December 17, 2014:
ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is justly feared and reviled for its violence. In late 2014 ISIL accounted for about 44 percent of the Islamic terrorism deaths worldwide. Al Qaeda and its affiliates (AQIM/Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, AQAP/al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Shabaab, al Nusra and so on) accounted for another 40 percent and various other groups (especially the Taliban and Boko Haram) accounted for the rest. In all this Islamic terrorist violence only 20 percent of the dead were Islamic terrorists while 44 percent were civilians (mostly Moslems) and 35 percent security forces (also mostly Moslems). ISIL proclaims that it is defending Islam, especially from the West. Moslems are wondering who is to protect Moslems from ISIL.