What is Behind ISIS?

Huthayfa Abuseifein

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) was formed in April 2013. It was an attempt to affect a merger between the Islamic State of Iraq's Al-Qaeda, formed in October 2006, and Jabhat Al-Nusra. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi established the Islamic State of Iraq-Syria (ISIS, or commonly referred to as Daesh), which has since become one of the largest armed extremist groups in Iraq and Syria. The ISIS adopted the Jihadi-Salafi ideology (Takfir), and its organizers aimed to install an Islamic Caliphate based on Sharia Law that was rooted in the 7th century. The group uses a sophisticated media wing to attract citizens from neighboring countries and to promote reactionary politics and religious fundamentalism. The ISIS is known for its mass killings and for carrying out public executions, crucifixions, and other violent acts. The ISIS has developed a strategy to generate revenues to fund its operations. This strategy involves producing oil, collecting taxes, stealing and selling antiques, extorting money from people, kidnapping for ransom, smuggling, and imposing levies on farmers' crops. The ISIS has spread throughout the Middle East due to a lack of effective leadership, dysfunctional and nonrepresentative institutions, and weak governance in this region. The ISIS has also taken advantage of sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia, particularly in Iraq. The ISIS has thrived within the context of a politically dysfunctional Middle East and badly divided Muslim world. In recent years, the ISIS has expanded into North Africa and to parts of Europe, where it appears to have a huge following among disgruntled Muslims.

What is Behind ISIS?

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