Extremist Islamic groups such as Isis and the Taliban are the response to unfair westernisation.

Accepted. Note that the premise of Pro is not only that the West, namely the U.S, has contributed to Islamic terror but that groups such as the Taliban and ISIS are wrongly portrayed as "evil", and "no worse than our own governments". More importantly Pro claims that they "resort to such violent means because they feel they have no other means."In order to win the debate all I have to do is demonstrate that such groups are not unfairly portrayed by the media and that they're actions are not on par with any western governments. Moreover, I will show that their actions in the Middle East are lacking in valid justification. ISIS Given that it was only established in 2013, ISIS has experienced rapid development. In two years it has become the richest and most well-equipped terrorist group in the world. The International Business Times in fact estimates ISIS' fortune at $2 billion dollars, which thus negates Pros claim that they lack the means or financial standing to cultivate a modern army that is not required to resort to such violent methods. ISIS earned a large portion of its wealth (half a billion) when it robbed the central Mosul bank. Since then, ISIS has continued to pillage civilian places in Iraq. It also receives huge financial profit ($1 million per day) from each oil well under its control in Syria. The reason why such details are important is because they clearly demonstrate that ISIS is a powerful group that does not prioritize its people. Expansion: As well as financial gain, ISIS has also managed to expand across Syria and Iraq. A place it has recently been besieging is the border town of Kobane, forcing its people to leave their homes and flea into Turkish territory. Here is a map that illustrates exactly how expansive ISIS is: The stated aim of ISIS, which I'll point out is entirely unrelated to U.S intervention or activity in the region, is to establish its own Sunni Islamic caliphate across Iraq and Syria. In its attempts to reach this goal, ISIS has specifically targeted religious minorities such as Christians, Yazidis and Muslims who belong to the Shiite sect. Over 2.75 million people in Iraq have been forced to flee their homes and escape either to neighboring territory or other parts of the country. As can be seen by the examples of ISIS' siege on the Yazidi and Christian groups in Northern Iraq, ISIS brutally slaughters those who refuse to convert, enslaves women and young girls, as well stealing the homes and belongings of these people. Last year over 40,000 people became trapped on the Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq, after ISIS had entered their towns and threatened to kill them. Hundreds of people (namely the very young and old) succumbed to heat exposure and died of dehydration and exhaustion while ISIS besieged their towns. Other people that stayed within their towns were either killed or abducted by ISIS. I'll ask Pro to provide me with an example where the U.S government or any western government has done this within the 21st century. Enslaving women/young girls when attacking or gaining control over areas is something ISIS continues to do. One example is the case of a woman who was continuously gang raped by ISIS militants, while her husband was forced to watch. Other young women captured by ISIS have felt that they had no other option but to commit suicide. (see sources 5 and 6.) It's estimated that in fact thousands of women have been captured to by ISIS and now used as sex slaves (source 7.)Amnesty International issued a report in which it interviewed 42 Yazidi women and young girls who had enslaved by ISIS. One such a story from a 17 year old female caught by ISIS, in which she describes how her and other girls are taken several times by numerous men and raped: “They treat us like slaves. We are always ‘given’ to different men. Some arrive straight from Syria,” she said. “They threaten us and beat us if we try to resist. Often I wish they would beat me so hard I will die. But they are cowards even in this. None of them have the courage to end our suffering.” Often ISIS sells these young girls to other men as slaves for as little as $25, meaning many of them will never get the chance to see their families again. Another example is when Iraqi News reported the case of over 150 virgin girls being raped in Anbar, as well as another 50 in Mosul. Another organization revealed that ISIS beheaded infants and recorded acts of rape against women while besieging regions of Bashir and Tuz. The organization had this to say: “Those groups began immediately committing serious human rights violations which can be described as crimes against humanity and genocide according to the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948,” noting that “women and children bore the largest share of such violations because they could not escape, however men managed to escape into Taza Khurmatu, fearing from the oppression terrorists.”Adding: “Gunmen crucified men and women after killing them with electricity. Among those cases were a ten-year-old child according to reports from witnesses and local sources of the campaign,” pointing out that “one of the most heinous crimes was the breaking into a house and slaughtering the entire family, including about five babies who were beheaded.” I'll highlight to Pro that ISIS has in fact established a reputation for beheading of civilians and carrying out crucifixions, against not only adults but young children. One particular case is the crucifixion of a 17 year old boy in Syria. Pictures surfaced online featuring a banner across the boys chest alleging that he had committed "apostasy” and states the teenager has been “killed and crucified for a period of three days” as the punishment.Another Syrian example occurred when 8 men were nailed to a cross by ISIS. A report on the Syrian Arab republic for U.N office states this: "In areas of Syria under ISIS control, particularly in the north and northeast of the country, Fridays are regularly marked by executions, amputations and lashings in public squares. "Executions in public spaces have become a common spectacle on Fridays in (IS power-base) Raqqa and in (IS)-controlled areas of Aleppo government." According to the UN report, boys as young as 15 are being beheaded, while women are lashed for "crimes", such as being inappropriately dressed, or are being stoned to death over accusations of infidelity. The report adds that civilians, including children, are rounded up and forced to watch the acts of brutality as a warning, while many boys are being recruited to the ISIS cause for use in combat or on suicide missions.This now presents the question of exactly how the actions of ISIS do not classify as "evil". I'd also note to Pro that ISIS itself releases photographic evidence of crucifixions, beheadings and other forms of barbarity. Sources:[1.] http://www.ctvnews.ca...[2.] http://www.cnbc.com... [3.] http://www.bbc.co.uk...[4.] http://www.telegraph.co.uk...[5.] http://www.independent.co.uk...[6.] http://www.clarionproject.org...[7.] http://www.dailymail.co.uk...[8.] http://www.iraqinews.com... [9.] http://www.independent.co.uk...[10.l] http://www.telegraph.co.uk...[11.] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk... [12.] http://www.bbc.co.uk...[13.] http://edition.cnn.com...[14.] http://uk.businessinsider.com...[15.] http://www.ibtimes.co.in...[ 16.] http://www.westernjournalism.com...[17.] http://www.ibtimes.co.uk...