Beheading of Two American Journalists - Case Study Example

Beheading of Two American Journalists Question Beheading of Two American Journalists The ISIS group has been sending a series of violent messages to their portended or alleged enemies, especially the United States, implicating clear and direct terrorism acts. Towards the end of the year 2014, the militant group displayed a series of videos of brutal murder of two American citizens, broadcasting their executions through the internet in order to display their acts publicly to the rest of the world (Michael, 2014). ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or Islamic State of Iraq and al ’Sham), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is an extremist group with its roots in Iraq and Syria (Harkin, 2014). Its drive is to establish and run an Islamic state within the Middle East via strict Sharia laws. The militant group is composed of fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, as well as some foreign Jihadists. Other branches of the ISIS group spread further to Egypt and Libya. This paper thereby analyses the latest violent activities committed by the ISIS militant group through the videos that they displayed over the internet. The two videos display the beheading of two American citizens who were executed in order to communicate to the U.S. government (Jones, 2014). These videos expresses how violent the group is, as well as how inhuman they are- sending videos of murder, which show how brutally they take human lives (Michael, 2014). They simply do this in order to send their messages, grievances, or warnings to their targeted enemies. The first graphic video was quickly eradicated from the YouTube and other broadcasting websites, but still available in various leaked websites. This video displays a man kneeling, wearing an orange jumpsuit and another man standing in a black cloak holding a combat knife at hand. The man kneeling, in an orange jumpsuit, was confirmed to be an American citizen by the FBI (Carter, 2014). He was an American journalist – James Foley, who went missing while in northwestern Syria on 22nd November, 2012. James Foley first gives a short message the American government and citizens, addressing the issue of antiterrorism government policies (Adam, 2014, pp. 19). Evidently, the journalist was forced to cite the statement or read it loudly from somewhere behind the camera. Foley denounces President Obama’s recent orders of air strikes within Iraq. Upon completing his statement, the masked man cloaked in black then personally and directly addresses the President of the United States in English language, which appears to be in a British accent (Johnson& Barton, 2014, pp. 24). The man sends a warning message to president Obama terminate or withdraw his “aggressive” policies against the Islamic States, or else the entire America will continue suffering, as the ISIS group will continue retaliating with violence and brutal murder (Aron, 2014). The cloaked and masked man then moves behind James Foley and uses his knife to slowly decapitate the American journalist (Adam, 2014, pp. 21). After a brief footage of the subsequent carnage or slaughter, the cloaked man again holds the knife to the throat of another American citizen in an orange jumpsuit, threatening that he will become the subsequent victim if the U.S. government does not comply (Alyssa, 2014). The second man was later identified to be Steven Sotloff- another American journalist who disappeared in Syria by August 2013 (Radjaz, 2014, pp. 11). Holding the “bloody” knife against the throat of Steven, the man cloaked in black once again addresses the President of the United States- Obama, and tells him that the next action relies on his next move (Abdallah, 2014). As Alyssa(2014) reveals, the militant threatens that if the American military air strikes continues against the Sunni Muslim extremists within the Northern Iraq, then they will as well behead Steven Sotloff (Rukmini, 2014). About two weeks later, another similar video was going viral across the internet. This time round it was Steven Sotloff (Sanchez, 2014, pp. 6), who was also forced or given the final chance to send his last message to the American government and America as a whole (Carter, 2014). Before his execution, Steven Sotloff states that he is indeed “paying his life as a price for the American intervention” (Carter, 2014). The masked man then plainly states to the camera that just as the American missiles are striking their people, is the same way their knives will also continue striking the necks of the American people (Abdallah, 2014).According to Adam (2014, pp. 15), such terror tactics are never fresh to the ISIS; diverse terrorism militant groups have been using similar methods to send warnings to their target enemies. ISIS also used the same method to send warning to the Kurdish military fighters who supported the U.S. military in during fights in Iraq and Syria (Harkin, 2014). The ISIS published a series of videos displaying the execution of Kurdish men, as well as graphic videos showing the executions of hundreds of Kurdish fighters (soldiers) that the ISIS captured and held captives (Tailor, 2014, pp. 32). Video of the Beheading of James Foley- an American Journalist James Foley’s whereabouts after his disappearance remained unknown until the 19th August, 2014 when an extremist group- the ISIS uploaded a graphic video across the internet. Foley was first captured by 2012 in Libya, released, and later kidnapped again after some few months by an unknown gunmen. The video was titled “A Message to America.” Even though the video was quickly deleted from several websites, it continued to circulate and spread through other Internet sites.In this graphic video released,uploaded, or posted across a number of websites, such as the YouTube on Tuesday, 19th August, 2014, James Foley is displayed kneeling down next to a masked man dressed in a black cloak (Aron, 2014).The video begins with a prologue of president Obama publicly announcing the first airstrike by the U.S. military against the ISIS in Iraq (The Purdue Review, 2014). The video then shortly cuts to display James Foley kneeling in a desert besides a standing ISIS masked man, in black clad (Adam, 2014, pp. 24). Foley then reads a long message expressing his regrets. In his message, James Foley also quotes his family wishes; he wishes that he had got more time, hoping that he could have the freedom to see his family once more (Aron, 2014). The message has seemingly been scripted by his captors and presented or displayed for him to read behind cameras. When Foley stops, the standing executioner then speaks a message of condemnation of the U.S. air-strikes against the ISIS, and goes ahead to threaten that any subsequent aggression by the U.S. will only result in the bloodshed of the American citizens (Aron, 2014). Foley’s execution actually takes place in about ten seconds, though the entire video clip takes over four minutes displaying some other graphic messages (Carter, 2014). The video does not show the actual time of Foley’s beheading, unlike the most recent videos that typically displays the entire execution act. Foley’s executed copse is then displayed after a short while, then the executioner divulges another American citizen – a journalist that the ISIS is holding captive (Alyssa, 2014). The captive’s later identity reveals him to be a Time Magazine contributor – Steven Joel Sotloff. Foley’s executioner threatens Steven Sotloff will also be executed if the U.S. President Obama fails to terminate the American military airstrikes against ISIS and its activities. As revealed by the video, the execution of the American photojournalist – James Foley Wright was a message from the ISIS to the U.S. to stay out of Iraqi affairs. Foley was a U.S. freelancer who made several Global Posts. According to Carter (2014), the video was shot at an anonymous desert location. Who was James Foley? James Wright Foley, 40, served as a freelance photojournalist, after previously working as a war correspondent in Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Foley was much familiar with confronting the dangers that came across his line of duty; he had an exclusive level of experience in covering critical events at war zones, as well as other hazardous environments. Shortly after the release of the viral video of his killing, his family honored himthrough several posts via a support Facebook page that they had created on his behalf (Reston& Maeve, 2014, 6). His mother – Diane Foley in her post, says that James was an extraordinary son, journalist, brother, and person (Anderson& Wayne, 2014, pp. 58). That the family implores his capturers or executioners to spare the lives of the remaining people that they could still be holding hostages (Reston& Maeve, 2014, 5). According to Andersonand Wayne (2014, pp. 62), the family sends their pleas to the ISIS leader, advocating for the remaining captives, pleading that they are also just innocent as James was (Nicole, 2014), and hold no position or control over the U.S. government policies against Syria, Iraq, and any other country across the globe (Johnson& Barton, 2014, pp. 27). Diane said that her son gave his whole life to explore and expose the sufferings of the Iraqi, Libyan, and Syrian people (Anderson& Wayne, 2014, pp. 59). As an evidence for this statement, James himself once quoted in an interview with Tim McNulty – a Medill University lecturer that conflict journalism was very crucial, and every journalist, as well as the public should know that majority of the world’s countries are under dictatorship. He further said that in most of the world, one could not speak out his/her mind, and there is no due process. That being away from the U.S. into those places made him believe that Americans really live in a good place. Video of the Beheading of Steven Sotloff - an American Journalist Barely two weeks after the execution of James Foley, another video of beheading of another American citizen was again going viral within the internet. This time it is Steven Sotloff – another American journalist (Abdallah, 2014). The 2 minutes, 45 seconds video is entitled “A Second Message to America” was uploaded on September 2nd, 2014; evidently produced by the ISIS Media Foundation, “al-Furqan,” and uploaded to several file-sharing websites. The video appears to have been filmed or shot in the same desert location as that of James Foley (Carter, 2014). An unnamed U.S. government source, as cited by the Wall Street Journal, revealed that some officials believed that Mr. Sotloff was executed on the same day immediately after James Foley whose killing was made public on the 19th August, 2014. After the threat on his life by ISIS militant, Shirley Sotloff – Steven’s mother released a video a week before his execution, pleading with the leader and members of ISIS to release her son. However, the efforts of Sotloff’s family did not bear any fruit. Foley was held a captive for 635 days before his execution. The graphic video of execution opens with Mr. Steven Joel Sotloff stating his name and quoting that he is sure everyone know exactly whom he is and the exact reason why he is appearing before the camera. He continues to speak, saying that it is the time for his message. Sotloff addresses the president of the U.S. – Barack Obama, stating that his foreign policy of the U.S. military intervention in Iraq against the ISIS group was supposed to preserve the Americans’ lives and interest (Carter, 2014). He asks the U.S. president that why is it that he is then paying the price if his policy intervention by his own life, that is he not an American citizen. Sotloff continues to state that Obama’s administration has spent billions of dollars from the U.S. tax payers, and that America has lost thousands of troops in the previous fights and attacks organized against the Islamic States. So where is the interest of people served when a war is re-ignited? Finally, Sotloff states that from the little knowledge he has about the U.S. foreign policy against Iraq, is that he can remember a moment when Obama could not win an election minus promising the Americans to bring back home their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan (Carter, 2014). He also promised to close down Guantanamo, but there he is, nearing the end of his term yet he has not achieved any of those promises. Mr. Sotloff then closes his quotes by stating that President Obama is just deceivingly marching the U.S. citizens towards a blazing fire. Several analysis performed on the videos however, reveals that the above information was scripted and displayed behind the camera for Sotloff to read loudly, making it appear as if he were speaking out the words himself. After Steven completes his statement, the masked man in black cloak, holding a knife at his hand, also speaks out. He addresses the U.S. president Obama, and tells him that he is back. He states that he is back because of Obama’s adamancy and arrogance through his foreign policy against the Islamic State (Nye, Zennie& David, 2014). The man continues to say that it is because of Obama’s insistence and continued bombing despite their serious warning that he will witness another ISIS action on the American citizen (Radjaz, 2014, pp. 9). The executioner then states that just as the America’s missiles continue striking the Islamic State people, is the same way ISIS knives will continue to strike the necks of American citizens (Nye, Zennie& David, 2014). Upon the completion of his statement, he holds Sotloff’s head and draws his knife towards his neck (Carter, 2014). The scene shows the journalist’s meager efforts and struggles to get off his knees, but thecloaked and masked man continuous to saw his knife against Steven’s neck. The subsequent scene then displays Mr. Sotloff’s carcass lying on his back, with his chopped head placed on his belly. Finally, the video displays the man holding another captive – DavidCawthorne Haines, this time a British citizen, also cladded in orange (Radjaz, 2014, pp.12). Haines is also displayed while on his knees and the militant is standing with his similar clad. Finally, the militant speaks out again, warning the American alliance to back off the ISIS people (Carter, 2014). He quotes that they take that opportunity to send a warning to the governments that enter or intends to join the “evil” alliance with America against the ISIS to back-off and leave alone the ISIS people. Who was Steven Sotloff? Steven Joel Sotloff, killed at 31, was a University of Central Florida graduate, and throughout his journalism career, Steven had worked as a freelancing writer for a number of publications including the Christian Science Monitor, World Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Time. He gave his life and travelled across the entire globe exploring both political and social injustices occurring in diverse places, especially in the Middle East. Steven’s Twitter account reveals that he had a good sense of humor and a playful demeanor, but was tirelessly and fearlessly dedicated to always dispatch truth to the public. Upon the threat on his life by ISIS militant, Shirley Sotloff – Steven’s mother released a video a week before his execution, pleading with the leader and members of ISIS to release her son (Terrence, 2014). Steven’s mother pleads that he was just a journalist who travelled to the Middle-East simply to uncover the Muslins’ suffering at tyrants’ hands (Sanchez, (2014, 7). That Steve is a generous and loyal son, grandson, and brother; he is an innocent and honorable man who always endeavors to assist the weak.However, the efforts of Sotloff’s family did not bear any fruit. Sotloff’s travels took him to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Turkey, and Qatar among other countries, and eventually disappeared in Syria (Harkin, 2014). It is indeed not unusual that the executioner in both of the two videos appears to be having a British accent. A number of sources reveal that hundreds of British officials and dozens American nationals have traveled or relocatedto the Middle East in order to assist or aid the ISIS group on the battlefields. The escalating numbers of such nationals currently raise concerns for the augmenting possibility of colossal Islamic fundamentalists’ violence occurrences, which take place on the American and British home fronts. According to Steven Sotloff’s family, some U.S. government agencies had been making several attempts to find the missing journalist for months before the publication of the video. However, President Obama’s response to the ISIS’s murder of James Foley sent a shiver down the family’s heart. In a press conference in the white house, shortly after the release of James Foley’s beheading video, president Obama gives a statement that he did not want to tie a cart in front of the horse (Kareen, Wolfe &Pascucci, 2014). He further quotes that the government was not yet ready with any strong strategy. To the family of Sotloff whose life was threatened to be taken away soon, this message from the U.S. president sent a shocking wave down their nerves. Nonetheless, a number of Congress members and other media members had been to the support of the family, urging the president to take an immediate action, generally on every international terrorist group in response to the cold-blood series of murder.Without journalists or reporters like Steven Sotloff and James Foley, the American citizens would not be at a position of being informed about the events occurring on the other side of the world (Kareen, Wolfe &Pascucci, 2014). They would not be able to understand several crucial moments and events that that tend to shape the world’s future. Finally, some of the crucial sources that have been rich in the background of the information and analysis herein include: (i) the GawKer website, (ii) the Purdue Review, (iii) the CNN Global News View, (iv) the Iraqi Local News, (v) the KTLA 5 TV News (Kareen, Wolfe &Pascucci, 2014), (vi) the American Online Daily Mail, and (vii) NBC News, among others. These are majorly online sites that serve as rich information and news sources, out of which any individual can draw some sense. On Wednesday, 20th August, 2014, the U.S. National Security Council confirmed the video of Foley’s execution to be authentic. References Abdallah, A. (2014). Iraqi News: ISIS beheads American journalist Steven Sotloff. Retrieved on 28th Feb, 2014 from http://www.iraqinews.com/features/urgent-video-isis-beheads-american-journalist-steven-sotloff/ Adam, T. (2014). From Daniel Pearl to James Foley: The modern tactic of Islamist beheadings. Chicago Tribune, 32(8), pp. 14-26. Alyssa, N. (2014). Another American hostage threatened with death. CBSWorld News. Retrieved: August 28th Feb, 2015. Anderson, G. & Wayne, L. (2014). Remembering James Foley. The Anderson Report, 32(9), pp. 56-62. Aron, N. (2014). ISIS beheads captured American James Wright Foley, then threatens to execute Steven Joel Sotloff. SITE Intelligence Group/Jihadist News- September 3, 2014. Retrieved: Feb, 27th, 2015. Carter, C. (2014). CNN News: Video shows ISIS beheading a U.S. journalist James Foley. Retrieved on 28th Feb, 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/19/world/meast/isis- james-foley/ Carter, C. (2014). CNN News: Video shows ISIS beheading a U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff.Retrieved on 28th Feb, 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/02/world/meast/isis-american-journalist-sotloff/ Harkin, J. (2014). Evaporated in Syria: Vanity Fair. Retrieved: Feb 28th 2015. Johnson, A. & Barton, G. (2014). Islamic militants execute journalist, MU grad James Foley. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9(3), pp. 23-28. Jones, A. (2014). ISIS beheads American journalist- James Foley in a video message to the U.S.Available at http://gawker.com/isis-beheads-american-journalist-james-foley-in-video-m-1624078717 Kareen, W., Wolfe, C. &Pascucci, C. (2014). KTLA 5 Morning News: Video shows ISIS militants beheading American journalist Steven Sotloff. Retrieved on 28th Feb, 2015, from http://ktla.com/2014/09/02/video-purports-to-show-isis-militants-beheading-american-journalist-steven-sotloff/ Michael, W. (2014). Islamic State claims murder of Jewish-American journalist in latest beheadingvideo. Jerusalem Daily Post. Retrieved: 28th Feb, 2015. Nicole, T. (2014). NCB News- James Foley’s mom: I am appalled by the U.S. government.Retrieved on 28the Feb, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/james-foley Nye, J., Zennie, M., & David, M. (2014). I’m back Obama: ISIS executioner Jihadi John taunts president as he beheads the second U.S. journalist, Steven Sotloff, and threatens to kill the next British hostage. Available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2740998/ISIS-release-video-showing-beheading-American-journalist-Steven-Sotloff.html Radjaz, D. (2014). After James Foley, ISIS beheads another US journalist Steven Sotloff. The Times of India, pp. 9-12. Reston, G. & Maeve, H. (2014). Slain journalist James Foleys hometown in New Hampshire grieves. Los Angeles Times, 5-7. Retrieved: Feb, 28th2014. Rukmini, C. (2014). Militant group says it killed American journalist in Syria. New York Times. Retrieved: Feb, 27th, 2015. Sanchez, R. (2014). Steven Sotloff beheaded by Islamic State. The Daily Telegraph, 4(1), 5-7. Tailor, C. (2014). ISIS kills 50 Syrian soldiers, beheads many in Raqqa. International Business Times, 7(3), pp. 28-39. Terrence, M. (2014). The agony of waiting for your sons beheading. Washington Post. Retrieved: Feb, 28th, 2014. The Purdue Review (2014). Two American journalists beheaded by ISIS in relation to air strikes in Iraq. Retrieved on 28th Feb, 2015, from http://www.purduereview.com/politics/2-american-journalists-beheaded-by-isis-in-retaliation-to-air-strikes-in-iraq/ Read More