In the wake of the Paris terror attacks the discussion over terrorism and the correct response to such a tragedy has already begun.
Multiple attacks perpetrated by Isis across the French capital on Friday night have so far claimed the lives of 129 people, with more than 340 injured and many remaining in critical condition.
But, while utterly horrific, one journalist has pointed out the terror organisation – also known as the Islamic State – has killed far more Muslims than Christians, westerners, or minorities during its existence.
A year ago a report released by the United Nations carefully documented known instances of Islamic State barbarity against Muslims, noting in the first eight months of 2014 Isis was the “primary actor” responsible for the deaths of 9,347 civilians in Iraq.
Most recently, just days before the Paris atrocities, the group launched a co-ordinated suicide attack in Beirut, killing 43 people – the majority of who were Sunni Muslims.
In September, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ISCR) released a report based on the testimonies of 58 defectors from the group.
Among the study’s findings was a consistent narrative that Isis was primarily concerned with “sectarian” issues: “one of the most persistent criticisms was the extent to which the group is fighting against other Sunni rebels.”
“Brutality didn’t seem to be a universal concern,” of the defectors, the report noted. “It was seen through a sectarian lens, and caused outrage mostly when its victims were other Sunnis.”
There are no exact figures available for the number of Muslims killed by Isis, but there have been multiple documented instances of their treatment of fellow Muslims.
In November a video resurfaced showing the execution of around 250 Syrian soldiers, while in October four of the 69 prisoners freed by a US and Kurdish operation spoke of Isis’s treatment of Sunni Muslims.
“They executed him in cold blood,” sobbed one captive as he described his brother’s death at the militants’ hands.
