Saipov

After the initial outbreak from the terrorist attack on New York, ISIS has finally confirmed the suspect, Saipov, as one of their members, stating Saipov as,”soldier of the caliphate." However, although Saipov had a connection to ISIS, and claimed this act of terrorism is for ISIS, there is no evidence that suggests ISIS organized or had prior knowledge of this event transpiring. Moreover, Saipov has admitted that he followed ISIS’ playbook and ISIS propaganda videos convinced him towards terrorism. According to Joon H. Kim, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Saipov was charged with “providing material support to ISIS, violence, and destruction of motor vehicles after driving a rented truck into a school bus and striking multiple pedestrians in the process. He was finally stopped after being shot in the abdomen and taken into custody. What was surprising was that Saipov’s friends and families did not see any behavior that would correlate with his actions. Even his mother-in-law, Nodira Agzomova was surprised, quoting “I
don’t know what happened.” Lastly, after the attack, New York is starting to install concrete blocks that allow bicycles to pass but not vehicles to prevent another of these attacks. This article was also an excellent example of a feature article.

Explanation
This article can be connected to what we are currently studying in world history.
For instance, the terrorist group, ISIS’ goal is to establish a caliphate, a form of government in which the leader is considered the successor to Prophet Muhammad and return to the Islamic fundamentalism. Although we have not learned about Islam yet, this can still relate to our studies as Islam has the same root with Judaism, which is Abraham, the first prophet. Moreover, as one of the most practiced religion in the world, there are also some Muslims in Central. Furthermore, there are many similarities between Islam and Judaism. For instance, they believe in one god, known as Allah in Islam and God in Judaism. Furthermore, Islam recognizes various prophets and events described in the Torah, which is the most sacred book in Judaism. Lastly, as one of the most practiced religion, many Islamic beliefs originated from Judaism which we studied in
class.
Commentary
After reading this article, it gave me a myriad of questions and made me realize how it relates and connects to my life. For example, this terrorist attack happened in New York which is only couple hours away from Philadelphia. Moreover, as we are learning about religion, it made me wonder why they are taking such extreme measures to express their religious opinion. If their goal is to return to a traditional Islamism, then why are they resorting to violence? I learned that although Islam is meant for peace and enlightenment, different people can interpret religions differently. However, although ISIS is dangerous and should be contained, I do not believe all Muslims are the same and be treated the same. We should not deport and instead help them as many of them are forced or brainwashed into terrorism. In conclusion, this article expanded my knowledge on terrorism and how it affects our lives.