THE TERRORISM ACT

Many countries decided to arm the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq to stop the onslaught of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is determined to set up a dictatorial theocratic state in Syrian and Iraqi territory.
ISIL forces are a mixture of fanatical fighters motivated by religion as they interpret it, deep hatred of the West, a search for meaning and identity in a world they do not fit in, and Sunni tribes that have been excluded by the Shiite regime of Iraq and suppressed by the Alawite-dominated government of Syria. Unemployed members of Saddam Hussein's unemployed army personnel have boosted and brought warfare expertise to the ISIL ranks.
However, the success and effectiveness of ISIL that has vanquished superior military forces, sometimes without firing a single shot, comes not only from its fighting ability but its ability to terrorize the masses as well as its rivals.
Its mass killings aim to demoralize opposition groups. The beheading of journalists is a message to the West, warning them not to interfere. The releasing of these “sacrificial ceremony” scenes is part of ISIL's propaganda war. The book on terrorism says that the act of violence is a theatrical effort to terrorize people and to scare them into submission.
ISIL's last victim was a Kurdish fighter. The video clip released by ISIL was titled "A message in blood to the leaders of the American-Kurdish alliance," warning them of the dire consequences of their partnership.
Indeed, ISIL is trying to send a bloody and shocking message to American citizens not to back President Obama's new policy of hitting ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria. The message is for the Kurds, too, who are presently combating ISIL both in Iraq and Syria.
The video clips released by ISIL were sophisticated, professional and full of powerful symbols. The victims were dressed in orange jumpsuits reminiscent of Guantanamo Bay's Muslim prisoners. Victims made confessions (under pressure) and said they were wrong. This was followed by their executioners stating why their victims deserved to be executed, in a fluent British accent. Their fluency in English is a statement illustrating that ISIL militants are as good as any Westerner. The whole scene was carefully choreographed to emphasize the message rather than the act of killing.

Why choose beheading over other forms of execution? It is more dramatic and intimate but at the same time it is unusual. It gives the chilling message that ISIL can take lives without fear of retribution because the sacrifice is made to please God. In fact, they believe they are building a state in His name. It also shows that there are no limits to what they can do.
The show is being performed on the global stage. This is the age of mass media, the information society. We communicate increasingly by visual messages rather than words. Feelings are communicated basically through shared images on our televisions or computer screens. News has become a form of exhibitionism without ethics. The terrorists are aware of this fact, and they broadcast scenes of execution like sacrificial ceremonies, to be watched by everyone, especially their rivals. They challenge their foes, showing them that they could share the same fate if they take them on. They have no moral restraints that we know of.
Their bloody message is not only the battle cry of a ruthless horde but the harbinger of chaos out of which more brutal and radical groups and movements may emerge. They may be more deadly and destructive because they believe they have a monopoly over the God-ordained truth and that their cause is sanctioned by the divine.
Well, that is belief without the ethics, conscience and knowledge of shared human values.

DOĞU ERGİL (Cihan/Today's Zaman)