ISIS Is Not al-Qaida With a New Name

ISIS has emerged as the foremost terrorist threat against the U.S. and the world at large in recent weeks and months.

Though it began as an offshoot of al-Qaida, known as al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), ISIS (or the Islamic State, as it now prefers to be known) not only broke away from the al-Qaida name but the al-Qaida terrorist mold as well.

The Hill recently wrote about five critical differences between al-Qaida and the new ISIS threat. Here’s what it found:

• “ISIS is fighting more like a conventional army than al-Qaida ever did; 
• “It may seem strange to say, but ISIS is even more brutal than al-Qaida;
• “ISIS now has more followers than al-Qaida because of the recruitment boom to Syria;
• “ISIS has made clear it wants to attack the U.S., whereas al-Qaida already has;
• “Al-Qaida’s core has been traditionally reliant on donor funding, whereas ISIS is more reliant on illicit activities such as selling oil on the black market. … However, now ISIS is beginning to draw donations due to their success. Experts say ISIS draws in $1 to $2 million per day.”

Yet each of these differences points to one thing: ISIS is a bigger threat than al-Qaida today. It’s the largest, most vicious, most well-funded terrorist army that the world has ever seen. It’s started attacking America by beheading American journalists in Iraq and Syria, but it wants to inflict mass casualties on our homeland.

In my dad Jay Sekulow’s new book, which I and several others on our ACLJ law of war team contributed to, Rise of ISIS: A Threat that Can’t be Ignored, we explain these and other critical difference between ISIS and al-Qaida.

In order to defeat this enemy, this evil force for global jihad, it is important to understand them, who they are, their goals, tactics, and most importantly how they can be defeated.

You can pre-order the paperback or download the ebook right now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Apple iBooks.

ISIS is a new threat. It’s not just the same old al-Qaida threat under a new name. It’s time for President Obama and our nation’s leaders to understand what it is we face.

Last night’s round of air strikes on ISIS strongholds in Syria are a step toward defeating this evil force, but unless we fully understand the enemy we face, we are in for a disappointingly long and potentially futile battle.

Jordan Sekulow is the executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice.