(Atlantic) Shadi Hamid - In September, ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani expounded on his group's inherent advantage: "Being killed...is a victory." Religion - rather than ideology - matters. ISIS fighters are not only willing to die in a blaze of religious ecstasy; they welcome it. ISIS draws on ideas that have broad resonance among Muslim-majority populations. The notion of a caliphate - the historical political entity governed by Islamic law and tradition - is a powerful one, even among more secular-minded Muslims.
2014-11-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive