Two viruses have simultaneously attacked the globe: One is Ebola, the other is the Islamic State group, otherwise known as ISIS. The former is well-known; it even played a starring role in Hollywood in the 1990s. The latter is modern and frightening -- third-generation terrorism.
While Turkey, Canada, and Australia have recently joined the bitter campaign against ISIS, in southeast Asia and in Tunisia people are worried over the spread of the black flag in their territory. Whether against Ebola or ISIS, there is no immunization and there is a real cause for concern over a pandemic.
The conclusion is obvious: We must not let this go on. There is no other choice, the virus needs to be terminated.
Until then, however, the Islamic State group wants to prove to the world that it fears nothing, that it is completely devoid of sentiment and that from its perspective, the concept of mercy belongs only in science fiction. The jihadist organization issued a video on Friday in which a fourth Western captive was beheaded on camera.
This time, the victim was a British citizen from Manchester, Alan Henning, 47. A cab driver by trade and father of two. Henning was in Syria after having heeded the call of his friend Kasim Jamal, a Muslim cab driver also from Manchester, who suggested that Henning act on his kindness and love of the Arab world by volunteering for a humanitarian organization as a truck driver. Henning had been inside Syria four times. Four times he volunteered his time to help the people there.
To the Islamic State group it did not matter whether Henning loved Muslims or not. Even the tattoo on his arm of the aid organization for which he worked -- Aid4Syria -- had no emotional effect on his captors. From their vantage point, Henning was a foreigner. And anything foreign to them, even from within Islam -- is heretic.
The next in line to be beheaded is a former American soldier by the name of Peter Kassig. Kassig is a Muslim convert. This fact, too, does not particularly matter to ISIS. Across the globe people have begun trying to explain why the organization blossoms in ailing Western and Arab societies. All the explanations and excuses will be received in due time. What we have now is a battle between good and evil. This evil has to be destroyed.
British Prime Minister David Cameron was appalled at the beheading of yet another British national. "Anyone in any doubt about this organization can now see how truly repulsive and barbaric it is," he said.
And to think that the world allowed this organization to grow in strength in such a short period of time before finally waking up: Since the end of 2013, ISIS combatants have conquered strategic cities like Fallujah, Raqqa and Mosul. They have seized control of one-third of Iraq and Syria. They have recruited countless volunteers from across the globe to their ranks -- even from far-away Indonesia -- and there are currently thousands of Europeans fighting at their side. ISIS is extremely adept at utilizing online social media. Not only do they know how to commit suicide, they also know how to fight.
Ebola is a rare disease, infamous for its high death rate of between 50 and 90 percent. The virus known as Islamic State does not give a person even the slightest chance of survival.
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