Civil War Detailed map of the Iraqi insurgency Detailed map of the Lebanese insurgency Detailed map of the Libyan Civil War Detailed map of the Nigerian insurgency Detailed map of the Sinai insurgency Detailed map of the Yemeni Civil War
Strength	Inside Syria and Iraq 200,000[24] (Kurdish claim) 100,000[25] (Jihadist claim) 20,000–31,000[26] (CIA estimate) Outside Syria and Iraq 32,600–57,900 (See Military of ISIL for more detailed estimates.) Estimated total 52,600–257,900
Originated as	Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād (1999)[27]

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL; Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام‎), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, /ˈaɪsɨs/), the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham,^[28] Daesh, or simply Islamic State (IS),^[29] is a Wahhabi/Salafi jihadist extremist militant group. It is led by and mainly composed of Sunni Arabs from Iraq and Syria. As of March 2015, it has control over territory occupied by 10 million people in Iraq and Syria, and through loyal local groups, has control over small areas of Libya, Nigeria and Afghanistan. The group also operates or has affiliates in other parts of the world, including North Africa and South Asia.^{[30][31][32][33][34][35]}

The group is known in Arabic as ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī ‘l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām, leading to the acronym Da’ish or Daesh (داعش, Arabic pronunciation: [ˈdaːʕiʃ]),^[36][37] the Arabic equivalent of “ISIL”. On 29 June 2014, the group proclaimed itself to be an Islamic state and worldwide caliphate, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi being named its caliph, and renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah (الدولة الإسلامية, “Islamic State” (IS). As a caliphate, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide, and that “the legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organisations, becomes null by the expansion of the khilāfah’s [caliphate’s] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas”.^{[28][38][39][40]} The United Nations has held ISIL responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, and Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing by the group on a “historic scale”. The group has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, the European Union and member states, the United States, India, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria and other countries. Over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIL.

The group originated as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999, which pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2004. The group participated in the Iraqi insurgency that followed the March 2003 invasion of Iraq by Western forces. In January 2006, it joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council, which proclaimed the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in October 2006. After the Syrian Civil War began in March 2011, the ISI, under the leadership of al-Baghdadi, sent delegates into Syria in August 2011. These fighters named themselves Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahli ash-Shām—al-Nusra Front—and established a large presence in Sunni-majority areas of Syria, within the governorates of Ar-Raqqah, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor, and Aleppo. In April 2013, al-Baghdadi announced the merger of the ISI with al-Nusra Front and that the name of the reunited group was now the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). However, Abu Mohammad al-Julani and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leaders of al-Nusra and al-Qaeda respectively, rejected the merger. After an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda cut all ties with ISIL on 3 February 2014, citing its failure to consult and “notorious intransigence”. In Syria, the group has conducted ground attacks on both government forces and rebel factions in the Syrian Civil War. The group gained prominence after it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities in western Iraq in an offensive initiated in early 2014. Iraq’s territorial loss almost caused a collapse of the Iraqi government and prompted a renewal of US military action in Iraq.^{[3][41][42][43]}

ISIL is adept at social media, posting Internet videos of beheadings of soldiers, civilians, journalists and aid workers, and is known for its destruction of cultural heritage sites. Muslim leaders around the world have condemned ISIL’s ideology and actions, arguing that the group has strayed overwhelmingly from the path of true Islam and that its actions do not reflect the religion’s true teachings or virtues.^[44][45] The group’s adoption of the name “Islamic State” and idea of a caliphate have been widely criticised, with the United Nations, NATO, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups rejecting both.

Contents

• 1 Names
• 2 History
  • 2.1 Foundation, 1999–2006
  • 2.2 As Islamic State of Iraq, 2006–13
    • 2.2.1 Syrian Civil War
  • 2.3 As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, 2013–14
  • 2.4 As Islamic State, 2014–present
• 3 Worldwide caliphate aims
  • 3.1 Goals
  • 3.2 Ideology and beliefs
    • 3.2.1 Eschatology
  • 3.3 Territorial claims and international presence
    • 3.3.1 Libyan Provinces
    • 3.3.2 Sinai Province
    • 3.3.3 Algerian Province
    • 3.3.4 Khorasan Province
    • 3.3.5 Yemen
    • 3.3.6 West African Province
    • 3.3.7 North Caucasus Province
    • 3.3.8 Southeast Asia
  • 3.4 Other areas of operation
  • 3.5 Leadership and governance
  • 3.6 Monetary system
  • 3.7 Non-combatants
  • 3.8 Strategy
• 4 Designation as a terrorist organisation
• 5 Human rights abuse and war crime findings
  • 5.1 Religious and minority group persecution
  • 5.2 Treatment of civilians
  • 5.3 Child soldiers
  • 5.4 Sexual violence and slavery
  • 5.5 Attacks on members of the press
  • 5.6 Beheadings and mass executions
  • 5.7 Use of chemical weapons
  • 5.8 Destruction of cultural and religious heritage
• 6 Criticism
  • 6.1 Islamic criticism
  • 6.2 International criticism
  • 6.3 Criticism of the name “Islamic State” and “caliphate” declaration
• 7 In the media
  • 7.1 Conspiracy theories
• 8 Countries and groups at war with ISIL
  • 8.1 Opposition within Asia and Africa
  • 8.2 The Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • 8.3 Other state opponents not part of the Counter-ISIL Coalition
  • 8.4 Other non-state opponents
  • 8.5 Al-Qaeda
• 9 Supporters
  • 9.1 Iraq and Syria nationals
  • 9.2 Foreign nationals
  • 9.3 Groups with expressions of support
  • 9.4 Allegations of Turkish support
  • 9.5 Allegations of Qatari support
  • 9.6 Allegations of Saudi Arabian support
  • 9.7 Allegations of Syrian support
• 10 Military and resources
  • 10.1 Military
    • 10.1.1 Foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq
  • 10.2 Weapons
    • 10.2.1 Conventional weapons
    • 10.2.2 Non-conventional weapons
  • 10.3 Propaganda and social media
    • 10.3.1 Anonymous
  • 10.4 Finances
    • 10.4.1 Oil revenues
    • 10.4.2 Sale of antiques and artifacts
    • 10.4.3 Taxation and extortion
    • 10.4.4 Illegal drug trade
    • 10.4.5 Farming
    • 10.4.6 Donations by Saudi Arabia and Gulf states
• 11 Timeline of events
• 12 See also
• 13 References
• 14 Bibliography
• 15 External links

Names

The group has had various names since it began.^[46]

1. The group was founded in 1999 by Jordanian radical Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād, “The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad” (JTJ).^[27]
2. In October 2004, al-Zarqawi swore loyalty to Osama bin Laden and changed the group’s name to Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-Rāfidayn, “The Organisation of Jihad’s Base in Mesopotamia“, commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).^[46][47] Although the group has never called itself al-Qaeda in Iraq, this has been its informal name over the years.^[48]
3. In January 2006, AQI merged with several other Iraqi insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council.^[49] Al-Zarqawi was killed in June 2006.
4. On 12 October 2006, the Mujahideen Shura Council merged with several more insurgent factions, and on 13 October the establishment of the ad-Dawlah al-ʻIraq al-Islāmiyah, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), was announced.^[50] The leaders of this group were Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri.^[51] After they were killed in a US–Iraqi operation in April 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the new leader of the group.
5. On 8 April 2013, having expanded into Syria, the group adopted the name Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which more fully translates as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant^{[citation needed]} or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.^[52][53][54] These names are translations of the Arabic name ad-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah fī-l-ʻIrāq wa-sh-Shām,^[55][56] al-Shām being a description of the Levant or Greater Syria.^[28] The translated names are commonly abbreviated as ISIL or ISIS, with a debate over which of these acronyms should be used.^[28][56] The Washington Post concluded that the distinction between the two “is not so great”.^[28]
6. The name Da’ish is often used by ISIL’s Arabic-speaking detractors. It is based on the Arabic letters Dāl, alif, ʻayn, and shīn, which form the acronym (داعش) of ISIL’s Arabic name al-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī al-ʻIrāq wa-al-Shām.^[57][58] There are many spellings of this acronym, with “Daesh” gaining acceptance. ISIL considers the acronym Da’ish derogatory because with the appropriate grammatical conjugation it sounds similar to the Arabic words Daes, “one who crushes something underfoot”, and Dahes, “one who sows discord”.^[36][59] ISIL reportedly uses flogging^[60][61] and the cutting out of tongues^[62] to punish those who use the term in areas under its control. In 2015, over 120 British parliamentarians asked the BBC to use the name Daesh, following the example of John Kerry and Laurent Fabius.^[36][63]
7. On 14 May 2014, the United States Department of State announced its decision to use Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as the group’s primary name.^[57] However, in late 2014, top US officials shifted toward using Daesh, since this was the name that their Arab allies preferred to use.^[36]
8. On 29 June 2014, the group renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah (الدولة الإسلامية, Islamic State (IS)), and declared itself a worldwide caliphate.^[38][64][65] Accordingly, “Iraq and Shām” was removed from all official deliberations and communications, and the official name became the Islamic State from the date of the declaration. The name Islamic State and the claim of a caliphate have been widely criticised, with the UN, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups refusing to use the new name.^{[63][66][67][68][69][70][71][72]}

History

Part of a series on the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant history
Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999–2004) Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (2004–06) Mujahideen Shura Council (2006) Islamic State of Iraq (2006–13) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–14) Islamic State (June 2014–present)
By topic
Beheadings Black Standard Ideology Destruction of cultural heritage Human rights List of battles Terrorist incidents Members Military Territorial claims Timeline Administrative divisions Claimed oil fields
Category Portal

See also: Timeline of ISIL related events, Islamic State of Iraq § Timeline, Syrian Civil War § Course of events and Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2014

Foundation, 1999–2006

Main articles: Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn and Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)

Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Jordanian Salafi jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his militant group Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, founded in 1999, achieved notoriety in the early stages of the Iraqi insurgency for the suicide attacks on Shia Islamic mosques, civilians, Iraqi government institutions and Italian soldiers partaking in the US-led ‘Multi-National Force‘. Al-Zarqawi’s group officially pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden‘s al-Qaeda network in October 2004, changing its name to Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (تنظيم قاعدة الجهاد في بلاد الرافدين, “Organisation of Jihad’s Base in Mesopotamia“), also known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).^[1][73][74] Attacks by the group on civilians, Iraqi government and security forces, foreign diplomats and soldiers, and American convoys continued with roughly the same intensity. In a letter to al-Zarqawi in July 2005, al-Qaeda’s then deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri outlined a four-stage plan to expand the Iraq War. The plan included expelling US forces from Iraq, establishing an Islamic authority as a caliphate, spreading the conflict to Iraq’s secular neighbours, and clashing with Israel, which the letter says “was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity”.^[75]

In January 2006, AQI joined with several smaller Iraqi insurgent groups under an umbrella organisation called the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC). According to Brian Fishman, this was little more than a media exercise and an attempt to give the group a more Iraqi flavour, and perhaps to distance al-Qaeda from some of al-Zarqawi’s tactical errors, more notably the 2005 bombings by AQI of three hotels in Amman.^[76] On 7 June 2006, a US airstrike killed al-Zarqawi, who was succeeded as leader of the group by the Egyptian militant Abu Ayyub al-Masri.^[77][78]

On 12 October 2006, the MSC united with three smaller groups and six Sunni Islamic tribes to form the “Mutayibeen Coalition”. It swore by Allah “to rid Sunnis from the oppression of the rejectionists (Shi’ite Muslims) and the crusader occupiers … to restore rights even at the price of our own lives … to make Allah’s word supreme in the world, and to restore the glory of Islam”.^[79][80] A day later, the MSC declared the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), comprising Iraq’s six mostly Sunni Arab governorates.^[81] Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was announced as its emir,^[50][82] and al-Masri was given the title of Minister of War within the ISI’s ten-member cabinet.^[83]

As Islamic State of Iraq, 2006–13

Main article: Islamic State of Iraq

According to a study compiled by United States intelligence agencies in early 2007, the ISI—also known as AQI—planned to seize power in the central and western areas of Iraq and turn it into a Sunni caliphate.^[84] The group built in strength and at its height enjoyed a significant presence in the Iraqi governorates of Al Anbar, Diyala and Baghdad, claiming Baqubah as a capital city.^{[85][86][87][88]}

The Iraq War troop surge of 2007 supplied the United States military with more manpower for operations targeting the group, resulting in dozens of high-level AQI members being captured or killed.^[89]

Between July and October 2007, al-Qaeda in Iraq was reported to have lost its secure military bases in Al Anbar province and the Baghdad area.^[90] During 2008, a series of US and Iraqi offensives managed to drive out AQI-aligned insurgents from their former safe havens, such as the Diyala and Al Anbar governorates, to the area of the northern city of Mosul.^[91]

By 2008, the ISI was describing itself as being in a state of “extraordinary crisis”.^[92] Its violent attempts to govern its territory led to a backlash from Sunni Arab Iraqis and other insurgent groups and a temporary decline in the group, which was attributable to a number of factors,^[93] notably the Anbar Awakening.

In late 2009, the commander of US forces in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, stated that the ISI “has transformed significantly in the last two years. What once was dominated by foreign individuals has now become more and more dominated by Iraqi citizens”.^[94] On 18 April 2010, the ISI’s two top leaders, Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, were killed in a joint US-Iraqi raid near Tikrit.^[95] In a press conference in June 2010, General Odierno reported that 80% of the ISI’s top 42 leaders, including recruiters and financiers, had been killed or captured, with only eight remaining at large. He said that they had been cut off from al-Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan.^[96][97][98]

On 16 May 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed the new leader of the Islamic State of Iraq.^[99][100] Al-Baghdadi replenished the group’s leadership, many of whom had been killed or captured, by appointing former Ba’athist military and intelligence officers who had served during Saddam Hussein‘s rule.^[101] These men, nearly all of whom had spent time imprisoned by the US military, came to make up about one third of Baghdadi’s top 25 commanders. One of them was a former colonel, Samir al-Khlifawi, also known as Haji Bakr, who became the overall military commander in charge of overseeing the group’s operations.^[102][103] Al-Khlifawi was instrumental in doing the ground work that led to the growth of ISIL.^[104]

In July 2012, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement online announcing that the group was returning to former strongholds from which US troops and the Sons of Iraq had driven them in 2007 and 2008.^[105] He also declared the start of a new offensive in Iraq called Breaking the Walls, aimed at freeing members of the group held in Iraqi prisons.^[105] Violence in Iraq had begun to escalate in June 2012, primarily with AQI’s car bomb attacks, and by July 2013, monthly fatalities exceeded 1,000 for the first time since April 2008.^[106]

Syrian Civil War

In March 2011, protests began in Syria against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. In the following months, violence between demonstrators and security forces led to a gradual militarisation of the conflict.^[107] In August, al-Baghdadi began sending Syrian and Iraqi ISI members experienced in guerilla warfare across the border into Syria to establish an organisation there. Led by a Syrian known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, this group began to recruit fighters and establish cells throughout the country.^[108][109] In January 2012, the group announced its formation as Jabhat al-Nusra li Ahl as-Sham—Jabhat al-Nusra—more commonly known as al-Nusra Front. Al-Nusra grew rapidly into a capable fighting force, with popular support among Syrians opposed to the Assad government.^[108]

As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, 2013–14

Main article: Timeline of events related to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

On 8 April 2013, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement in which he announced that al-Nusra Front had been established, financed, and supported by the Islamic State of Iraq,^[110] and that the two groups were merging under the name “Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham”.^[52] Al-Julani issued a statement denying the merger, and complaining that neither he nor anyone else in al-Nusra’s leadership had been consulted about it.^[111] In June 2013, Al Jazeera reported that it had obtained a letter written by al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, addressed to both leaders, in which he ruled against the merger, and appointed an emissary to oversee relations between them to put an end to tensions.^[112] That same month, al-Baghdadi released an audio message rejecting al-Zawahiri’s ruling and declaring that the merger was going ahead.^[113] Meanwhile, the ISIL campaign to free imprisoned ISIL members culminated in July 2013, with the group carrying out simultaneous raids on Taji and Abu Ghraib prisons, freeing more than 500 prisoners, many of them veterans of the Iraqi insurgency.^[106][114] In October 2013, al-Zawahiri ordered the disbanding of ISIL, putting al-Nusra Front in charge of jihadist efforts in Syria,^[115] but al-Baghdadi contested al-Zawahiri’s ruling on the basis of Islamic jurisprudence,^[113] and his group continued to operate in Syria. In February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda disavowed any relations with ISIL.^[42]

According to journalist Sarah Birke, there are “significant differences” between al-Nusra Front and ISIL. While al-Nusra actively calls for the overthrow of the Assad government, ISIL “tends to be more focused on establishing its own rule on conquered territory”. ISIL is “far more ruthless” in building an Islamic state, “carrying out sectarian attacks and imposing sharia law immediately”. While al-Nusra has a “large contingent of foreign fighters”, it is seen as a home-grown group by many Syrians; by contrast, ISIL fighters have been described as “foreign ‘occupiers'” by many Syrian refugees.^[116] It has a strong presence in central and northern Syria, where it has instituted sharia in a number of towns.^[116] The group reportedly controlled the four border towns of Atmeh, al-Bab, Azaz and Jarablus, allowing it to control the entrance and exit from Syria into Turkey.^[116] Foreign fighters in Syria include Russian-speaking jihadists who were part of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA).^[117] In November 2013, the JMA’s Chechen leader Abu Omar al-Shishani swore an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi;^[118] the group then split between those who followed al-Shishani in joining ISIL and those who continued to operate independently in the JMA under new leadership.^[119]

In January 2014, rebels affiliated with the Islamic Front and the US-trained Free Syrian Army^[120] launched an offensive against ISIL militants in and around the city of Aleppo.^[121][122] In May 2014, Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the al-Nusra Front to stop its attacks on its rival, ISIL.^{[123][not in citation given]} In June 2014, after continued fighting between the two groups, al-Nusra’s branch in the Syrian town of Al-Bukamal pledged allegiance to ISIL.^[124][125] In mid-June 2014, ISIL captured the Trabil crossing on the Jordan–Iraq border,^[126] the only border crossing between the two countries.^[127] ISIL has received some public support in Jordan, albeit limited, partly owing to state repression there.^[128] ISIL has undertaken a recruitment drive in Saudi Arabia,^[129] where tribes in the north are linked to those in western Iraq and eastern Syria.^[130]

As Islamic State, 2014–present

See also: ISIL beheading incidents, American-led intervention in Syria, American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Military intervention against ISIL, Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) and Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War

On 29 June 2014, the organisation proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate.^[131] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—known by his supporters as Amir al-Mu’minin, Caliph Ibrahim—was named its caliph, and the group renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah (الدولة الإسلامية, “Islamic State” (IS)).^[38] As a “Caliphate”, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide.^[40][132] The concept of it being a caliphate and the name “Islamic State” have been rejected by governments and Muslim leaders worldwide.^{[66][67][68][69][70][71][72]}

In June and July 2014, Jordan and Saudi Arabia moved troops to their borders with Iraq, after Iraq lost control of, or withdrew from, strategic crossing points that then came under the control of ISIL, or tribes that supported ISIL.^[127][133] There was speculation that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had ordered a withdrawal of troops from the Iraq–Saudi crossings in order “to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia and bring the threat of ISIS over-running its borders as well”.^[130]

In July 2014, ISIL recruited more than 6,300 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some of whom were thought to have previously fought for the Free Syrian Army.^[134] On 23 July 2014, Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Totoni Hapilon and some masked men swore loyalty to al-Baghdadi in a video, giving ISIL a presence in the Philippines.^[35][135] In September 2014, the group began kidnapping people for ransoming, in the name of ISIL.^[136]

Yazidi refugees and American aid workers on Mount Sinjar in August 2014

On 3 August 2014, ISIL captured the cities of Zumar, Sinjar, and Wana in northern Iraq.^[137] Thousands of Yazidis fled up Mount Sinjar, fearful of the approaching hostile ISIL militants. The stranded Yazidis’ need for food and water, the threat of genocide to them and to others announced by ISIL, along with the desire to protect US citizens in Iraq and support Iraq in its fight against ISIL, were all reasons for the 2014 American intervention in Iraq on 7 August^[138] and an aerial bombing campaign in Iraq which started on 8 August.

On 11 October 2014, it was reported that ISIL had dispatched 10,000 militants from Syria and Mosul to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad,^[139] and Iraqi Army forces and Anbar tribesmen threatened to abandon their weapons if the US did not send in ground troops to halt ISIL’s advance.^[140] On 13 October, ISIL fighters advanced to within 25 kilometres (16 mi) of Baghdad Airport.^[141]

At the end of October 2014, 800 radical militants gained partial control of the Libyan city of Derna and pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, thus making Derna the first city outside Syria and Iraq to be a part of the “Islamic State Caliphate”.^[142] On 2 November 2014, according to the Associated Press, in response to the coalition airstrikes, representatives from Ahrar ash-Sham attended a meeting with al-Nusra Front, the Khorasan Group, ISIL, and Jund al-Aqsa, which sought to unite these hard-line groups against the US-led coalition and moderate Syrian rebel groups.^[143] However, by 14 November 2014, it was revealed that the negotiations had failed.^[144] On 10 November 2014, a major faction of the Egyptian militant group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis also pledged its allegiance to ISIL.^[145]

 Coalition airstrike on ISIL position, October 2014

ISIL has often used water as a weapon of war. The closing of the gates of the smaller Nuaimiyah dam in Fallujah in April 2014, resulted in the flooding of surrounding regions, while water supply was cut to the Shia-dominated south. Around 12,000 families lost their homes and 200 km² of villages and fields were either flooded or dried up. The economy of the region also suffered with destruction of cropland and electricity shortages.^[146]

In mid-January 2015, a Yemeni official said that ISIL had “dozens” of members in Yemen, and that they were coming into direct competition with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with their recruitment drive.^[147]

In January 2015, Afghan officials confirmed that ISIL had a military presence in Afghanistan,^[148] recruiting over 135 militants by late January. However, by the end of January 2015, 65 of the militants were either captured or killed by the Taliban, and ISIL’s top Afghan recruiter, Mullah Abdul Rauf, was killed in a US drone strike in February 2015.^{[149][150][151]}

In late January 2015, it was reported that ISIL members had infiltrated the European Union and disguised themselves as civilian refugees who were emigrating from the war zones of Iraq and the Levant.^[152] An ISIL representative claimed that ISIL had successfully smuggled 4,000 fighters, and that the smuggled fighters were planning attacks in Europe in retaliation for the airstrikes carried out against ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria. However, experts believe that this claim was exaggerated to boost their stature and spread fear, although they acknowledged that some Western countries were aware of the smuggling.^[153]

In early February 2015, ISIL militants in Libya managed to capture part of the countryside to the west of Sabha, and later, an area encompassing the cities of Sirte, Nofolia, and a military base to the south of both cities.

In February 2015, it was reported that some Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen members had broken from al-Qaeda and pledged allegiance to ISIL.^[154]

On 16 February 2015, Egypt conducted airstrikes in Libya, in retaliation against ISIL’s beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. By the end of that day, 64 ISIL militants in Libya had been killed by the airstrikes, including 50 militants in Derna.^[155] However, by early March, ISIL had captured additional Libyan territory, including a city to the west of Derna, additional areas near Sirte, a stretch of land in southern Libya, some areas around Benghazi, and an area to the east of Tripoli.

On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram swore formal allegiance to ISIL, giving ISIL an official presence in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.^{[6][156][157]} On 13 March 2015, a group of militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan swore allegiance to ISIL;^[158] the group released another video on 31 July 2015 containing its spiritual leader also pledging allegiance.^[159] On 30 March 2015, the senior sharia official of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, Abdullah Al-Libi, defected to ISIL.^[160]

From March through mid-April 2015, advances by Iraqi forces into ISIL-controlled territory were focused on Tikrit and the Saladin Governorate.^[161]

In June 2015, the US Deputy Secretary of State announced that ISIL had lost more than 10,000 members in airstrikes over the preceding nine months.^[162]

In the same month, three simultaneous attacks occurred: two hotels were attacked by gunmen in Tunisia, a man was decapitated in France, and a bomb was detonated at a Shia mosque in Kuwait. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kuwait and Tunisia. ISIL flags were present at the crime scene in France, but ISIL has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

Responsibility for the November 2015 Paris attacks was also claimed by ISIL.^[163]

Worldwide caliphate aims

Goals

Since at least 2004, a significant goal of the group has been the foundation of a Sunni Islamic state.^[164][165] Specifically, ISIL has sought to establish itself as a caliphate, an Islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under a supreme leader—the caliph—who is believed to be the successor to Prophet Muhammad.^[166] In June 2014, ISIL published a document in which it claimed to have traced the lineage of its leader al-Baghdadi back to Muhammad,^[166] and upon proclaiming a new caliphate on 29 June, the group appointed al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As caliph, he demands the allegiance of all devout Muslims worldwide, according to Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).^[167]

ISIL has detailed its goals in its Dabiq magazine, saying it will continue to seize land and take over the entire Earth until its:

Blessed flag…covers all eastern and western extents of the Earth, filling the world with the truth and justice of Islam and putting an end to the falsehood and tyranny of jahiliyyah [state of ignorance], even if American and its coalition despise such.

— 5th edition of Dabiq, the Islamic State’s English-language magazine ^[168]

According to German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer, who spent ten days embedded with ISIL in Mosul, the view that he kept hearing was that ISIL wants to “conquer the world” and all who do not believe in the group’s interpretation of the Koran will be killed. Todenhöfer was struck by the ISIL fighters’ belief that “all religions who agree with democracy have to die”,^[169] and by their “incredible enthusiasm”—including enthusiasm for killing “hundreds of millions” of people.^[170]

A map circulated around the internet purporting to show historical areas of former Islamic states in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, that ISIL planned to expand to, was created by outside supporters and had no official connection to ISIL.^{[171][172][173][174][175][176][177]}

When the caliphate was proclaimed, ISIL stated: “The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the khilafah’s [caliphate’s] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas.”^[166] This was a rejection of the political divisions in the Middle East that were established by European countries during World War I in the Sykes–Picot Agreement.^{[178][179][180]}

Ideology and beliefs

Main article: Ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

ISIL is a Salafi or Wahhabi group.^{[11][181][182]} It follows an extremist interpretation of Islam, promotes religious violence, and regards Muslims who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates.^[8] According to Hayder al Khoei, ISIL’s philosophy is represented by the symbolism in the Black Standard variant of the legendary battle flag of Prophet Muhammad that it has adopted: the flag shows the Seal of Muhammad within a white circle, with the phrase above it, “There is no God but Allah“.^[183] Such symbolism has been said to point to ISIL’s belief that it represents the restoration of the caliphate of early Islam, with all the political, religious and eschatological ramifications that this would imply.^[184]

According to some observers, ISIL emerged from the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, the first post-Ottoman Islamist group dating back to the late 1920s in Egypt.^[185] It adheres to global jihadist principles and follows the hard-line ideology of al-Qaeda and many other modern-day jihadist groups.^[8][3] However, other sources trace the group’s roots to Wahhabism.

For their guiding principles, the leaders of the Islamic State … are open and clear about their almost exclusive commitment to the Wahhabi movement of Sunni Islam. The group circulates images of Wahhabi religious textbooks from Saudi Arabia in the schools it controls. Videos from the group’s territory have shown Wahhabi texts plastered on the sides of an official missionary van.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, The New York Times^[12]

According to The Economist, dissidents in the ISIL capital of Ar-Raqqah report that “all 12 of the judges who now run its court system … are Saudis”. Saudi Wahhabi practices also followed by the group include the establishment of religious police to root out “vice” and enforce attendance at salat prayers, the widespread use of capital punishment, and the destruction or re-purposing of any non-Sunni religious buildings.^[186] Bernard Haykel has described al-Baghdadi’s creed as “a kind of untamed Wahhabism”.^[12]

ISIL aims to return to the early days of Islam, rejecting all innovations in the religion, which it believes corrupts its original spirit. It condemns later caliphates and the Ottoman Empire for deviating from what it calls pure Islam,^[171] and seeks to revive the original Wahhabi project of the restoration of the caliphate governed by strict Salafist doctrine. Following Salafi-Wahhabi tradition, ISIL condemns the followers of secular law as disbelievers, putting the current Saudi Arabian government in that category.^[187]

Salafists such as ISIL believe that only a legitimate authority can undertake the leadership of jihad, and that the first priority over other areas of combat, such as fighting non-Muslim countries, is the purification of Islamic society. For example, ISIL regards the Palestinian Sunni group Hamas as apostates who have no legitimate authority to lead jihad and see fighting Hamas as the first step toward confrontation by ISIL with Israel.^[12][188]

Eschatology

One difference between ISIL and other Islamist and jihadist movements, including al-Qaeda, is the group’s emphasis on eschatology and apocalypticism—that is, a belief in a final Day of Judgment by God, and specifically, a belief that the arrival of one known as Imam Mahdi is near. ISIL believes that it will defeat the army of “Rome” at the town of Dabiq, in fulfilment of prophecy.^[189] Following its interpretation of the Hadith of the Twelve Successors, ISIL also believes that after al-Baghdadi there will be only four more legitimate caliphs.^[189]

The noted scholar of militant Islamism William McCants writes:

References to the End Times fill Islamic State propaganda. It’s a big selling point with foreign fighters, who want to travel to the lands where the final battles of the apocalypse will take place. The civil wars raging in those countries today [Iraq and Syria] lend credibility to the prophecies. The Islamic State has stoked the apocalyptic fire. […] For Bin Laden’s generation, the apocalypse wasn’t a great recruiting pitch. Governments in the Middle East two decades ago were more stable, and sectarianism was more subdued. It was better to recruit by calling to arms against corruption and tyranny than against the Antichrist. Today, though the apocalyptic recruiting pitch makes more sense.

— William McCants, The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State:^[190]

Territorial claims and international presence

Main article: ISIL territorial claims

 Areas controlled (as of 21 October 2015)     Remaining territory in countries with ISIL presence

In Iraq and Syria, ISIL uses many of those countries’ existing governorate boundaries to subdivide its claimed territory; it calls these divisions wilayah or provinces.^[191] As of June 2015, it had established official branches in Libya, Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and the North Caucasus.^[192] Outside Iraq and Syria, it controls territory only in Sinai, Afghanistan, and Libya.^[32] ISIL also has members in Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey & Israel, but does not have official branches in those areas.^[193]

Libyan Provinces

Main article: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya

 Current military situation in Libya:

  Under the control of ISIL and Ansar al-Sharia

ISIL divides Libya into three historical provinces, claiming authority over Cyrenaica in the east, Fezzan in the desert south, and Tripolitania in the west, around its capital Tripoli.^[194]

On 5 October 2014, the Shura Council of Islamic Youth and other militants in Libya were absorbed and designated the Cyrenaica Province of ISIL.^[195][196] The Libyan branch of ISIL has been the most active and successful of all ISIL branches outside Iraq and Syria. It has been active mainly around Derna and Gaddafi’s hometown Sirte.^[197][198]

On 4 January 2015, ISIL forces in Libya seized control of the eastern countryside of Sabha, executing 14 Libyan soldiers in the process.^[199][200] They temporarily controlled part of Derna before being driven out in mid-2015.^[201] Reports from Sirte suggest ISIL militants based there are a mixture of foreign fighters and ex-Gaddafi loyalists.^[202] An initiative between pro-Dawn forces associated with Misrata and Operation Dawn clashed with these IS militants in Sirte.^{[citation needed][203][204]} Fighting between Libya Dawn forces and ISIL militants was also reported in the Daheera area west of the city of Sirte, and at the Harawa vicinity east of Sirte.^[205]

One unconfirmed source has claimed that ISIL uses its bases in Libya to smuggle its fighters into the European Union posing as refugees.^[206][207]

Sinai Province

Main article: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Sinai Province

On 10 November 2014, many members of the group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis took an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi.^[145] Following this, the group assumed the designation Sinai Province (Wilayat Sinai).^{[195][208][209][210]} They are estimated to have 1,000–2,000 fighters.^[35][211] A faction of the Sinai group also operates in the Gaza Strip, calling itself the Islamic State in Gaza.^[212] On 19 August 2015, members of the group bombed an Egyptian security headquarters building in northern Cairo, injuring 30 people.^[213] It is also speculated to be behind the crash of Russian Metrojet Flight 9268, which killed all 224 people on board. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack in audio recordings, though Egyptian officials deny there is enough evidence for the claim.^[214]

Algerian Province

Members of Jund al-Khilafah swore allegiance to ISIL in September 2014.^[215] ISIL in Algeria gained notoriety when it beheaded French tourist Herve Gourdel in September 2014. Since then, the group has largely been silent, with reports that its leader Khalid Abu-Sulayman was killed by Algerian forces in December 2014.^[192]

Khorasan Province

Main article: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province

On 26 January 2015, Khorasan Province (Wilayat Khorasan) was established, with Hafiz Saeed Khan named as Wāli (Governor) and Abdul Rauf as his deputy after both swore an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi. The name Khorasan refers to a historical region that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, and “other nearby lands”.^{[4][151][216][217]}

On 9 February 2015, Mullah Abdul Rauf was killed by a NATO airstrike.^[151] On 18 March 2015, Hafiz Wahidi, ISIL’s replacement deputy Emir in Afghanistan, was killed by the Afghan Armed Forces, along with nine other ISIL militants who were accompanying him.^[218] In June, Reuters received reports that villages in several districts of Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar Province had been captured from the Taliban by ISIL sympathisers.^[32] On 10 July 2015, Hafiz Saeed Khan, the Emir of ISIL’s Khorasan Province, was reportedly killed in U.S. drone strike in eastern Afghanistan.^[219] However Khorasan Province released an audio tape claimed to be of Hafiz Saeed Khan on 13 July 2015,^[220] and he was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury on 29 September 2015.^[221]

Yemen

On 13 November 2014, unidentified militants in Yemen pledged allegiance to ISIL.^[215] By December of that year, ISIL had built an active presence inside Yemen, with its recruitment drive bringing it into direct competition with al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).^[147][222] In February 2015, it was reported that some members of Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen had split from AQAP and pledged allegiance to ISIL.^[223] As the Yemeni Civil War escalated in March 2015, at least seven ISIL Wilayat, named after existing provincial boundaries in Yemen, claimed responsibility for attacks against the Houthis, including the Hadhramaut Province, the Shabwah Province, and the Sana’a Province.^[224][225]

Shi’a Houthis (Revolutionary Committee) are principal enemies of Yemen’s ISIL branch.^[226][227] U.S. supports the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen against the Houthis,^[228] but many in U.S. SOCOM reportedly favor Houthis, as they have been an effective force in rolling back al-Qaeda and recently ISIL in Yemen, “something that hundreds of U.S. drone strikes and large numbers of advisers to Yemen’s military had failed to accomplish”.^[229] The Guardian reported: “As another 50 civilians die in the forgotten war, only Isis and al-Qaida are gaining from a conflict tearing Yemen apart and leaving 20 million people in need of aid.”^[230]

West African Province

Main article: Boko Haram

On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant via an audio message posted on the organisation’s Twitter account.^[231][232] On 12 March 2015, ISIL’s spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani released an audio tape in which he welcomed the pledge of allegiance, and described it as an expansion of the group’s caliphate into West Africa.^[5] ISIL publications from late March 2015 began referring to members of Boko Haram as part of Wilayat Gharb Afriqiya (West Africa Province).^[225]

North Caucasus Province

Some commanders of the Caucasus Emirate in Chechnya and Dagestan switched their allegiance to ISIL in late 2014 and early 2015.^[233] On 23 June 2015, ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani accepted the pledges of allegiance and announced a new Caucasus Province (Wilayat al-Qawqaz) under the leadership of Rustam Asildarov.^[7][192]

Southeast Asia

Main article: Abu Sayyaf

On 23 July 2014, Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Totoni Hapilon in the Philippines swore an oath of loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL.^[135] In September 2014, the group began kidnapping people to ransom, in the name of ISIL.^[136]

Other areas of operation

• Unidentified militants in Saudi Arabia pledged allegiance to ISIL – designated as a province of ISIL.^[215]
• The Free Sunnis of Baalbek Brigade (Lebanon) pledged allegiance to ISIL.^[35]
• Sons of the Call for Tawhid and Jihad (Jordan) pledged allegiance to ISIL.^[234]

Leadership and governance

Further information: List of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members

 Mugshot of al-Baghdadi by U.S. armed forces while in detention at Camp Bucca in 2004

The group is headed and run by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, with a cabinet of advisers. There are two deputy leaders, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani (KIA) for Iraq and Abu Ali al-Anbari for Syria, and 12 local governors in Iraq and Syria. A third man, Abu Ala al-Afri, is also believed to hold a prominent position within the group, having been rumored to be the deputy leader of ISIL. All three are believed to be ethnic Turkmen. The former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein was also said to have had senior Turkmen within his inner circle.^[235][236] While al-Baghdadi has told followers to “advise me when I err” in sermons, according to observers “any threat, opposition, or even contradiction is instantly eradicated”.^[237] Beneath the leaders are councils on finance, leadership, military matters, legal matters—including decisions on executions—foreign fighters’ assistance, security, intelligence and media. In addition, a shura council has the task of ensuring that all decisions made by the governors and councils comply with the group’s interpretation of sharia.^[238] The majority of ISIL’s leadership is dominated by Iraqis, especially former members of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath government who lost their jobs and pensions in De-Ba’athification when his regime was overthrown.^[103][239] It has been reported that Iraqis and Syrians have been given greater precedence over other nationalities within ISIL because the group needs the loyalties of the local Sunni populations in both Syria and Iraq in order to be sustainable.^[240][241] However, other reports have indicated that Syrians are at a disadvantage to foreign members of ISIL, with some native Syrian fighters resenting “favoritism” allegedly shown towards foreigners over pay and accommodation.^[242][243]

In September 2014, The Wall Street Journal estimated that eight million Iraqis and Syrians live in areas controlled by ISIL.^[244] Ar-Raqqah in Syria is the de facto capital, and is said to be a test case of ISIL governance.^[245] As of September 2014, governance in Ar-Raqqah has been under the total control of ISIL where it has rebuilt the structure of modern government in less than a year. Former government workers from the Assad government have maintained their jobs after pledging allegiance to ISIL. Institutions, restored and restructured, provide their respective services. The Ar-Raqqah dam continues to provide electricity and water. Foreign expertise aids Syrian officials in the running of civilian institutions. Only the police and soldiers are ISIL fighters, who receive confiscated lodging previously owned by non-Sunnis and others who have fled. Welfare services are provided, price controls are established, and taxes are imposed on the wealthy. ISIL runs a soft power programme in the areas under its control in Iraq and Syria, which includes social services, religious lectures and da’wah—proselytising—to local populations. It also performs public services, such as repairing roads and maintaining the electricity supply.^[246]

British security expert Frank Gardner concluded that ISIL’s prospects of maintaining control and rule were greater in 2014 than they had been in 2006, and that despite being as brutal as before, ISIL had become “well entrenched” among the population and was not likely to be dislodged by ineffective Syrian or Iraqi forces. It has replaced corrupt governance with functioning locally controlled authorities, services have been restored and there are adequate supplies of water and oil. With Western-backed intervention being unlikely, the group will “continue to hold their ground” and rule an area “the size of Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future”, he said.^[191][247] ISIL has maintained food production, crucial to governance and popular support,^[248] and its 40% control of Iraq’s wheat production has further solidified its rule.

Monetary system

Main article: Modern gold dinar

On 11 November 2014, ISIL announced its intent to mint its own gold, silver, and copper coins, based on the coinage used by the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7th century. Following the announcement, the group began buying up gold, silver, and copper in markets throughout northern and western Iraq, according to precious metal traders in the area. Members of the group also reportedly began stripping the insulation off electrical power cables to obtain the copper wiring.^[249][250] The announcement included designs of the proposed coins, which displayed imagery including a map of the world, a sword and shield, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and a crescent moon. Economics experts, such as Professor Steven H. Hanke of Johns Hopkins University, were skeptical of the plans.^[250][251] A subsequent report alleged that coins released in Mosul were only gold plated and not worth their stated value in precious metal.^[252]

Non-combatants

Although ISIL attracts followers from different parts of the world by promoting the image of holy war, not all of its recruits end up in combatant roles. There have been several cases of new recruits expecting to be mujahideen who have returned from Syria disappointed by the everyday jobs that were assigned to them, such as drawing water or cleaning toilets, or by the ban imposed on use of mobile phones during military training sessions.^[253]

ISIL publishes material directed at women. Although women are not allowed to take up arms, media groups encourage them to play supportive roles within ISIL, such as providing first aid, cooking, nursing and sewing skills, in order to become “good wives of jihad”.^[254] In a document entitled Women in the Islamic State: Manifesto and Case Study released by the media wing of ISIL’s all-female Al-Khanssaa Brigade, emphasis is given to the paramount importance of marriage and motherhood (as early as nine-years-old). Women should live a life of “sedentariness”, fulfilling her “divine duty of motherhood” at home, with a few exceptions like teachers and doctors.^[255][256] Equality for women is opposed, as is education on non-religious subjects, the “worthless worldly sciences”^[256]

Strategy

This section requires expansion. (November 2015)

A 2004 work published online entitled Management of Savagery^[257] (Idarat at Tawahoush), described by several media outlets as influential on ISIL,^{[258][259][260]} and intended to provide a strategy to create a new Islamic caliphate,^[261] recommended a strategy of attack outside its territory in which fighters would:

Diversify and widen the vexation strikes against the Crusader-Zionist enemy in every place in the Islamic world, and even outside of it if possible, so as to disperse the efforts of the alliance of the enemy and thus drain it to the greatest extent possible.

— Scott Atran, Paris: The War ISIS Wants^[262]

Terror attacks on soft targets like resorts will require expenditures for security that will weaken the “crusaders”.

If a tourist resort that the Crusaders patronize…is hit, all of the tourist resorts in all of the states of the world will have to be secured by the work of additional forces, which are double the ordinary amount, and a huge increase in spending,

— Scott Atran, Paris: The War ISIS Wants^[262]

while inspiring disaffected youth who are naturally rebellious and energetic. The terror will

motivate crowds drawn from the masses to fly to the regions which we manage, particularly the youth… [For] the youth of the nation are closer to the innate nature [of humans] on account of the rebelliousness within them.

— Scott Atran, Paris: The War ISIS Wants^[262]

and will also draw the “Crusaders” into a quagmire of military conflict:

Work to expose the weakness of America’s centralized power by pushing it to abandon the media psychological war and war by proxy until it fights directly.

— Scott Atran, Paris: The War ISIS Wants^[262]

One observer has described ISIL’s publicizing of its mass executions and killing of civilians as part of “a conscious plan designed to instill among believers a sense of meaning that is sacred and sublime, while scaring the hell out of fence-sitters and enemies.”^[262] Another describes it purpose as to “break” psychologically those under its control “so as to ensure their absolute allegiance through fear and intimidation”, while generating “outright hate and vengeance” by its enemies.^[263]

Designation as a terrorist organisation

Main articles: List of designated terrorist organizations and Terrorism

Organisation	Date	Body	References
Multinational organisations
United Nations	18 October 2004 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq) 30 May 2013 (after separation from al‑Qaeda)	United Nations Security Council	[264][265][266]
European Union	2004	EU Council (via adoption of UN al-Qaeda Sanctions List)	[267]
Nations
United Kingdom	March 2001 (as part of al-Qaeda) 20 June 2014 (after separation from al‑Qaeda)	Home Secretary of the Home Office	[268]
United States	17 December 2004 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq)	United States Department of State	[269]
Australia	2 March 2005 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq) 14 December 2013 (after separation from al‑Qaeda)	Attorney-General for Australia	[270]
Canada	20 August 2012	Parliament of Canada	[271]
Turkey	30 October 2013	Grand National Assembly of Turkey	[272][273]
Saudi Arabia	7 March 2014	Royal decree of the King of Saudi Arabia	[274]
Indonesia	1 August 2014	National Counter-terrorism Agency BNPT	[275]
United Arab Emirates	20 August 2014	United Arab Emirates Cabinet	[276]
Malaysia	24 September 2014	Ministry of Foreign Affairs	[277]
Egypt	30 November 2014	The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters	[278][279]
India	16 December 2014	Ministry of Home Affairs	[280][281]
Russia	29 December 2014	Supreme Court of Russia	[282]
Kyrgyzstan	25 March 2015	Kyrgyz State Committee of National Security	[283]
Syria			[284]
Jordan			[285]
Pakistan	29 August 2015	Ministry of Interior	[286]

The United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 1267 (1999) described Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda associates as operators of a network of terrorist training camps.^[287] The UN’s Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee first listed ISIL in its Sanctions List under the name “Al-Qaida in Iraq” on 18 October 2004, as an entity/group associated with al-Qaeda. On 2 June 2014, the group was added to its listing under the name “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”. The European Union adopted the UN Sanctions List in 2002.^[267]

 People lay flowers outside the French embassy in Moscow in memory of the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks.

Many world leaders and government spokespeople have called ISIL a terrorist group or banned it, without their countries having formally designated it as such. The following are examples:

The Government of Germany banned ISIL in September 2014. Activities banned include donations to the group, recruiting fighters, holding ISIL meetings and distributing its propaganda, flying ISIL flags, wearing ISIL symbols and all ISIL activities. “The terror organisation Islamic State is a threat to public safety in Germany as well”, said German politician Thomas de Maizière. He added, “Today’s ban is directed solely against terrorists who abuse religion for their criminal goals.” The ban does not mean that ISIL has been outlawed as a foreign terrorist organisation in Germany, as that requires a court judgement.^[288]

In October 2014, Switzerland banned ISIL’s activities in the country, including propaganda and financial support of the fighters, with prison sentences as potential penalties.^[289]

In mid-December 2014, India banned ISIL after the arrest of an operator of a pro-ISIL Twitter account.^[290]

Pakistan designated ISIL as a banned organisation in late August 2015, under which all elements expressing sympathy for the group would be blacklisted and sanctioned.^[286]

Media sources worldwide have described ISIL as a terrorist organisation.^{[28][103][275][291][292][293]}

Human rights abuse and war crime findings

In July 2014, the BBC reported the United Nations’ chief investigator as stating: “Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may be added to a list of war crimes suspects in Syria.”^[294] By June 2014, according to United Nations reports, ISIL had killed hundreds of prisoners of war^[295] and over 1,000 civilians.

In November 2014, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that ISIL was committing crimes against humanity.^[296][297] A report by Human Rights Watch in November 2014 accused ISIL groups in control of Derna, Libya of war crimes and human rights abuses and of terrorizing residents. Human Rights Watch documented three apparent summary executions and at least ten public floggings by the Islamic Youth Shura Council, which joined ISIL in November. It also documented the beheading of three Derna residents and dozens of seemingly politically motivated assassinations of judges, public officials, members of the security forces and others. Sarah Leah Watson, Director of HRW Middle East and North Africa, said: “Commanders should understand that they may face domestic or international prosecution for the grave rights abuses their forces are committing.”^[298]

Speaking of ISIL’s methods, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights has stated that the group “seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey”.^[299]

Religious and minority group persecution

See also: Persecution of Assyrians by ISIL, Persecution of Yazidis by ISIL and Arabization

 Yazidi refugees on Mount Sinjar in August 2014

ISIL compels people in the areas that it controls to live according to its interpretation of sharia law.^[291][300] There have been many reports of the group’s use of death threats, torture and mutilation to compel conversion to Islam,^[291][300] and of clerics being killed for refusal to pledge allegiance to the so-called “Islamic State”.^[301] ISIL directs violence against Shia Muslims, Alawites, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac and Armenian Christians, Yazidis, Druze, Shabaks and Mandeans in particular.^[302]

ISIL fighters are targeting Syria’s minority Alawite sect.^[303][304] The Islamic State and affiliated jihadist groups reportedly took the lead in an offensive on Alawite villages in Latakia Governorate of Syria in August 2013.^[305][306]

Amnesty International has held ISIL responsible for the ethnic cleansing of ethnic and religious minority groups in northern Iraq on a “historic scale”. In a special report released on 2 September 2014, it describes how ISIL has “systematically targeted non-Arab and non-Sunni Muslim communities, killing or abducting hundreds, possibly thousands, of individuals and forcing more than 830,000 others to flee the areas it has captured since 10 June 2014”. Among these people are Assyrian Christians, Turkmen Shia, Shabak Shia, Yazidis, Kaka’i and Sabean Mandeans, who have lived together for centuries in Nineveh province, large parts of which came under ISIL’s control.^[307][308]

Among the known killings of religious and minority group civilians carried out by ISIL are those in the villages and towns of Quiniyeh (70–90 Yazidis killed), Hardan (60 Yazidis killed), Sinjar (500–2,000 Yazidis killed), Ramadi Jabal (60–70 Yazidis killed), Dhola (50 Yazidis killed), Khana Sor (100 Yazidis killed), Hardan (250–300 Yazidis killed), al-Shimal (dozens of Yazidis killed), Khocho (400 Yazidis killed and 1,000 abducted), Jadala (14 Yadizis killed)^[309] and Beshir (700 Shia Turkmen killed),^[310] and others committed near Mosul (670 Shia inmates of the Badush prison killed),^[310] and in Tal Afar prison, Iraq (200 Yazidis killed for refusing conversion).^[309] The UN estimated that 5,000 Yazidis were killed by ISIL during the takeover of parts of northern Iraq in August 2014.^[311] In late May 2014, 150 Kurdish boys from Kobani aged 14–16 were abducted and subjected to torture and abuse, according to Human Rights Watch.^[312] In the Syrian towns of Ghraneij, Abu Haman and Kashkiyeh 700 members of the Sunni Al-Shaitat tribe were killed for attempting an uprising against ISIL control.^[313][314] The UN reported that in June 2014 ISIL had killed a number of Sunni Islamic clerics who refused to pledge allegiance to it.^[301]

Christians living in areas under ISIL control who want to remain in the “caliphate” face three options: converting to Islam, paying a religious levy—jizya—or death.^[315][316] “We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword”, ISIL said.^[317] ISIL had already set similar rules for Christians in Ar-Raqqah, once one of Syria’s more liberal cities.^[318][319]

On 23 February 2015, in response to a major Kurdish offensive in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, ISIL abducted 150 Assyrian Christians from villages near Tal Tamr (Tell Tamer) in northeastern Syria, after launching a large offensive in the region.^[320][321]

It was claimed that ISIL campaigns against Kurdish and Yezidi enclaves in Iraq and Syria were a part of organised Arabization plans. For instance, a Kurdish official in Iraqi Kurdistan claimed that the ISIL campaign in Sinjar was a case of Arabization campaign.^[322]

Treatment of civilians

See also: Killing of captives by ISIL

During the Iraqi conflict in 2014, ISIL released dozens of videos showing its ill treatment of civilians, many of whom had apparently been targeted on the basis of their religion or ethnicity. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned of war crimes being committed in the Iraqi war zone, and disclosed a UN report of ISIL militants murdering Iraqi Army soldiers and 17 civilians in a single street in Mosul. The UN reported that in the 17 days from 5 to 22 June, ISIL killed more than 1,000 Iraqi civilians and injured more than 1,000.^{[323][324][325]} After ISIL released photographs of its fighters shooting scores of young men, the UN declared that cold-blooded “executions” by militants in northern Iraq almost certainly amounted to war crimes.^[326]

ISIL’s advance in Iraq in mid-2014 was accompanied by continuing violence in Syria. On 29 May, ISIL raided a village in Syria and at least 15 civilians were killed, including, according to Human Rights Watch, at least six children.^[327] A hospital in the area confirmed that it had received 15 bodies on the same day.^[328] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that on 1 June, a 102-year-old man was killed along with his whole family in a village in Hama province.^[329] According to Reuters, 1,878 people were killed in Syria by ISIL during the last six months of 2014, most of them civilians.^[330]

In Mosul, ISIL has implemented a sharia school curriculum which bans the teaching of art, music, national history, literature and Christianity. Although Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution has never been taught in Iraqi schools, the subject has been banned from the school curriculum. Patriotic songs have been declared blasphemous, and orders have been given to remove certain pictures from school textbooks.^{[331][332][333][334]} Iraqi parents have largely boycotted schools in which the new curriculum has been introduced.^[335]

After capturing cities in Iraq, ISIL issued guidelines on how to wear clothes and veils. ISIL warned women in the city of Mosul to wear full-face veils or face severe punishment.^[336] A cleric told Reuters in Mosul that ISIL gunmen had ordered him to read out the warning in his mosque when worshippers gathered. ISIL ordered the faces of both male and female mannequins to be covered, in an order which also banned the use of naked mannequins.^[337] In Ar-Raqqah the group uses its two battalions of female fighters in the city to enforce compliance by women with its strict laws on individual conduct.^[338]

ISIL released 16 notes labelled “Contract of the City”, a set of rules aimed at civilians in Nineveh. One rule stipulated that women should stay at home and not go outside unless necessary. Another rule said that stealing would be punished by amputation.^[246][339] In addition to the Muslim custom of banning the sale and use of alcohol, ISIL has banned the sale and use of cigarettes and hookah pipes. It has also banned “music and songs in cars, at parties, in shops and in public, as well as photographs of people in shop windows”.^[340]

According to The Economist, Saudi practices also followed by the group include the establishment of religious police to root out “vice” and enforce attendance at salat prayers, the widespread use of capital punishment, and the destruction of Christian churches and non-Sunni mosques or their conversion to other uses.^[186]

ISIL carried out executions on both men and women who were accused of various acts and found guilty of crimes against Islam such as homosexuality, adultery, watching pornography, usage and possession of contraband, rape, blasphemy, witchcraft,^[341] renouncing Islam and murder. Before the accused are executed their charges are read toward them and the spectators. Executions take various forms, including stoning to death, crucifixions, beheadings, burning people alive, and throwing people from tall buildings.^{[342][343][344][345]}

Child soldiers

See also: Military use of children

According to a report by the magazine Foreign Policy, children as young as six are recruited or kidnapped and sent to military and religious training camps, where they practice beheading with dolls and are indoctrinated with the religious views of ISIL. Children are used as human shields on front lines and to provide blood transfusions for Islamic State soldiers, according to Shelly Whitman of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. The second installment of a Vice News documentary about ISIL focused on how the group is specifically grooming children for the future. A spokesman told VICE News that those under the age of 15 go to sharia camp to learn about religion, while those older than 16 can go to military training camp. Children are also used for propaganda. According to a UN report, “In mid-August, ISIL entered a cancer hospital in Mosul, forced at least two sick children to hold the ISIL flag and posted the pictures on the internet.” Misty Buswell, a Save the Children representative working with refugees in Jordan, said, “It’s not an exaggeration to say we could lose a whole generation of children to trauma.”^[346]

Sexual violence and slavery

Main articles: Sexual violence in the Iraqi insurgency and Slavery in 21st-century Islamism

See also: Islamic views on slavery, Ma malakat aymanukum, Raptio and Wartime sexual violence

Sexual violence perpetrated by ISIL includes: using rape as a weapon of war;^[347] instituting forced marriages to its fighters;^[348] and trading women and girls as sex slaves.^[349]

There are many reports of sexual abuse and enslavement in ISIL-controlled areas of women and girls, predominantly from the minority Christian and Yazidi communities.^[350][351] Fighters are told that they are free to have sex with or rape non-Muslim captive women.^[352] Haleh Esfandiari from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has highlighted the abuse of local women by ISIL militants after they have captured an area. “They usually take the older women to a makeshift slave market and try to sell them. The younger girls … are raped or married off to fighters”, she said, adding, “It’s based on temporary marriages, and once these fighters have had sex with these young girls, they just pass them on to other fighters.”^[353]

The capture of Iraqi cities by the group in June 2014 was accompanied by an upsurge in crimes against women, including kidnap and rape.^{[354][355][356]} According to Martin Williams in The Citizen, some hard-line Salafists apparently regard extramarital sex with multiple partners as a legitimate form of holy war and it is “difficult to reconcile this with a religion where some adherents insist that women must be covered from head to toe, with only a narrow slit for the eyes”.^[357]

As of August 2015, the trade in sex slaves appeared to remain restricted to Yazidi women and girls.^[349] It has reportedly become a recruiting technique to attract men from conservative Muslim societies, where dating and casual sex are not allowed.^[349] Nazand Begikhani said of the Yazidi victims, “These women have been treated like cattle … They have been subjected to physical and sexual violence, including systematic rape and sex slavery. They’ve been exposed in markets in Mosul and in Raqqa, Syria, carrying price tags.”^[358] According to UN Reports the price list for IS sex slaves range from 40 to 160 US-Dollars. The younger the slave the more expensive. Girls and boys between the age 1–9 are referred to as the most expensive, with the cheapest being women between 40 to 50 years old.^[359] According to another source the price of a slave equals the price of an AK-47.^[360]

A United Nations report issued on 2 October 2014, based on 500 interviews with witnesses, said that ISIL took 450–500 women and girls to Iraq’s Nineveh region in August, where “150 unmarried girls and women, predominantly from the Yazidi and Christian communities, were reportedly transported to Syria, either to be given to ISIL fighters as a reward or to be sold as sex slaves”.^[351] In mid-October, the UN confirmed that 5,000–7,000 Yazidi women and children had been abducted by ISIL and sold into slavery.^[311][361] In November 2014 The New York Times reported on the accounts given by five who escaped ISIL of their captivity and abuse.^[362] In December 2014, the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights announced that ISIL had killed over 150 women and girls in Fallujah who refused to participate in sexual jihad.^[363][364] Non-Muslim women have reportedly been married off to fighters against their will. ISIL claims the women provide the new converts and children necessary to spread ISIL’s control.^[365]

Shortly after the death of US hostage Kayla Mueller was confirmed on 10 February 2015,^[366] several media outlets reported that the US intelligence community believed she may have been given as a wife to an ISIL fighter.^{[367][368][369]} In August 2015 it was confirmed that she had been forced into marriage^[370] to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who raped her repeatedly.^{[371][372][373][374][375][376][377]} The Mueller family was informed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had sexually abused Ms. Mueller, and that Ms. Mueller had also been tortured.^[376] Abu Sayyaf‘s widow, Umm Sayyaf, confirmed that it was her husband who had been Mueller’s primary abuser.^[378]

In its digital magazine Dabiq, ISIL explicitly claimed religious justification for enslaving Yazidi women.^{[379][380][381]} According to The Wall Street Journal, ISIL appeals to apocalyptic beliefs and claims “justification by a Hadith that they interpret as portraying the revival of slavery as a precursor to the end of the world”.^[382] ISIL appeals to the Hadith and Qur’an when claiming the right to enslave and rape captive non-Muslim women.^{[379][383][384]} According to Dabiq, “enslaving the families of the kuffar and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of the Sharia’s that if one were to deny or mock, he would be denying or mocking the verses of the Qur’an and the narration of the Prophet … and thereby apostatizing from Islam.” Captured Yazidi women and children are divided among the fighters who captured them, with one fifth taken as a tax.^[384][385] ISIL has received widespread criticism from Muslim scholars and others in the Muslim world for using part of the Qur’an to derive a ruling in isolation, rather than considering the entire Qur’an and Hadith.^{[379][383][384]} According to Mona Siddiqui, ISIL’s “narrative may well be wrapped up in the familiar language of jihad and ‘fighting in the cause of Allah’, but it amounts to little more than destruction of anything and anyone who doesn’t agree with them”; she describes ISIL as reflecting a “lethal mix of violence and sexual power” and a “deeply flawed view of manhood”.^[365] Dabiq describes “this large-scale enslavement” of non-Muslims as “probably the first since the abandonment of Shariah law”.^[384][385]

In late 2014, ISIL released a pamphlet that focused on the treatment of female slaves.^[386][387] It claims that the Quran allows fighters to have sex with captives, including adolescent girls, and to beat slaves as discipline. The pamphlet’s guidelines also allow fighters to trade slaves, including for sex, as long as they have not been impregnated by their owner.^{[386][387][388]} Charlie Winter, a researcher at the counter-extremist think tank Quilliam, described the pamphlet as “abhorrent”.^[388][389] In response to this document Abbas Barzegar, a religion professor at Georgia State University, said Muslims around the world find ISIL’s “alien interpretation of Islam grotesque and abhorrent”.^[390] Muslim leaders and scholars from around the world have rejected the validity of ISIL’s claims, claiming that the reintroduction of slavery is un-Islamic, that they are required to protect “People of the Scripture” including Christians, Jews, Muslims and Yazidis, and that ISIL’s fatwas are invalid due to their lack of religious authority and the fatwas’ inconsistency with Islam.^[391][392]

The Independent reported in 2015 that the usage of Yazidi sex slaves had created ongoing friction among fighters within ISIL. Sajad Jiyad, a Research Fellow and Associate Member at the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform, told the newspaper that many ISIL supporters and fighters had been in denial about the trafficking of kidnapped Yazidi women until a Dabiq article justifying the practice was published.^[393][394] The New York Times said in August 2015 that “[t]he systematic rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority has become deeply enmeshed in the organization and the radical theology of the Islamic State in the year since the group announced it was reviving slavery as an institution.”^[349] The article claims that ISIL is not merely exonerating but sacralising rape, and illustrated this with the testimony of escapees. One 15-year-old victim said that, while she was being assaulted, her rapist “kept telling me this is ibadah“; a 12-year-old victim related how her assailant claimed that, “by raping me, he is drawing closer to God”;^[349] and one adult prisoner told how, when she challenged her captor about repeatedly raping a 12 year old, she was met with the retort, “No, she’s not a little girl, she’s a slave and she knows exactly how to have sex and having sex with her pleases God.”^[349]

Attacks on members of the press

The Committee to Protect Journalists states: “Without a free press, few other human rights are attainable.”^[395] ISIL has tortured and murdered local journalists,^[396][397] creating what Reporters Without Borders calls “news blackholes” in areas controlled by ISIL. ISIL fighters have reportedly been given written directions to kill or capture journalists.^[398]

In December 2013, two suicide bombers stormed the headquarters of TV station Salaheddin and killed five journalists, after accusing the station of “distorting the image of Iraq’s Sunni community”. Reporters Without Borders reported that on 7 September 2014, ISIL seized and on 11 October publicly beheaded Raad al-Azzawi, a TV Salaheddin cameraman from the village of Samra, east of Tikrit.^[399] As of October 2014, according to the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, ISIL is holding nine journalists and has nine others under close observation in Mosul and Salahuddin province.^[398]

During 2013 and part of 2014, an ISIL unit nicknamed the Beatles acquired and held 12 Western journalists hostage, along with aid workers and other foreign hostages, totalling 23 or 24 known hostages. A Polish journalist Marcin Suder was captured in July 2013 but escaped four months later.^[400] The unit executed American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and released beheading videos. Eight of the other journalists were released for ransom: Danish journalist Daniel Rye Ottosen, French journalists Didier François, Edouard Elias, Nicolas Hénin, and Pierre Torres, and Spanish journalists Marc Marginedas, Javier Espinosa, and Ricardo García Vilanova. The unit continues to hold hostage British journalist John Cantlie and a female aid worker.^[401]

Cyber-security group the Citizen Lab released a report finding a possible link between ISIL and a digital attack on the Syrian citizen media group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RSS). Supporters of the media group received an emailed link to an image of supposed airstrikes, but clicking on the link introduced malware to the user’s computer that sends details of the user’s IP address and system each time it restarts. That information has been enough to allow ISIL to locate RSS supporters. “The group has been targeted for kidnappings, house raids, and at least one alleged targeted killing. At the time of that writing, ISIL was allegedly holding several citizen journalists in Raqqa”, according to the Citizen Lab report.^[402]

On 8 January 2015, ISIL members in Libya claimed to have executed Tunisian journalists Sofiene Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari who disappeared in September 2014.^[403] Also in January 2015, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto was kidnapped and beheaded, after a demand for a $200 million ransom payment was not met.^[404]

Beheadings and mass executions

Main article: ISIL beheading incidents

See also: Beheading video and Beheading in Islamism

An unknown number of Syrians and Iraqis, several Lebanese soldiers, at least ten Kurds, two American journalists, one American and two British aid workers, and three Libyans have been beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.^{[citation needed]} ISIL uses beheadings to intimidate local populations and has released a series of propaganda videos aimed at Western countries.^[405] They also engage in public and mass executions of Syrian and Iraqi soldiers and civilians,^[304] sometimes forcing prisoners to dig their own graves before shooting lines of prisoners and pushing them in.^[406][407] ISIL was reported to have beheaded about 100 foreign fighters as deserters who tried to leave Raqqa.^[408]

Use of chemical weapons

Kurds in northern Iraq reported being attacked by ISIS with chemical weapons in August 2015.^[409] At Kobanî, it is highly likely that ISIS used chlorine gas there. These chemical weapons may be from a chemical weapons storage site at Al-Muthanna, which contained 2,500 chemical rockets. Although the rockets’ chemical contents were deteriorated, ISIS may have used them in a concentrated manner.^[410]

Destruction of cultural and religious heritage

Main article: Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL

UNESCO‘s Director-General Irina Bokova has warned that ISIL is destroying Iraq’s cultural heritage, in what she has called “cultural cleansing“. “We don’t have time to lose because extremists are trying to erase the identity, because they know that if there is no identity, there is no memory, there is no history”, she said. Referring to the ancient cultures of Christians, Yazidis and other minorities, she said, “This is a way to destroy identity. You deprive them of their culture, you deprive them of their history, their heritage, and that is why it goes hand in hand with genocide. Along with the physical persecution they want to eliminate – to delete – the memory of these different cultures. … we think this is appalling, and this is not acceptable.”^[411] Saad Eskander, head of Iraq’s National Archives said, “For the first time you have cultural cleansing… For the Yazidis, religion is oral, nothing is written. By destroying their places of worship … you are killing cultural memory. It is the same with the Christians – it really is a threat beyond belief.”^[412]

 In July 2014, ISIL demolished the mosque dedicated to Jonah in Mosul

To finance its activities, ISIL is stealing artifacts from Syria^[413] and Iraq and sending them to Europe to be sold. It is estimated that ISIL raises US$200 million a year from cultural looting. UNESCO has asked for United Nations Security Council controls on the sale of antiquities, similar to those imposed after the 2003 Iraq War. UNESCO is working with Interpol, national customs authorities, museums, and major auction houses in attempts to prevent looted items from being sold.^[412] ISIL occupied Mosul Museum, the second most important museum in Iraq, as it was about to reopen after years of rebuilding following the Iraq War, saying that the statues were against Islam and threatening to destroy the museum’s contents.^[414][415]

ISIL considers worshipping at graves tantamount to idolatry, and seeks to purify the community of unbelievers. It has used bulldozers to crush buildings and archaeological sites.^[415] Bernard Haykel has described al-Baghdadi’s creed as “a kind of untamed Wahhabism”, saying, “For Al Qaeda, violence is a means to an ends; for ISIS, it is an end in itself”.^[12] The destruction by ISIL in July 2014 of the tomb and shrine of the prophet Yunus—Jonah in Christianity—the 13th-century mosque of Imam Yahya Abu al-Qassimin, the 14th-century shrine of prophet Jerjis—St George to Christians—and the attempted destruction of the Hadba minaret at the 12th-century Great Mosque of Al-Nuri have been described as “an unchecked outburst of extreme Wahhabism”.^[416] “There were explosions that destroyed buildings dating back to the Assyrian era“, said National Museum of Iraq director Qais Rashid, referring to the destruction of the shrine of Yunus. He cited another case where “Daesh (ISIL) gathered over 1,500 manuscripts from convents and other holy places and burnt all of them in the middle of the city square”.^[417] In March 2015, ISIL reportedly bulldozed the 13th-century BC Assyrian city of Nimrud, believing its sculptures to be idolatrous. UNESCO head, Irina Bokova, deemed this to be a war crime.^[418]

Criticism

Islamic criticism

Main article: Khawarij

Extremism within Islam goes back to the 7th century to the Kharijites. From their essentially political position, they developed extreme doctrines that set them apart from both mainstream Sunni and Shiʿa Muslims. The Kharijites were particularly noted for adopting a radical approach to Takfir, whereby they declared other Muslims to be unbelievers and therefore deemed them worthy of death.^{[419][420][421]}

ISIL has received severe criticism from other Muslims, especially religious scholars and theologians. In late August 2014, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, condemned the Islamic State and al-Qaeda saying, “Extremist and militant ideas and terrorism which spread decay on Earth, destroying human civilization, are not in any way part of Islam, but are enemy number one of Islam, and Muslims are their first victims”.^[422] In late September 2014, 126 Sunni imams and Islamic scholars—primarily Sufi^[423]—from around the Muslim world signed an open letter to the Islamic State’s leader al-Baghdadi, explicitly rejecting and refuting his group’s interpretations of Islamic scriptures, the Qur’an and hadith, used by it to justify its actions.^[392][424] “[You] have misinterpreted Islam into a religion of harshness, brutality, torture and murder … this is a great wrong and an offence to Islam, to Muslims and to the entire world”, the letter states.^[391] It rebukes the Islamic State for its killing of prisoners, describing the killings as “heinous war crimes” and its persecution of the Yazidis of Iraq as “abominable”. Referring to the “self-described ‘Islamic State'”, the letter censures the group for carrying out killings and acts of brutality under the guise of jihad—holy struggle—saying that its “sacrifice” without legitimate cause, goals and intention “is not jihad at all, but rather, warmongering and criminality”.^[391][425] It also accuses the group of instigating fitna—sedition—by instituting slavery under its rule in contravention of the anti-slavery consensus of the Islamic scholarly community.^[391] Other scholars have described the group as not Sunnis, but Khawarij.^[419]

 Kurdish demonstration against ISIL in Vienna, Austria, 10 October 2014

According to The New York Times, “All of the most influential jihadist theorists are criticizing the Islamic State as deviant, calling its self-proclaimed caliphate null and void” and have denounced it for its beheading of journalists and aid workers.^[12] ISIL is widely denounced by a broad range of Islamic clerics, including al-Qaeda-oriented and Saudi clerics.^[11][12]

Sunni critics, including Salafi and jihadist muftis such as Adnan al-Aroor and Abu Basir al-Tartusi, say that ISIL and related terrorist groups are not Sunnis, but modern-day Khawarij—Muslims who have stepped outside the mainstream of Islam—serving an imperial anti-Islamic agenda.^[426][427] Other critics of ISIL’s brand of Sunni Islam include Salafists who previously publicly supported jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda, for example the Saudi government official Saleh Al-Fawzan, known for his extremist views, who claims that ISIL is a creation of “Zionists, Crusaders and Safavids”, and the Jordanian-Palestinian writer Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the former spiritual mentor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was released from prison in Jordan in June 2014 and accused ISIL of driving a wedge between Muslims.^[427]

The group’s declaration of a caliphate has been criticised and its legitimacy disputed by Middle Eastern governments, other jihadist groups,^[428] and Sunni Muslim theologians and historians. Qatar-based TV broadcaster and theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi stated: “[The] declaration issued by the Islamic State is void under sharia and has dangerous consequences for the Sunnis in Iraq and for the revolt in Syria”, adding that the title of caliph can “only be given by the entire Muslim nation”, not by a single group.^[429] The group’s execution of Muslims for breach of traditional sharia law while violating it itself (encouraging women to emigrate to its territory, traveling without a Wali—male guardian—and in violation of his wishes) has been criticized;^[430] as has its love of archaic imagery (horsemen and swords) while engaging in bid‘ah (religious innovation) in establishing female religious police (known as Al-Khansaa Brigade).^[431]

Two days after the beheading of Hervé Gourdel, hundreds of Muslims gathered in the Grand Mosque of Paris to show solidarity against the beheading. The protest was led by the leader of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, Dalil Boubakeur, and was joined by thousands of other Muslims around the country under the slogan “Not in my name”.^[432][433] French president François Hollande said Gourdel’s beheading was “cowardly” and “cruel”, and confirmed that airstrikes would continue against ISIL in Iraq. Hollande also called for three days of national mourning, with flags flown at half-mast throughout the country and said that security would be increased throughout Paris.^[432]

An Islamic Front Sharia Court Judge in Aleppo Mohamed Najeeb Bannan stated “The legal reference is the Islamic Sharia. The cases are different, from robberies to drug use, to moral crimes. It’s our duty to look at any crime that comes to us. . . After the regime has fallen, we believe that the Muslim majority in Syria will ask for an Islamic state. Of course, it’s very important to point out that some say the Islamic Sharia will cut off people’