ISIS treatment of minorities, US's tool to demonize Islam

This attitude reached its climax during the ‘Golden Age of Islam,’ when numerous Muslim scholars begin to make vast contributions in all fields of science. Even Western philosophy was kept alive through the works of Muslim scholars, while in contrast the European continent was experiencing the Dark Ages. Greco-Roman philosophy, which made the cornerstone of the Renaissance, was reintroduced to Europe through Spain and the Muslims, who ruled that country at the time. During the Golden Age of Islam, European minorities migrated en masse to the Muslim realm, as they enjoyed more freedom there, in comparison to other parts of Europe at the time; this included the Jews.
 
At the time, Islam was known for preaching against slavery, colonization and arbitrary detention, while praising freedom and justice among all humans. In contrast to this luminous past and these enlightening thoughts, it is totally natural to ask about the very existence of some violence-breeding groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and the likes, who claim to be based on Islam. The answer is that they are not Muslims. The key factor to solve this contradiction is to understand that these terrorist groups hold no connection with Islam but, rather these are cults – as this term better suits these groups.
 
In contrast, to the fact that ISIS and its affiliates are being sold as an ‘Islamic movement’, all its teachings are in direct opposition to what the Holy Quran preaches. It is ridiculous to picture that Islam would ever endorse murder, looting and atrocious barbarism, while the entire history of this religion has been opposed to despotism, injustice, infamy, hypocrisy, greed, extremism and asceticism.
 
The word ‘jihad,’ which has been misused by the western media to depict war and violence, for the sole purpose of personal gain, actually has a meaning closer to what the word crusade would bear in mind to a devout Christian. According to the Macmillan dictionary, the word “crusade” is described as:
 
“An effort over a long time to achieve something that you strongly believe is morally right”.
 
This meaning is also the true meaning for the word ‘jihad’ in the mind of a true follower of Islam, and what Quran has actually preached. Jihad, in its Quranic sense, means an effort or struggle made politically, economically, culturally or militarily in a way that pleases God.  Certainly, God would not be pleased by the killing of innocent people. The Quran teaches that the killing of an innocent person is the same as killing of all humanity (Quran 5:33).
 
Based on the verse below, killing innocent people for the purpose of propaganda on YouTube is certainly un-Islamic. Being an unbeliever is not a crime in Islam. The Holy Quran clearly orders that:
 
“There must be no coercion in matters of faith” (2:256)
 
The Quran also rules that Muslims must believe in the revelations of all the great prophets (Quran, 3:84)[1] and that God does not order that all religions must be abolished in favor of Islam, but He recognizes people’s personal choice, in order to test them and see who will be able to reach the Truth, which is considered to be Islam.
 
“Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good.” [5:48]
 
Islam also instructs its followers to provide refuge, security and safety for the followers of other religions.
 
"If any of the non-Muslims seek asylum from you, grant him asylum until he hears the Word of God. Then convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know [about Islam]." Quran [9:6]
 
Or in another instance, the Quran says:
 
"…so if they [non-Muslims] keep out of your way and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then God does not allow you any course [of action] against them."  Quran [4:90]
 
Additionally, it must be taken into account that ISIS is killing more Muslims than followers of ANY other religions. This is also totally against the teachings of Islam as Quran says:
 
"Followers of Muhammad are firm with the unbelievers [who are acting against them] but compassionate with one another." [48:29]
 
It must be stressed, being an unbeliever is not a crime in Islam. This clearly shows why ISIS is un-Islamic. It is a violent cult that seeks to legitimize its actions in the name of Islam, and recruit more people by deceiving them with their false Islamic concepts. ISIS is providing a lot of services to the western countries who have funded their creation. Cheap oil smuggled by ISIS, the killing of Muslims, along with conquering lands without having foot soldiers of western countries in place, are among the services that Takfiri groups render to the west and their allies in the Middle-East. These reasons show why the west and their Middle-Eastern allies have designed and created ISIS and company.
 
Funding, arming and training of such a big terrorist group, ISIS, Daesh, IS or whatever other names it has received, can’t be done without being visible to journalists, and everyone that would make all the related anti-Islamic propaganda useless, so all that must have been done in the name of a cover group. This cover group was named “rebels” or “moderate rebels” in the mainstream media.
 
According to the American narrative, these so-called moderate rebels were the people who were worthy of support in their fight against Syrian President Basher al-Assad. That is why the United States has been extremely involved in the Syrian crisis for the last five years. Meanwhile, these so called rebels who hold the Wahhabist/Salafist ideology--the proper term for "Radical Islam" which is, not coincidentally, also the state-sponsored religion of Saudi Arabia & Qatar--cooperate and pledge loyalty to ISIS. In some cases, their members defect to ISIS.
 
The story of “moderate rebels” began in Libya, when Mo’ammar Gadhafi was still in power. The US State Department started to send weapons to these rebels in order to oust Gadhafi. America’s Delta Force was also deployed, along with weapons and trainings on how to use them. An official report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency proves that the Obama administration knew that weapons were being dispatched from the Port of Benghazi to rebel troops in Syria [2]. An October 2012 report confirms: After the ouster of Gadhafi, these weapons remained in the hands of rebels despite the fact that the U.S. officials claimed to have ordered the collect of these weapons [3].
 
As the overthrow of the Syrian government was a far tougher issue, the terrorist base created in Libya was used to make the first moves to create terrorism, in Syria too. America also sought to oust President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, despite the political reforms that he was implementing in his country, even considering the he had organized free elections in Syria. Terrorists were imported from Libya to Syria through Turkey [4]. Besides Turkey, other US allies in the Persian Gulf were also hard at work exporting more rebels to Syria. In this regard, FoxNews, referring to a DIA report writes:
 
“On Nov. 15 2012, Morell and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified "Yes" on whether the U.S. intelligence community was aware arms were moving from Libya to Syria.”[5]
 
Saudi Arabia promised freedom to its prison population if they accepted to go and fight in Syria [6]. On February 19, 2016, the Saudi Foreign Minister announced the need for providing rebels with surface-to-air missiles to defend against air strikes [7]. Qatar, along with Turkey, is also a great contributor to the rise and maintenance of ISIS [8]. The US still needs Saudi money to keep ISIS alive and well [9]. That was how these so called rebels were used as a cover for a more serious terrorist movement in Syria.
 
This cover, however, was not so clean cut, and there are many reports showing how rebels were used to create ISIS. There are numerous reports by mainstream media outlets, which point to cooperation between rebels (FSA) and Al-Qaeda or its branch, the Nusra Front. Nusra pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in April 2013, while Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS before its presence in Syria) announced that it was going to cooperate with Nusra [10]. The Wall Street Journal reported:
 
"The FSA and Nusra Front are closely cooperating on the front line"[11]
 
Another report by the New York Times clearly described the sophistication of the plan to deliver American-made TOW antitank missiles to rebels, to be used by the Nusra Front in occupying the Syrian Army base at Wadi al-Deif, a strategic supply route. This news website also reported that:
 
“No FSA faction in the north can operate without Nusra’s approval.”
 
The situation in the south of Syria was the same, even if rebels trained and equipped under a covert CIA program were imagined to have more freedom, it meant that they also could do nothing without the help of Nusra fighters. The reliance on Nusra was to such an extent that, although rebels fought alongside Nusra, it was only Nusra fighters who had permission to enter a fallen base [12]. During this period, the Washington Post pointed to the fact that Al-Nusra terrorist group has been fighting alongside rebels [13]. A similar report, seen in the LA Times, quoting rebel fighter Aasim Zeidan stated:
 
“Nusra doesn't fight us, we actually fight alongside them. We like Nusra."[14]
 
The supply of US arms did not stop, even after Reuters reported that a strong alliance had been formed among Syrian rebel groups, and a terrorist organization like Al-Qaeda, and its affiliate group Nusra Front [15], and not even when Jamal Maarouf, the prominent rebel leader, said that he will not fight against Al-Qaeda to stop the wave of terrorism in Syria. Maarouf was always presented by the west as “the last hope to stem the tide of extreme jihadist groups in Syria” [16]. This occurred while FSA--a moderate rebel group that received funds and arms from Washington--pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda and Nusra Front[17].
 
In 2014, the patterns became clearer when rebels, who had received so much aid from the United States, formed alliances with ISIS [18]. In that same year, rebels were covertly handing American weapons to al-Nusra and ISIS[19], or selling these weapons to ISIS[20]. In the western media, we read about American aid to moderate rebels, but it was al-Nusra and ISIS who turned out victorious. After al-Nusra gained victory over swathes of Syrian territory, the members of these rebel groups even joined Nusra[21], as well as ISIS.
 
Meanwhile, rebel groups were hailed as "the West's best fighting chance against Syria's Islamist armies"-- which was ISIS, in this case. At this same time, Obama had allocated $500 million to train and arm the same rebels[22]--even though numerous reports had already shown the character of these groups, and the role they played in Syria by handing US weapons to ISIS. Why didn’t it raise any questions about the US strategy in Syria, when these groups sat down with ISIS? In fact, more aid was actually approved and allocated to these groups in the subsequent year after this covert alliance [23]. There are also many examples of joint operations by FSA, Nusra and ISIS [24]. The defection of rebels to ISIS happened in the east [25], north [26], northwest and south of Syria [27]; this constitutes all Syrian territory as the western part is under Assad’s control. The American campaign against ISIS has not been “against” ISIS, but rather in favor of this terrorist cult, as this campaign was the main factor that encouraged rebels to forge alliance, or defect to ISIS [28]. This act of defection is only about a change in uniforms, the major rebel groups already pledged their allegiance to ISIS [29]. On September 16, 2015, General Lloyd Austin, Chief  of US Central Command leading the war on ISIS, told Congress that only "four or five" of the initial 54 US trained rebels are fighting against ISIS[30].
 
The interviews from people fighting for ISIS shows how these people were trained by French, British and American military, and intelligence personnel in their hometowns in Libya. Afterwards, they were brought to Turkey with false documents, crossed into Syria to fight first for FSA, then Nusra, until finally they joined ISIS [31]. This took place while these groups were the main rebel groups receiving weapons from the United States [32]. Despite the fact that these reports were published in 2014, we still read reports in 2015 that FSA continued to receive training at an American military base in Turkey, and that this training was being performed by American, Turkish and Arab military officers[33]. This American training program was also pursued in Jordan[34], even though recent reports in December 2015 indicated that these fighters end up fighting for ISIS[35].
 
This fact is not merely proven with regards to the facts on the ground, but it also gets the official seal of approval, according to claims made by former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, during his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the conflict in Syria. During his testimony, Ford explicitly talked about rebels collaborating with the al-Qaeda affiliate group, the al-Nusra Front[36]. In addition, UK Prime Minister David Cameron admitted that 70,000 "moderate" rebels in Syria contain extremists [37].
 
Moreover, the rebel groups so dear to the US and the west were not at all moderate. The violence that they have carried out in killing innocent civilians has surpassed that of radical groups like ISIS or Nusra. YouTube footage of a rebel eating the heart of a freshly killed person has been viewed by tens or hundreds of thousands [38]. However, what the media failed to highlight was that these people are from the same groups dear to the US, who are hailed by the western media as those who are containing the terrorists groups in Syria!
 
Many other examples clearly indicate the radical essence of these “moderate” rebel groups, and how they try to surpass other terrorist groups in violence. The US backed rebels of the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) released images showing that this, so-called, moderate group has beheaded many captured soldiers of the regular Syrian Army [39].
 
Besides training and arming ISIS terrorists, the United States started to support them, in the face of Russian airstrikes, by refusing to give info to Russia on coordinates where these terrorists were positioned and areas deemed permissible for target [40].
 
In May 2015, Judicial Watch obtained a report, via FOIA, by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The report, explicitly, points to the creation of an "Islamic State" in 2012; indicating that this project was a Western-coalition-supported plot, because it was called "Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)" to create a "Salafist principality in Eastern Syria", to isolate Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's government “which is considered the strategic depth of Shia expansion.”[41]
 
This report was confirmed by Michael Flynn, who was DIA Director General, at the time when this report was written in 2012. Flynn called the rise of ISIS 'a willful Washington decision'[42]. Flynn also asserted that Washington simply ignored reports which foretold the rise of ISIS in 2011 and 2012[43].
 
“It was disregarded by the White House,” Flynn said. “It was disregarded by other elements in the intelligence community as a one-off report. Frankly, at the White House, it didn’t meet the narrative.”[44]
 
“There had [also] been … some British and Americans who had trained us during the Arab Spring times in Libya,” said a man who calls himself Abu Saleh, and who only agreed to be interviewed if his real identity remained secret.
 
Originally from a town close to Benghazi, Abu Saleh said he and a group of other Libyans received training and support in their country from French, British, and American military and intelligence personnel — before they joined the Al Nusra Front or the Islamic State. Western and Arab military sources, interviewed for this article, confirmed Abu Saleh’s account that “training” and “equipment” were given to rebels in Libya during the fight against the Gadhafi regime.
 
ISIS is being backed by the US, its European and Middle Eastern allies are killing minorities in Iraq and Syria. Christians face being wiped out in these countries [45]; they are being killed in their beds [46], or being crucified [47]. While, Yazidis are being killed in a genocidal attitude, or brutally enslaved by ISIS [48], Assyrians are running from ISIS to save their heritage [49]. And, even Sunni’s war against ISIS [50] shows how minority rights do matter for this U.S. backed terrorist group. The genocide committed against minorities by ISIS in Iraq and Syria [51] is, totally, to be blamed on the US and its allies, yet the mainstream media seems to prefer to ignore all these atrocities, while accusing Muslim countries of violating minority rights. The effect of Islamic teachings, in many regions of the world, has left a long and noble history of peaceful coexistence, and tolerance towards other religions and races. Those teachings stand in condemnation of the horrible violence that the United States is supporting against the minorities in the Middle East.
 
References
 
[1] Say, "We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him."
 
[2] Pgs. 1-3 (2-3) from JW v DOD and State 14-812. Judicial Watch Document Archive. [Online] 05 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/pgs-1-3-2-3-from-jw-v-dod-and-state-14-812/.
 
[3] Nimmo, Kurt. Saudi Newspaper Claims Islamic State May Get Libya’s Chemical Weapons. Info Wars. [Online] 02 23, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.infowars.com/saudi-newspaper-claims-islamic-state-may-get-libyas-chemical-weapons/.
 
[4] Dorell, Oren. New report claims al-Qaeda-Benghazi link known day after attack. USA Today. [Online] 05 19, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/2W2sa.
 
[5] Herridge, Catherine. Military intel predicted rise of ISIS in 2012, detailed arms shipments from Benghazi to Syria. Fox News. [Online] 05 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/9WWsF.
 
[6] Ingersoll, Geoffrey. REPORT: Saudi Arabia Sent 1,200 Death Row Inmates To Fight In Syria. Business Insider. [Online] 01 23, 2013. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-sent-inmates-against-assad-2013-1.
 
[7] Trevelyan, Mark. Saudi minister says Syrian rebels should get surface-to-air missiles. Reuters. [Online] 02 19, 2016. [Cited: 02 19, 2016.] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-saudi-missiles-idUSKCN0VS28D.
 
[8] WikiLeaks Reveals Saudi Arabia, Turkey & Qatar Secret Anti-Syria Plot. [Online] 11 24, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.mintpressnews.com/wikileaks-reveals-saudi-arabia-turkey-qatar-secret-anti-syria-plot/211542/.
 
[9] Mazzetti, Mark and Apuzzo, Matt. U.S. Relies Heavily on Saudi Money to Support Syrian Rebels. The New York Times. [Online] 01 23, 2016. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/BGtgx.
 
[10] Alami, Mona. Syrian rebels pledge loyalty to al-Qaeda. USA Today. [Online] 06 14, 2013. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/AxFxg.
 
[11] Abi-Habib, Maria. One U.S.-Backed Rebel Group Cooperates With Al-Qaeda in Syria. The Wall Street Journal. [Online] 05 07, 2014. [Cited: 04 12, 2016.] http://archive.is/sNdJa#selection-4313.0-4313.69.
 
[12] Bernard, Anne. As Syria’s Revolution Sputters, a Chaotic Stalemate . The New York Times. [Online] 12 27, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/sCYsr#selection-2721.17-2721.77.
 
[13] Sly, Liz and Eglash, Ruth. 43 U.N. peacekeepers abducted in Golan Heights. The Washington Post. [Online] 08 28, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/A8vOI.
 
[14] Abdulrahim, Raja. Syria rebels, once hopeful of U.S. weapons, lament lack of firepower. Los Angeles Times. [Online] 09 07, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/G5KOw.
 
[15] Afanasieva, Dasha. Shared battlefield goals trump ideology among Syria rebels - for now. Reuters. [Online] 04 30, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/IzCHc.
 
[16] Hunter, Isabel. 'I am not fighting against al-Qa’ida… it’s not our problem', says West’s last hope in Syria. The Independent. [Online] 04 02, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/uVCbw.
 
[17] Sherlock, Ruth. Syrian rebels defy US and pledge allegiance to jihadi group. The Telegraph. [Online] 12 10, 2012. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/kEMua.
 
[18] Ahmed, Akbar Shahid and Grim, Ryan. ISIS Strikes Deal With Moderate Syrian Rebels: Reports. The World Post. [Online] 12 09, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/50F3k.
 
[19] Bacchi, Umberto. Syria: Al-Nusra Jihadists 'Capture US TOW Anti-Tank Missiles' from Moderate Rebels. International Business Times. [Online] 11 03, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/FkOCv.
 
[20] ISIS buys arms, ammo from US-supported rebels - investigative journalist . Russia Today. [Online] 05 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/n7NPi.
 
[21] Karouny, Mariam. Al Qaeda group seizes bastion of Western-backed rebels in Syria's Idlib region. Reuters. [Online] 11 01, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/OonTn.
 
[22] Barnes, Julian E., Entous, Adam and Lee, Carole E. Obama Proposes $500 Million to Aid Syrian Rebels. The Wall Street Journal. [Online] 06 26, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/AgCiM.
 
[23] Entous, Adam. U.S., Allies to Boost Aid to Syria Rebels. Wall Street Journal. [Online] 11 04, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-allies-to-boost-aid-to-syria-rebels-1446682624.
 
[24] Saad, Hwaida. Gunmen From Syria Hit Army Checkpoints in Lebanon. The New York Times. [Online] 08 02, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/UvR9U#selection-2559.242-2559.285.
 
[25] Ibid.
 
[26] Banco, Erin. US-Backed Moderate Syrian Rebels In North Defect; Obama Strategy Set Back . Financial News. [Online] 03 07, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/bxdbR.
 
[27] Mahmood, Mona. US air strikes in Syria driving anti-Assad groups to support Isis . The Guardian. [Online] 11 23, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/vlMo2#selection-1903.92-1903.188.
 
[28] Ibid.
 
[29] 1,000-strong Syrian rebel brigade defects to Islamic State - report. Russia Today. [Online] 07 11, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/worpJ.
 
[30] Martinez, Kuis. General Austin: Only '4 or 5' US-Trained Syrian Rebels Fighting ISIS. ABC News. [Online] 09 16, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/uXlZD.
 
[31] Mekhennet, Souad. The terrorists fighting us now? We just finished training them. The Washington Post. [Online] 08 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/egYSA#selection-727.466-727.492.
 
[32] Sherlock, Ruth. Syrian rebels defect to Al-Qaeda after receiving weapons from U.S. to fight ISIS, Assad. National Post. [Online] 11 03, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/grNaY.
 
[33] Turkey says will go on with training, arming Syria militants. Press TV. [Online] 08 27, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/08/27/426593/Turkey-Syria-US-Tanju-Bilgic-Daesh.
 
[34] Sciutto, Jim, Starr, Barbara and Rizzo, Jennifer. U.S. training of Syrian rebels set to begin. CNN. [Online] 05 07, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/politics/khaled-khoja-free-syrian-army-u-s-support/.
 
[35] Captured ISIS fighter says 'trained in Turkey, ISIS thinks it’s safer here than Syria' . Russia Today. [Online] 12 28, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://www.rt.com/news/327222-isis-fighters-turkey-training/.
 
[36] Allam, Hannah. Once a top booster, ex-U.S. envoy no longer backs arming Syrian rebels. McClatchy Washington Bureau . [Online] 02 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/CFAPy.
 
[37] Watt, Nicholas and Connolly, Kate. Syria row: No 10 admits '70,000 fighters' figure made up of disparate groups. The Guardian. [Online] 12 04, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/3DQtO.
 
[38] Abdelaziz, Salma and Yan, Holly. Video: Syrian rebel cuts out soldier's heart, eats it. CNN. [Online] 05 14, 2013. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/ODBLm.
 
[39] Fadel, Leith. U.S. Backed “Moderate Rebels” Behead Captured Syrian Soldiers and Threaten Minority Groups. Global Research. [Online] 10 26, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.globalresearch.ca/u-s-backed-moderate-rebels-behead-captured-syrian-soldiers-and-threaten-minority-groups/5484616.
 
[40] Pentagon refuses to share intel on ISIS until Moscow’s stance on Assad changes . Russia Today. [Online] 12 26, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://archive.is/lb3Y1.
 
[41] Pgs. 287-293 (291) JW v DOD and State 14-812. Judicial Watch Document Archive. [Online] 05 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/pgs-287-293-291-jw-v-dod-and-state-14-812-2/.
 
[42] US ex-intelligence chief on ISIS rise: It was 'a willful Washington decision' . Russia Today. [Online] 08 10, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://www.rt.com/usa/312050-dia-flynn-islamic-state/.
 
[43] LoBianco, Tom. Former intel chief says WH worried over re-elect 'narrative'. CNN. [Online] 12 02, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/7I8DE.
 
[44] Fisher, Ian. In Rise of ISIS, No Single Missed Key but Many Strands of Blame. The New York Times. [Online] 11 18, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://archive.is/2c6vP.
 
[45] Tomlinson, Simon. Christians face being wiped out from the Middle East within TEN YEARS as they are killed by ISIS or forced to flee persecution, warn Catholic aid groups. Daily Mail. [Online] 11 10, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3311716/Christians-face-wiped-Middle-East-TEN-YEARS-killed-ISIS-forced-flee-persecution-warn-Catholic-aid-groups.html.
 
[46] Ibrahim, Raymond. ISIS Slaughtering Christians "In Their Beds". Gatestone Institute. [Online] 12 27, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7121/isis-slaughtering-christians.
 
[47] —. ISIS Slaughters Christians "In Their Beds". Frontpage Mag. [Online] 12 30, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/261282/isis-slaughters-christians-their-beds-raymond-ibrahim.
 
[48] Jalabi, Raya. Who are the Yazidis and why is Isis hunting them? . The Guardian. [Online] 08 11, 2014. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/who-yazidi-isis-iraq-religion-ethnicity-mountains.
 
[49] Argentieri, Benedetta. On the Run from the Islamic State, Iraqi Christians Are Trying to Save Their Heritage. News Vice. [Online] 01 21, 2016. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://news.vice.com/article/on-the-run-from-the-islamic-state-iraqi-christians-try-to-save-their-heritage?utm_source=vicenewstwitter.
 
[50] Morris, Loveday and Salim, Mustafa. Islamic State faces new trouble in Fallujah as Sunni tribesmen revolt. The Washington Post. [Online] 02 19, 2016. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/sunni-tribesmen-clash-with-islamic-state-in-fallujah-as-resentment-boils/2016/02/19/2a21ce95-e7c0-4a3c-89e8-f02005d9400b_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop_b.
 
[51] Rayman, Noah. ISIS May Have Committed Genocide Against Iraq Minorities, Report Says. Time. [Online] 02 27, 2015. [Cited: 02 20, 2016.] http://time.com/3726484/isis-isil-iraq-minorities-genocide/.