ISIS And Religion

ISIS is arguably the most successful militant group ever, seizing huge chunks of Iraq and Syria declaring itself a state and governing territory or several years and counting. But where did ISIS come from? The group began in 2004 as al Qaeda in Iraq before changing its name to ISIS 2 years later in 2006. It was an ally of Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda as they were both very radial anti- Western militant groups devoted to establishing an independent Islamic states in the region. But ISIS has proven to be more brutal and more effective at controlling territory it has seized. ISIS is spreading fast, capturing large territories on both sides of the Iraq- Syria border. Then, in June 2014, it declared a caliphate, a state, governed by an Islamic leader.

I will be comparing between the two biggest religions of the world, Christianity and Islam. These two religions are very similar as both religions believe that there is only one God and that He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Secondly, God sent Prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jabob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus, Mohammad (peace be upon them all). Thirdly is that people should follow the hoy scriptures of God and teachings of the prophets. Fourthly, the Torah (Old Testament of the Bible) and the Gospel (New Testament of the Bible) are both holy scriptures. Fifthly, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin therefore Jesus was born miraculously. Sixth, Satan is evil and people should not follow Satan. Seven, Jesus will return to the Earth by descending from Heaven. However, there also differences that differentiate these two religions. An example of this is the concept of Trinity that Christians believe in which is totally rejected in Islam as Jesus is neither God nor Son of God. Jesus was a human prophet and that Muslims only worship one God, Allah as he is the one and only Creator and sustainer of the universe. Another point that differentiates the two religions is that Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and died on a cross but was resurrected two days ago. The Quran says that Jesus did not die on a cross but God made it appear that way to people. The Quran

The founder of Christianity is Jesus Christ whereas the founder of Judaism is Abraham. Both Jesus Christ and Abraham were both once Prophets in Islam. Just like Islam, Christianity and Judaism believe in the existence of One God. To Christians, their Holy Book is the Bible or the Injil whereas for Judaism, their Holy Book is the Hebrew Tanakh or the Torah. Both these holy books were sent down to the Prophets in Islam namely to Jesus, the Injil and to Abraham, the Torah. Jesus Christ was a Prophet in Islam, sent by Allah and born to the virgin Mary. To Jews, Jesus was an ordinary