Ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

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The ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which controls territory primarily in Iraq and Syria, is based on Salafi Jihadism and Salafism.[1][2] Its ideology has also been attributed to that of Islamism[3] and Wahhabism.[4] According to Cole Bunzel, not all members of ISIL are aware of the ideology of the group they support.[1]

According to Hayder al Khoei, ISIL's philosophy is represented by the symbolism in the Black Standard variant of the legendary battle flag of Muhammad that it has adopted: the flag shows the Seal of Muhammad within a white circle, with the phrase above it, "There is no God but Allah".[5] Such symbolism has been said to point to ISIL's belief that it represents the restoration of the caliphate of early Islam, with all the political, religious and eschatological ramifications that this would imply.[6]

A Sunni (Salafi) based ideology[edit]

The ideology of Islamic State is based on Salafi-Jihadism, "a distinct ideological movement in Sunni Islam" and Salafism, according to Cole Bunzel of the Brookings Institution and Graeme Wood of The Atlantic.[1][2] The Guardian defines the organisation's ideology as "generally viewed as identical to al-Qaida’s or the Saudi version of Salafism – adherence to fundamental Islamic tenets.[7]"

Salafi Jihadists such as ISIL believe that only a legitimate authority can undertake the leadership of jihad, and that the first priority over other areas of combat, such as fighting non-Muslim countries, is the purification of Islamic society. For example, ISIL regards the Palestinian Sunni group Hamas as apostates who have no legitimate authority to lead jihad and it regards fighting Hamas as the first step toward confrontation with Israel.[8][9]

Description of the group[edit]

As Sunni militant[edit]

USA Today writes that "The Islamic State is a group of Sunni militants" that "believes in the strict enforcement of Sharia law.[10] According to some observers, ISIL emerged from the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, the first post-Ottoman Islamist group dating back to the late 1920s in Egypt.[11]

As Wahhabi militant[edit]

It adheres to global jihadist principles and follows the hard-line ideology of al-Qaeda and many other modern-day jihadist groups.[12]

However, other sources trace the group's roots to Wahhabism. The New York Times wrote:

For their guiding principles, the leaders of the Islamic State ... are open and clear about their almost exclusive commitment to the Wahhabi movement of Sunni Islam. The group circulates images of Wahhabi religious textbooks from Saudi Arabia in the schools it controls. Videos from the group’s territory have shown Wahhabi texts plastered on the sides of an official missionary van.[8]

ISIL aims to return to the early days of Islam, rejecting all innovations in the religion, which it believes corrupts its original spirit. It condemns later caliphates and the Ottoman Empire for deviating from what it calls pure Islam,[13] and seeks to revive the original Wahhabi project of the restoration of the caliphate governed by strict Salafist doctrine. Following Salafi-Wahhabi tradition, ISIL condemns the followers of secular law as disbelievers, putting the current Saudi government in that category.[14]

As Radical Islamist[edit]

The BBC defines the group's ideology as "radical Islamist," that "aims to establish a "caliphate", a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia." Furthermore, the BBC adds that "IS members are jihadists who adhere to an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and consider themselves the only true believers. They hold that the rest of the world is made up of unbelievers who seek to destroy Islam, justifying attacks against other Muslims and non-Muslims alike."[3]

As adherent to "global Jihadist ideology"[edit]

Further information: Jihadism

Australian National Security informs that "The Islamic State is an Iraq and Syria-based Sunni extremist group and former al‑Qa'ida affiliate that adheres to the global jihadist ideology."[15]

As Khawarij[edit]

Sunni critics, including Salafi and jihadist muftis such as Adnan al-Aroor and Abu Basir al-Tartusi, say that ISIL and related terrorist groups are not Sunnis, but modern-day Khawarij—Muslims who have stepped outside the mainstream of Islam—serving an imperial anti-Islamic agenda.[16][17]

Ideological implications of the Caliphate[edit]

From the viewpoint of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, it's declaration of a Caliphate meant that Al-Qaeda had lost its reason for existing independently and should instead join ISIL. This was reflected in statements by Baghdadi, who said "We inform the Muslims that, with the announcement of the caliphate, it has become obligatory for all Muslims to give Bay'ah and support him", and "O Muslims in all places. Whoso is able to emigrate to the Islamic State, let him emigrate. For emigration to the Abode of Islam is obligatory".[1]

Initial reception[edit]

Following the announcement of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIL's predecessor) in 2006, there was much celebration on Jihadist websites. A number of popular forums added counters that counted the number of days that had passed since the Islamic state’s establishment, with a statement underneath: "[a certain number of] days have passed since the announcement of the Islamic State and the [Muslim] community’s coming hope…and it will continue to persist by the will of God." However, outside of jihadists online, it was not considered by people as an official state.[1] Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir both insisted that the Islamic State of Iraq was not simply a new name for Al Qaeda in Iraq, but was an actual state. When other Iraq-based Salafi factions like the Islamic Army in Iraq refused to recognize it as a state and give it their allegiance, Abu Umar al-Baghdadi called them “sinners”.[1]

Criticism[edit]

U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry said in statement that "[ISIL] is not Islamic", and denied it was a state, instead calling it a terrorist organization. Neither governments nor peoples recognize it as legitimate government.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bunzel, Cole. "From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State" (PDF). 
  2. ^ a b Wood, Graeme (15 February 2015). "What ISIS Really Wants". The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Retrieved 19 February 2015. 
  3. ^ a b "What is Islamic State?". BBC News. 
  4. ^ Crooke, Alastair (27 August 2014). "You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia". Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 April 2015. 
  5. ^ What the ISIS Flag Says About the Militant Group, Time.com article by Ilene Prusher, 9 September 2014
  6. ^ Endtimes Brewing Huffington Post (UK) article by Anne Speckhard, 29 August 2014
  7. ^ Hassan Hassan. "The secret world of Isis training camps – ruled by sacred texts and the sword". the Guardian. 
  8. ^ a b Kirkpatrick, David D. (24 September 2014). "ISIS' Harsh Brand of Islam Is Rooted in Austere Saudi Creed". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 September 2014. 
  9. ^ Mamouri, Ali (29 July 2014). "Why Islamic State has no sympathy for Hamas". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 1 August 2014. 
  10. ^ Jolie Lee, USA TODAY Network (28 August 2014). "Islamic State: What you need to know". USA TODAY. 
  11. ^ Hussain, Ghaffar (30 June 2014). "Iraq crisis: What does the Isis caliphate mean for global jihadism?". The Independent (London). Retrieved 6 July 2014. 
  12. ^ "Islamic State". Australian National Security. Australian Government. Retrieved 22 July 2014. 
  13. ^ Fernholz, Tim (1 July 2014). "Don't believe the people telling you to freak out over this "ISIL" map". Quartz. Retrieved 6 July 2014. 
  14. ^ al-Ibrahim, Fouad (22 August 2014). "Why ISIS is a threat to Saudi Arabia: Wahhabism’s deferred promise". Al Akhbar (Lebanon). Retrieved 27 October 2014. 
  15. ^ "Islamic State - Australian National Security". nationalsecurity.gov.au. 
  16. ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (7 February 2014). "Umar Shishani's Second-in-Command in ISIS Slams Scholars Who "Sow Discord" & Don't Fight". Chechens In Syria. Retrieved 8 July 2014. 
  17. ^ "The slow backlash – Sunni religious authorities turn against Islamic State". The Economist. 6 September 2014. 
  18. ^ Crooke Alastair (18 September 2014). "Obama Is Wrong That ISIS Is 'Not Islamic'". huffingtonpost. Retrieved 7 May 2015. 

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