The Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham: notoriety amid volatilityThe Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham, also known as ISIS, is a revolutionary jihadist organization that has played an active role in the Middle East since its creation by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in 2004. Based in Iraq, they claimed responsibility for over six thousand civilian casualties between 2004 and 2012. In their relentless efforts to create a Sunni Islamic state in every region where they In this fight, ISIS has changed the face of the war in Iraq and, more recently, the Syrian civil war. The organization became known for its ruthless attacks on civilians using car bombs and filmed executions and gained an infamous reputation throughout the Middle East. ISIS exclusively targets non-combatant Shiite Muslims, often considered off-limits by most jihadist organizations. Amnesty International has recently highlighted the scale of their human rights violations and is calling on the international community to pressure ISIS to end its war crimes. ISIS's cruelty, as well as the central targeting of its terrorist attacks, is driven by its draconian interpretation of Islam. This significantly differentiated them from other jihadist groups, notably Al-Qaeda. ISIS's pursuit of its own goals has provoked infighting in Iraq and Syria, and led to a major division between the organizations. To understand their ruthless nature, even when compared to Al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups, one must understand the role religion plays within ISIS. their organization and how religion drives their goals. ISIS members are motivated by extreme religious ideology and draconian interpretation...... middle of paper ...... terrorist tactics to promote their ideological goal of creating a Sunni Islamic state in Iraq, and now in Syria. Their violence against Shiite Muslims and ruthless attacks on civilians, as well as other rebel brigades, have sparked clashes with other al-Qaeda factions in Iraq and Syria. This, coupled with a lack of public respect for the organization, led Al Qaeda to announce its separation from the group earlier this year. ISIS's human rights violations have attracted the attention of the international community, which is under pressure to take action against the group for its war crimes. ISIS's pursuit of its own goals has caused extreme infighting in Iraq and Syria, as well as massive casualties. Their reckless behavior has caused divisions with al-Qaeda and jihadist rebels in Syria, and will continue to alienate them from their counterparts in the future..