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Governments across the world have proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) to be “un-Islamic.” In this hotly debated and widely read article, journalist Graeme Wood argues they are wrong and that to deny the deeply Islamic nature of the organization is to miss an opportunity to understand, and ultimately, destroy it. Drawing on interviews with leading scholars, as well as with Islamic State adherents and recruiters, Wood lays out the group’s interpretation of Islam and explains how its fundamentalist religious views shape its practices and objectives. The article has garnered some criticism for giving too much weight to the group’s fringe religious beliefs while excluding the complex political, social and economic forces that drive terrorism in the region. While always politically neutral, getAbstract recommends Wood’s deeply researched insights to policy makers, national security experts, and concerned citizens who want to understand the religious ideology that underpins ISIS and how that information can be used to defeat it.
Take-Aways
- Islamic State (ISIS) derives its religious views from literalist interpretations of the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, which differ from those of al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups.
- ISIS aims to return civilization to a 7th-century legal environment, which explains its penchant for violence and expansionism.
- Understanding the group’s beliefs is important to determining how best to combat it.
- “Bleeding it slowly” militarily and offering theological alternatives will be important to hastening its defeat.
- ISIS is deeply Islamist, and it is important not to underestimate its appeal.
Summary
Islamic State (ISIS) is not just a group of “psychopaths” or simply an extension of al-Qaeda. Its basis is a coherent, learned Islamic narrative based on a strict interpretation of Islamic texts. ISIS aims to return civilization to the 7th-century legal environment the Prophet Muhammad outlined. Its followers believe the Koran gives them the authority to kill and enslave large numbers of people to fulfill ISIS’s mission in “purifying the world of apostates,” both Muslim and non-Muslim.
“The reality is that Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic.”
Territory is an important part of ISIS’s narrative. The group’s self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced the formation of a caliphate in 2014 after the group seized land inside Syria and Iraq. The caliphate is a “vehicle for salvation” to which all Muslims must emigrate and pay allegiance, according to ISIS adherents. As a result, following Baghdadi’s declaration, thousands of new recruits from all over the world flocked to its territory. ISIS’s objective is to continue expanding the caliphate and draw “infidel” armies into battle where it believes it will defeat them, ushering in a countdown to the apocalypse.
“A theological alternative to Islamic State exists – just as uncompromising, but with opposite conclusions.”
The “purity” of ISIS’s ideology offers valuable insights into how to defeat it. Taking away the land it occupies undermines the propaganda value of its caliphate narrative. However, a full-scale ground invasion by Western powers could amplify the group’s appeal to jihadists. For now, “the best of bad military options” seems to be “continuing to slowly bleed” ISIS, which will undermine its legitimacy as an expansionist caliphate over the long term. As for combating its ideological appeal, dismissing ISIS as “un-Islamic” could be counterproductive. Instead, a theological alternative might prove valuable. For example, the so-called quietist Salafist tradition adheres to a similarly strict interpretation of Islam but arrives at the opposite conclusion – that devout Muslims should “remove themselves from politics” and instead focus on improving their personal lives. Ultimately, dissuading would-be jihadists from joining the cause will be long and difficult, and it is important not to underestimate ISIS’s appeal.
About the Author
Graeme Wood is a contributing editor at The Atlantic.
This document is intended for the use of Saudi Aramco employees.
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