AS IT IS 2016-01-27 Documents Show Islamic State Seeks Power, Control

AS IT IS 2016-01-27 Documents Show Islamic State Seeks Power, Control

Papers collected from the Islamic State terror group show the militants¹’ dark world.

The documents show how IS militants act -- anxious, obsessed², harsh and horrible. And they show how important control of Internet access is to their cause.

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi of the Middle East Forum³, a research group in Washington, D.C., gathered the documents. They are published on his website.

Sharia law

Many of the documents tell people how to pray, fast and pay attention to religious observances. Others tell about harsh punishments for crimes and violations⁴ of Sharia law. These include whippings, amputations, stoning and crucifixion.

One document says a thief must have his right hand cut off. It says the hand must be hung around the thief’s neck and the person must show himself to others for three days.

The militants worry that medical workers will leave towns the group controls in Syria and Iraq, the papers show.

The group limits travel, fearing people will leave areas it controls. Women younger than 50 are not permitted to travel unless they are with their husband or a male family member.

Only one person may travel with someone who is sick. All travelers must give the IS group ownership papers for their homes and cars. The group believes this will ensure that the travelers return.

And it controls electronic information.

Controlling access to the internet

As the bombing campaign by the United States and its coalition⁵ partners strengthened, the group banned GPS devices and mobile phones. And it banned signs on cars that could identify them as Islamic State property.

It has recently banned satellite TV. And it limits access to the Internet. It says members may not have email accounts or take pictures of battles.

Some Internet cafes remain open in Raqqa city, the center of the group’s activity in Syria. But their owners must record the identity of everyone who uses the Internet “except soldiers of the Islamic State and their families.”

Another order says anyone who has “an Internet connection inside his home, office or any private place” will be severely⁶ punished.

Al-Tamimi says punishment became more severe as the group grew larger and captured more territory. He says “the degree and speed of implementation⁸ of Sharia was slower” when the group first began capturing territory.

In recent months, the terrorists have killed media activists⁹ in Syria and southern Turkey who try to fight the group online.

Al-Tamimi and the Middle East Forum have gathered the documents since the Islamic State terrorist group took control of large parts of Iraq and Syria. Al-Tamimi created the website with the documents in January 2015. It is updated often.

Words in This Story

access – n. a way of getting near, at or to something or someone (often + to)

account – n. an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company

whip – v. to hit (a person or animal) with a whip or with something that is like a whip

amputate – v. to cut off (part of a person's body)

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

degree – n. an amount or level that can be measured or compared to another amount or level

implement⁷ – v. to begin to do or use (something, such as a plan); to make (something) active or effective

Sharia – n. the religious laws based on the Koran that Muslims follow

GPS (global positioning system) – n. a radio system that uses signals from satellites to tell you where you are and to give you directions to other places

ensure – v. to make (something) sure, certain or safe

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》