1.NOTE: When we discuss religion, we are talking about some of people's most personal beliefs.  PLEASE USE RESPECT in this discussion.  Thanks!One of the other most contentious religious issues toda

1.

NOTE: When we discuss religion, we are talking about some of people's most personal beliefs.  PLEASE USE RESPECT in this discussion.  Thanks!

One of the other most contentious religious issues today is the spread of ISIS.  ISIS is trying to create an Islamic country, and while Iraq has claimed to defeat ISIS in their country (ISIS took control of several cities in Iraq), the war in Syria, that includes a fight with ISIS, rages on.  *Please note that the war in Syria is not just against ISIS, but also includes several groups rebelling against the Syrian government following the Arab Spring.  ISIS took advantage of the chaos to gain territory there.

There was a very controversial article written in the Atlantic about what ISIS wants.  Please read it here:

What ISIS Really Wants链接到外部网站。

When you read this article, please keep in mind that while Islam may play an important role in ISIS, most Muslims are disgusted by the acts of violence committed by ISIS, and do not agree with their version of Islam at all.  Also, most of the victims of ISIS are Muslims.  While ISIS may claim to be Muslim and use Muslim ideology as a recruitment tool, they do not represent Muslims world wide AT ALL.  This article sparked a lot of debate about the best way to understand ISIS.  Please read this response to the article above:

Enough about Islam: Why religion is not the most useful way to understand ISIS 

 Discuss your reaction to the rise of ISIS after reading these two articles.  Which side of the argument do you find yourself on?  Please back up your answer with specific evidence and ideas. 

2.

There are TONS of news that can be involved in these topics.  Things like "Black Lives Matter", endangered languages, language requirements for countries, genocide and ethic cleansing, laws about religion, and on and on.  If you aren't sure, you can always ask me.

Each of you will need to find a recent article (2017 or sooner) in the news connected to the topic of the unit.  For this discussion, you will need to do the following:

First Post

• Write one paragraph summarizing the article
• Write one paragraph responding to the article with your own reaction/opinion/insight.  This reaction should be about the topic of the article, and not the writing of the article in most instances.
• Include a full citation in MLA or another format, not just the link to the website