Does Islamic State really have nothing to do with religion? Fathima Nazeer

[Chas]

Has anyone ever spoke to a "moderate Muslim" and they've said that Islam is much more than a religion? That it is their politics, their culture and offers them a complete system to live their life? Just google "Islam more than a religion" to see lots of examples.

I bet these are the same moderates who now try to say the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam, apart from the fact its called the Islamic State lol, and its all down to politics.

Let's see. We deposed the democratically-elected president of Iran when he nationalized the oil fields and installed the iron-fisted Shah. We backed the Baathist regime in Iraq's rise to power and helped install Saddam Hussein, putting a Sunni minority in power over a Shia majority. We backed the Islamist rebels against the Soviets in Afghanistan, and the Mujahadeen begat the Taliban. We were still giving Afghanistan Islamist children's textbooks for their schools into the nineties. Then we turned on SM, and drove about 2 million Sunni bureacrats and military personnel out on to the streets or out of the Iraq. Then while we dithered over whether to supply arms to moderate rebels against the Assad regime in Syria, ISIS became the dominant rebel force. Now they've invaded Iraq. Why? Because ISIS has a lot of formerly Iraqi Sunnis driven into Syria when we ousted the Baathists.

But it would be naive to think politics explains what's happening in the region when clearly their religion is at the heart of it.

Note that the groups are identified by religion. Just a coincidence?