Do followers of Isis and Al queda deserve our sympathy?

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Sympathy isn't the word, we should try to understand their motivations and the grievances that have pushed them such extremism. We shouldn't commit the same mistake in dealing with them as it was in creating them in the first place, that's just pouring gasoline on the fire.

Absolutely not. It doesn't work. Trust me there is only one way. You gotta stop them. Understanding them is nonsense because I have learned sadism is what drives them. They honestly want to see everyone hurt. That is what motivates them. Pain, sorrow, suffering. They want to inflict this on the world.
I have learned a lot about the fanatical sickness and have discovered a few things about humanity and how it is so important to protect vulnerable people.

Learn what from where about whom?

You can't stop them unless you understand them and address the grievances that have brought them into existence, otherwise you're just creating a new and possibly bigger problem down the line. We made this mistake with al-Qaeda, Islamic extremism is stronger today than it was before the day 13 years ago. We killed almost all the leaders bt now ISIS is picking up where AQ failed, someone else will do the same if try the same with them as well. We have to address the underlying issues that perpetuate this violence and extremism, they were not born ideologues and their base motivation isn't some super villain-esqe quest for world domination and suffering. Almost always when they ask these jihadists why they do what they do their answer is simple, they oppose America and America directly or indirectly kills and occupies Muslim lands.

We have to take a look at ourselves, I have no interest in an endless game of wack-a-mole in the middle east. The US would be safer and better off in the short and long term by not being involved.

It's not about grievances, it is about their sadistic impulses. They want to shove their narrow ideology that revolves around sadism and oppression on the majority and oppress them. That is their goal and they will stop at nothing to reach it. So what you must do is stop them before they reach that goal. It really is as simple as it seems. Stop them before they kill or oppress millions of people.

You can sit there and be all wispy and romantic about it but it does nothing but prolong suffering at the end of the day.

They don't exist in a vacuum, they're not super villains. I don't see dropping bombs and invading armies as an end to suffering, you have to consider what the long-term consequences of your actions are. It is almost a certifiable fact that ISIS would not exist if the US did not invade Iraq to overthrow Saddam. Why did Saddam invade Kuwait, who assisted Saddam to power in the first place? There is a common thread here.

Agreed. We tend to conceptualize extreme acts of violence as unpredictable, chaotic events that are born in the depths of Oroduin in the land of Mordor. This is simply not the case. Terrorists are people like you and I who, due to situational pressures, find meaning in their lives through the pursuit of a really screwed up world vision. These are not crazy people, however, otherwise we'd be able to pick them up, send them to a mental hospital, and be done with it. These are intelligent individuals, frequently well educated (it is not uncommon to find one holding a terminal degree), and very well organized (thus their continued existence). I don't think it should be taboo to wonder why these talented, intelligent individuals are choosing to do these monstrous atrocities rather than choose to, say, teach at a university or do something that the culture they come from considers to be of benefit to society (and note, their cultures of origination DO NOT promote their behavior). If as much effort were put into preventative measures as to elimination measures (which, due to the high risk of civilian involvement also carries a high risk of providing psychological motivation towards promoting terrorist group efforts, something the Bush administration did not attend to very well), terrorist groups would not carry the appeal that they seem to currently carry for many.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very much against ISIS and what it stands for, but I blame the cultural phenomenon for the atrocities performed, not the people. I don't think this mess will ever be solved if we focus less on socio-cultural factors than on individual involvement (as is evidenced by Al-Qaeda's continued efforts despite Bin Laden's death).

Burrnnn!! ISIS flag burnnn!! !

Meh, this is all useless parade.

Terrorists are sadists and that's all. Strike them down. End suffering. .That simple.

No, they are probably evil. If they aren't evil than we are very deceived.

However, I bet America will do something even more evil to counter them. We simply have to be the most evil on the world stage, but for us, we'll call it good.

It isn't evil to strike down a terrorist. Until you get a glimpse at how these people think you cannot gain insight into what they want. Basically they want everyone to live the same way which is the way they think is right or you are as good as dead to them.

For instance, if you are divorced, you're as good as dead.
If you are gay, good as dead.
if you put up a Christmas tree or buy your kid an Easter basket, good as dead.

It's very narrow and crazy and even though some are Islamic, others Christian, it's the same kind of sadistic element. And it's all based on rubbish. In the US, we have freedom of religion. People can worship idols without being harassed. We can divorce, its in the law. Gays should be allowed to marry and have it recognized by the state. We do not live in a Theocracy.

And you can be religious without wanting to harm your neighbor or harassing them. Taking religion and twisting it into something sadistic and an excuse to abuse others should always be stopped.

Agreed, it should always be stopped. But I don't think that by killing all those who need to be stopped will stop it. That will only add fuel to the fire, as it already has done. When 9/11 happened, the U.S had sympathy from all around the world. When the Bush administration decided to invade Afghanistan, the opposite was true. You don't kill an idea by killing all those who believe it. If you really wanna kill an idea, provide something better to believe in.

Do you hear yourself? You forgot to mention the head of satan, America and Israel, who are invading every other country and financing terrorism.

It's so easy for biased people to bring up something bad from the other side and completely forget about their side. If anything, America and Israel deserve 0 sympathy from the rest of the world. Then we can talk about stopping ISIS because as far as I know, the only reason why ISIS even exists because Israel is keeping them there.

This.

Most don't believe what the terrorists do.

They themselves make sympathy for them pretty damn hard, if not impossible.

My argument is that terrorism is the result of situational pressures, not irrational nutjobs. I think we've reached a tipping point, yet again, where violence is a necessity to restore confidence in national safety and prevent tensions from escalating into more dangerous territory. However, this could have and should have been avoided. It sounds like Obama is taking measures to not act as culturally insensitive and militarily sloppy as the Bush admin was, which in all likelihood will do more to combat terrorism than the actual fighting (if he's able and willing to keep his word).
With numbers estimated at 10 000, though it's not most, it's still sizable. Recruitment seems to be working to some extent.