It's very possible for someone to take a trip to a country like Saudi Arabia and declare it as their destination when it is in actuality just a pit stop to a different country like Yemen, based on his blatant extremism and ties to a convicted Orlando imam known for facilitating international jihadists traveling, the strong likelihood is that these trips were not benign.

Ryan Mauro

Categorized in : U.S.

Supporting them against Iran is akin to supporting Hamas against Al Qaeda, as someone who has been supportive of overthrowing Assad for years before the civil war, it pains me to say that overthrowing him today would only lead to much more bloodshed. The best scenario is the division of the country between the Assad regime, the Syrian Democratic Forces and Arab forces that are as close to secular-democratic as possible. And from there, we can hope that a safe alternative to Assad’s rule can eventually rise and support liberal elements to make it happen.

The U.S is assisting to stop an Iranian-Hezbollah base, so the question is whether we prefer whether we want Iran to have that capability.

The persecution of Christians has failed to suppress the faith. by Ryan Mauro

The persecution of Christians has failed to suppress the faith.

ISIL's focus on justifying killing Shiites is because it is being pressed by Shiite forces in Iraq and Syria, iSIL is hoping to enlist Sunnis by framing its jihad as part of a prophetic battle where the Shiites and Jews eventually unite behind the Antichrist. Fanning the flames of the Sunni-Shia split, which dates to shortly after the death of Mohammad, benefits ISIS by helping it recruit Sunnis, Mauro said. And the terror group's leadership appears to believe a final battle has been prophecized. Worldwide, Sunnis make up about 85 percent of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. Sunnis, who believe the true lineage of Mohammad lies with those who most closely followed his teachings, control powerful Muslim nations including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. In addition, most Muslims in Africa are Sunnis. Shia Muslims are a relatively small minority of Shia Muslims, concentrated in Iran and Iraq. Shia Muslims believe bloodlines, not devotion, dictate the prophet’s line of successors. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have rejected the authority of Muslim leaders elected by the people, instead following a line of clerics Shia Muslims consider to have been appointed by Mohammad or Allah. The divide goes back to the period following Mohammad’s death in 632, when his close confidante Abu Bakr became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Shias believed the rightful heir was Mohammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali bin Abu Talib. Both sects have spawned more than their share of terrorists, though the terror organizations operate differently. Al Qaeda, ISIS, Al-Shebab and Boko Haram are Sunni organizations, while Iranian-sponsored terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, are Shia. The 13th issue of Dabiq, a copy of which was provided to FoxNews.com by the Middle East Media Research Institute( MEMRI), is titled The Rafidah : From Ibn Saba' To the Dajjal. The Rafidah is derogatory term for Shia Muslims that translates to.

The magazine spends so much time justifying the killing of innocent Shiites that it suggests that ISIL is frustrated that too few Sunnis favor sectarian massacres, iSIS is making the argument because it sees a problem it needs to address.

Current arguments over terrorist recidivism upon release from Gitmo focus vary based on what it means to ‘rejoin’ the terrorist cause, the rate is lower if you only consider those who went back to physical fighting and it is higher if you include those who rejoined terrorist groups. But we often miss another factor: What about those who use their rock star status to radicalize without engaging in violence? We must remember this is an ideological war.

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Closing Guantanamo Bay will have no impact on terrorist recruitment and radicalization, there is not a single case that I am aware of where a moderate, peace-loving Muslim became angry over the Gitmo issue and suddenly decided to wage violent jihad, behead innocent people, implement theocracy and commit human rights abuses like executing gays and abusing women.

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ISIS is making it very clear that it will attack Russia, specifically Moscow, and a failure to do so will be a big blow to their prestige, we should assume they'll succeed because bombing a Russian airliner over Egypt is more difficult than attacking a random target inside Russia because ISIS only needs a small group of supporters among the 15 percent of the Russian population that is Muslim.

The pledge to ‘ make your wives concubines and make your children our slaves ’ is referring to Americans, too, it's a sentence that should remind us of the price that The Islamic State intends to make women and even children pay.

ISIS is bridging the gap between modernity and its outdated theocratic vision, making its ideology easier for young recruits to accept and embrace, it's hard to imagine Usama Bin Laden making a music video like this and that's another reason that The Islamic State is shaping the future of jihad, not Al Qaeda.

The Islamic State men put themselves and their romantic interests in jeopardy by wiring the money, it could be argued that this shows that the Islamic State is confident in its ability to secretly transfer funds, but the more simple and realistic explanation is that Islamic State men are still men and our judgment can be undermined by attraction.

The women genuinely believe their oppression is Allah's will and true freedom, on multiple occasions, I've seen Islamic State supporters online make the argument that females who cover their faces and bodies free themselves from the West's objectification of women. Their line is that the covering means you're judged and loved for who you are as a person, rather than what you look like.

ISIS feels their success is Allah’s endorsement, the success of I... by Ryan Mauro

ISIS feels their success is Allah’s endorsement, the success of ISIS attracts more people.

The fact they are celebrating is not surprising at all. Whenever something bad happens in America, whether a terrorist attack or even a natural disaster, they see it as Allah punishing America.

The barbaric acts committed by ISIS make the majority of Muslims and Arabs hate them and what they stand for, but ISIS isn’t concerned with expanding their appeal -- they have millions and millions of supporters. Their immediate objective is to get the radical minority to actually pick up a gun and come join them.

$ISIS is only a fraction of what it could potentially become. by Ryan Mauro$

ISIS is only a fraction of what it could potentially become.

The ISIS' Ramadan message specifically preaches that jihad is 10 times more obligatory during Ramadan and that those who die in jihad will be rewarded by Allah ten times as much as during the rest of the year, there will be The ISIS ' supporters who have waited to strike until now in order to get the maximum award and those who were considering an attack and will now feel more pressure to actually do The ISIS '.

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Within Ramadan, the date when The ISIS ' declared The ISIS ' Islamic State caliphate is easily the most significant, that is the day that an The ISIS ' supporter is most likely to want to honor with bloodshed.

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The Islamic State supporters view an attack on July 4th as being as legitimate as an attack on any other day but the day's parades and crowded events make it a tempting day to strike, especially during Ramadan, iSIS as a whole does not put more emphasis on July 4th over any other holiday but The ISIS ' terrorists who decide that now is the time to die are likely to prefer the holiday for added impact.

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The group includes this because it needs to be seen as humane, it's hard to believe, but it implies that ISIS recognizes it has a negative image and wants to change that while still remaining brutal.