The torture and burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muaz al-Kasasbeh and the dishonoring of his remains first of all is evidence that Islamic State believes it has established itself in the Middle East and can already do as it pleases. The unfortunate man was already dead when the Jordanian government was suggesting exchanging him for their prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi. She was under death sentence for her role in suicide bombing in Amman, and the Islamic State was tying the fate of Kasasbeh to hers. (She was executed by Jordan following news of al-Kasasbeh’s death.)

The pretense that Islam holds women in special respect is further disproved by the comparable fate of Kayla Mueller, the 26-year-old American who undertook aid work in Syria and in August 2013 was taken hostage. A video shows her in a hijab pleading for her life. The Islamic State claims that a Jordanian missile killed her, and only her, not one of her guards. This is almost certainly another lie for a tit-for-tat revenge killing, quite likely by beheading.

In that part of the world, one bad act deserves another. To abstain, to do nothing to defend one’s honor, is an abject sign of weakness. The death of Kayla Mueller will be taken by the Islamic State and its many sympathizers as victory over the United States. In reality, the Islamic State has suffered defeat and an estimated thousand casualties as the Kurds have recaptured the town of Kobani. Defiance of the United States overcomes this loss, bringing thousands more Islamist volunteers who think they are joining the winning side. Much more of this, and the position of the United States in the Middle East will be compromised beyond recovery.