Religion in Society

In the 21st century increased globalization and the age of mass media all around us in

the 21st century. News channels with the help of social media provide around the clock coverage of up and coming events. However, one topic that has gathered the most attention in the recent years revolves around religious fundamentalism causing acts of violence and terrorism in various parts of the world after the events of 9/11. These violent actions are usually carried out by brainwashed cult members. Their worldviews have been altered by fanatic religious leaders into preach that their customs and values are threatened by local governments which are centrist or leftist in their political approach.

Right wing fundamentalist followers of radical wahhabi ideology believe that they are supreme beings of the religion of Islam and are threatened by domestic or international foes. Thus feeding the ‘us vs them’ daugman into the minds of many young in the process creating followers of a newly formed cult now named ‘Daesh’. Who are armed and ready to go to any lengths to protect their sinister preachings, topple local legitimately elected governments and continue the vicious cycle to destabilize the region. In the pursuit to establish the ‘Caliphate’ and go back to the fundamentals of Islam in other words ‘early days of Islam’.

Since western press and politicians seem obsessed with the war on terror and endless press coverage about Daesh. It brings up an interesting question, has western press indirectly helped the extremist cult’s growth by garnering more attention than needed? Media exaggerated the real threat posed by Daesh indirectly helping it grow its influence and its fear factor. Thus any press is good press in the eyes of those supporting Daesh.

The rise of Islamic State (IS) did not just occur when it was poised to capture Mosul in 2013 blitz across Northern Iraq and Syria. It was in the works many years prior to the incidents of 2013, in which IS successfully engaged and overwhelmed the Iraqi forces in spite of being outnumbered. “The movement began when it changes from Al-Qaida in Iraq

DAESH AND DISPROPORTIONATE MEDIA COVERAGE (AQI) to Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) in 2006” (G. Stansfield, 2016). However, the group was

largely suppressed by the regional Sunni tribes who treated newly formed ISI as “foreign radicals, combined with a highly effective US strategy of supporting these tribes ... eliminating those fighters who could not be reconciled.” (G. Stansfield, 2016).