伊斯兰国怎么发展起来的?

AS IT IS 2015-11-22 Who Is Islamic State and How Did They Get This Big? 伊斯兰国怎么发展起来的?

Who and what is the terrorist group that carried out deadly attacks last week in Paris?

They call themselves the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS. They also are called IS and ISIL. Critics call them Daesh, a word Islamic State does not prefer to be called.

Islamic State has been active in Iraq and Syria since 2013. They say they follow a fundamentalist or extreme form of Islam. That fundamentalism is in response to a liberal way of life in the West, they say.

They are known for mass killings¹, kidnappings and beheadings of local people as well as Westerners. They have set people on fire alive and blown others up. They have crucified others.

Earlier this month, ISIS claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian passenger plane in Egypt. All 224 people on the plane were killed.

Last week, it claimed responsibility for two explosions in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. At least 41 people were killed.

And the group said it carried out attacks in Paris on Friday. More than 130 people were killed.

Experts and eye-witnesses describe their brutality² as the worse ever seen.

The group was formed after U.S. forces invaded Iraq in 2003. A militant³ leader from Jordan named Abu Musab al-Zarqawi joined the terrorist group al-Qaida. They called themselves “al-Qaida in Iraq.”

But Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2003.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has led ISIS since 2010. He had been a prisoner of U.S. forces in Iraq. He and other prisoners joined IS after they were released. Other members of Islamic State come from the political party that supported Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. He was ousted⁴ and later executed.

In 2013, Islamic State expanded into the civil war in Syria. By June 2014, IS took control of many cities and towns in Iraq and Syria. It announced it had created a “caliphate,” or a political-religious government for Muslims.

All Muslims must reject the governments of any other country. It says other governments are signs of opposition⁵ to Islam, the religion of Muslims.

After the caliphate was announced, Islamic State called al-Baghdadi the “leader for Muslims everywhere.” This angered most Muslims who did not agree with Islamic State.

Analysts⁶ say Islamic State earns money through the illegal sale of oil in Syria, and by kidnappings, extortion and other crimes. It also receives money from supporters in some Persian Gulf⁷ nations.

U.S. government officials estimate that Islamic State may have earned as much as $100 million in 2014 from the sale of oil. The U.S. Treasury⁸ Department says the group sold the oil to local businessmen. It says they illegally transported it to Turkey and Iran, or sold it to the Syrian government.

Experts say air strikes on oil fields and refineries⁹ have reduced Islamic State earnings¹⁰.

Islamic State follows an extreme version of Sunni Islam, analysts say. They are the only true believers of Islam, they say, and believe others seek to destroy Islam. This justifies¹¹ why they attack Muslims and non-Muslims.

The Islamic State has also forced women into sexual slavery. It says its holy book -- the Quran -- supports the enslavement of women and girls.

Experts believe more than 3,000 Yazidi women are held by Islamic State. Some Yazidi women have escaped or were rescued. They say they were traded among fighters and given to Islamic State leaders as rewards.

Islamic State uses social media to lure¹² young people to support its goals and join the group as fighters.

Words in This Story

caliphate – n. a political-religious Muslim government or state 

refinery¹³ – n. a place where the unwanted substances in oil are removed

believer – n. someone who regards the existence of God as a fact; someone who has religious beliefs

crucify – v. to kill (someone) by nailing or tying his or her hands and feet to a cross

reward – n. something that is given for something that has been done, or that is offered for something that might be done

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

10 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

11 justifies   

证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• Their frequency of use both justifies and requires the memorization. 频繁的使用需要记忆，也促进了记忆。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In my judgement the present end justifies the means. 照我的意见，只要目的正当，手段是可以不计较的。

12 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

13 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。