What ISIS Really Wants

Among Islamic State terrorists’ bizarre beliefs: The end of the world is near, and Muslims should embrace fear of God and rigid IS beliefs. As self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi claims to lead all Muslims. Despite roots with Al Qaeda, he and other leaders became frustrated with priorities that did not include a caliphate controlling the Muslim world. IS now hold strands of territory and 8 million in Syria and Iraq. Relying on Islamic texts, IS expresses “commitment to returning civilization to a seventh-century legal environment, and ultimately to bringing about the apocalypse,” writes Graeme Wood for the Atlantic, in exploring the group’s emotional appeal. IS has no tolerance for developments in Islam after the early 7th century. US President Barack Obama argues the group has perverted the entire religion while IS claims to practice Islam in its purest form. The international community ignored IS even as it gained power. The military choices now: Contain IS or escalate fighting, exactly what the extremists want to use to draw more recruits. Intellectually, Muslims could tout quietist Salafism, a fundamentalist form of Islam that abhors violence. Ending the IS scourge will not be quick. – YaleGlobal