By Kevin Mittal ’15, News Editor

It has been a year since Al-Qaeda cut all ties with IS, the Islamic state as they call themselves, commonly referred to as ISIS. The split occurred in February 2014, and, according to Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, stemmed from problems in “teamwork” and “consultation.” Popular political analysis opinion believes the split was due to the inter-rebel tension because of the group’s no-concessions stand and brutal measures against fellow rebels and civilian supporters.

ISIS is currently led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a battlefield commander and tactician. The militaristic leader, when compared to Zawahiri, is apparently more attractive to the younger jihadists according to several news sources like the Washington Post and BBC. The group claims to have support from jihadists coming from France, Germany, the UK, and other European countries. It is also said to be one of the most cash-heavy groups, mainly because of its control of oil fields in Eastern Syria.

Today, the terrorist group’s power has grown out of the original Iraq and Syria, stretching as far as Libya and instigating fears from Italy that they will be the targets of an ISIS invasion. Their actions in the region, recently the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, have prompted pleas for a UN Coalition in Libya by the Egyptian government.

ISIS has also been responsible for burning a Jordanian pilot alive, resulting in an enormous air strike campaign by Jordan and further international outrage. The terrorist attacks in France, and recently Copenhagen, Denmark have also been tied to supporters of the organization. A survey by ICM Research reports that about 16% of people in France support ISIS. An alarming number of Europeans, often from mainly Muslim immigrant communities, are not just showing support, but are traveling to Syria to join the group. It is estimated that 80% of Western jihadists in the Middle East are part of ISIS.

Newark Academy students, on the other hand, have shown no support for the group. The schools current events discussion group, Think Tank, led by president Anu Sharma ’15, discussed the issue at multiple points throughout the year. Sharma reported that students believed that “ISIS needs to be looked at as a more serious threat” and that “immediate action was necessary.” While students have certainly shown an interest in the issue, they remain vague about what further actions need to taken only saying that “military advisors and remote weaponry need to attack them.”

What is clear is that as powerful as ISIS is becoming in other parts of the world, it remains a secondary concern in the Academy community. Students remain hopeful for a resolution, but do not have fleshed-out opinions on the needs for American policy. And as we look back at a year of the group’s actions, we can only hope that the students never need to do so.