Do-First: Turn in your project to the Tray – Make sure your name’s on it! Put Review in bag – you will have time in class tomorrow to work on it! Begin Reading Syria and the Arab Spring on Day 15 Page 1 and Answer the Questions on Page 2. Discussion post due tomorrow. SWA book due Friday. SWA test Friday – first grade of 6 th 6 weeks!

Objective SWBAT – Describe the role of social media pertaining to the spread of the Arab Spring and the Rise of ISIS

Arab Spring Defined Revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests, riots, and civil wars in the Arab world against government corruption and mistreatment starting in Diffusion What role did social media play in the diffusion of The Arab Spring mentality? ch?v=tqOdG9RygNw

Finish Syria and Arab Spring 10 Minutes Explaining Syria's War From the Arab Spring to ISIS Kb9GVU8bHE&app=desktop Kb9GVU8bHE&app=desktop

Slides ISIS and the Crisis in the Middle East Slides Then Article This is How ISIS Uses Social Media to Recruit American Teens Discussion Questions on Last Page

ISIS & THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Introductory Video about-isis-you-need-to-know/this- video-explains-the-crisis-in-3-minutes

What is ISIS? Militant Islamic group Known by several different English translations of the Arabic name: ISIS = Islamic State in Iraq & Syria ISIL = Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant IS = Islamic State

Levant Eastern Mediterranean region that includes: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebano n, Palestine, Syria, and part of southern Turkey.

Who is their leader? Leader = Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Was held in custody in an American detention center for a time, but was released. Mugshot while in US custody

Goal = Create a Theocratic, Sunni, Islamic state across areas of Iraq and Syria Theocracy Theocracy = government in which a deity is recognized as the supreme ruler of the nation. The deity's laws are usually interpreted by divinely inspired leaders Sunni Sunni = largest branch of Islam Shia Shia = 2 nd largest branch of Islam What is their goal?

Control about 35,000 square miles of territory. Rule territory by Sharia law - Islamic laws that influence all levels of government, legal code, social issues, etc. IRAQ SYRIA Have they been successful?

June 2014 – ISIS declared itself a caliphate (Islamic state) Desires to erase all current national borders in area it controls Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi = self- proclaimed authority (caliph) over the world's 1.5 billion Muslims Have they been successful? Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi 2014

How did ISIS begin? After Saddam Hussein’s government was dissolved in Iraq, many former Iraqi soldiers, who were mostly Sunni Muslims, became AQI (al-Qaeda in Iraq) fighters. History Quiz: (History Quiz: What country led the fight against Hussein?) The new U.S. backed government in Iraq was Shia, not Sunni Shia = second largest branch of Islam

How did ISIS begin? AQI, led by Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, used the Syrian Civil War as an opportunity to increase AQI’s influence – al-Baghdadi split from al- Qaeda and renamed his group ISIS to reflect their desire to extend their territory beyond Iraq.

HOW DID ISIS BECOME SO POWERFUL SO QUICKLY? 1. ISIS operates in territories with a majority Sunni Muslim population, which means that the people there are often more likely to support ISIS than the Shia government. The current Iraqi government & military leaders are mostly Shia Muslims.

The post-Hussein Iraqi government, led by Nouri al-Maliki until August 2014, abused its powers toward the Sunni population Strengthened ISIS and boosted their recruitment. Nouri al-Maliki Saddam Hussein HOW DID ISIS BECOME SO POWERFUL SO QUICKLY?

The Iraqi military, is larger and more powerful than ISIS, but is poorly organized. Many Sunni soldiers in the military are not willing to fight, let alone die, against fellow Sunnis who are members of ISIS in the name of a government that oppresses them. Ex: The Iraqi military were routed by ISIS at Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, despite outnumbering them 40:1. HOW DID ISIS BECOME SO POWERFUL SO QUICKLY?

Percentag es of Sunni & Shia Muslims in Middle East COUNTRYSUNNI S SHIA Afghanistan84%15% Bahrain30%70% Egypt90%1% Iran10%89% Iraq32-37%60-65% Kuwait60%25% Lebanon23%38% Jordan92%2% Saudi Arabia90%10% Syria74%16% Turkey83-93%7-17% United Arab Emirates 81%15% Yemen70%30%

2. Syrian Civil War HOW DID ISIS BECOME SO POWERFUL SO QUICKLY?

2. Syrian Civil War Gave ISIS access to weaponry & combat experience. ISIS took over territory that includes many of Syria’s oilfields, which helps to fund ISIS operations.

3. ISIS has advanced its territory and agenda through incredible brutality. A. Mass killings & public executions August & September 2014 – Beheaded 3 Westerners, earning international attention James Foley & Steven Sotloff (US) and David Haines (UK) Warning to Western nations (specifically the US & Britain) to stay out of Middle Eastern/Islamic affairs.

B. Persecution against minority groups to purify region of non- Islamic influences. Christians, Yezidis, & other minority groups have fled areas of Iraq due to ISIS violence. Yezidis = Kurdish religious group After ISIS slaughtered large numbers of Yezidis, thousands tried to flee to Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of N. Iraq.

Route to Kurdistan was blocked by ISIS, so they fled over the Sinjar Mountains with little food or water, creating a humanitarian crisis. Many Yezidis & Christians are now living in refugee camps in Kurdistan, having abandoned their homes under the ISIS warning to convert to Islam or die.

Kurdistan IRAN SYRIA IRAQ TURKEY JORDAN SAUDI ARABIA KUWAIT Mt. Sinjar & Yazidi Communities Raqqa Baghdad Damascas Erbil

Erbil – Capital of Kurdistan tell = a hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot

C. Persecution against other Shia & Sunni Muslims who do not support the fanatical views and violent acts of ISIS. Even al-Qaeda leadership criticized al-Baghdadi and ISIS for being too extreme & too brutal. Al-Baghdadi also ignored orders from al-Qaeda leadership regarding their involvement in Syria. Many Sunni groups have fought against ISIS in both Syria & Iraq.

ISIS & Historical Sites ISIS has destroyed historical & religious sites all over Syria & Iraq in an effort to rid the region of all non-Muslim influence. Specifically, anything that contradicts ISIS’ interpretation of Islam. Countless Christian churches & Shia mosques have been destroyed. According to ISIS beliefs, all religious shrines (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, etc.) are idolatrous & must be destroyed.

Even some Sunni holy sites are not exempt. July 24, 2014 – Blew up a Sunni Mosque in Mosul that, according to some traditions, held the tomb of Jonah, the Biblical Prophet. Jonah was a prophet according to Muslim tradition as well, but the tomb was deemed too Jewish/Christian to continue standing.

The remains of the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh, a major archaeological site, are located near Mosul, Iraq. Ancient kingdom of Assyria

This region of the Middle East is considered to be the cradle of civilization, so the potential for ISIS to destroy major historical sites is tremendous. Some reports say that al-Baghdadi has looted artifacts from museums & shrines in both Iraq & Syria to sell on the black market to fund ISIS operations.

Mesopotamia = land surrounding the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

ISIS Fighters Claim 200, ,000 fighters Approximately 20,000 Western members Makes it difficult to track ISIS terrorists traveling with legitimate Western passports to places like the US & Britain. Approximately 150 Americans

Why is the US involved? 1. The current Iraqi government came to power with US backing after the Iraq War. Does the US have a responsibility to the people of Iraq? Syria? Is the US involved only because it wants access to Iraq’s oil fields? Iraq = 5 th largest oil deposits in the world (app. 4% of the global supply)

2. Massacre of religious minorities, executions, & other cases of ISIS brutality Due to the intense news coverage, a large percentage of the American public have called for US action.

3. Self-defense ISIS has made threats against the US and Americans, both in the region and stateside. President Obama has stated numerous times that the US would not stand idly by when the security of our citizens and/or homeland is threatened. Would the United States appear weak if we did not make a show of force in response to the execution of 2 Americans?

September 23 – The US, along with 5 Arab nations, launched airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria. 5 Arab Nations – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, & Bahrain Targeted Raqqa – ISIS stronghold in Northern Syria Headquarters of operations in Syria Houses training centers for fighters & weapons depots. ISIS targets in other parts of Iraq & Syria were hit as well.