What ISIS Really Wants

[JesusHChrist]

From a piece in The Atlantic, as should be no surprise to anyone paying attention, the Islamic State, is very much Islamic and dearly looks forward to the coming apocalypse.

The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.

What would happen if the Westboro Baptists crazies had their own country, complete with authentic adherence to the Bible, OT included? Would it look like the Islamic State? Would they be throwing gays from the tops of buildings? Sure they would. And making videos of it.

The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.

Virtually every major decision and law promulgated by the Islamic State adheres to what it calls, in its press and pronouncements, and on its billboards, license plates, stationery, and coins, “the Prophetic methodology,” which means following the prophecy and example of Muhammad, in punctilious detail. Muslims can reject the Islamic State; nearly all do. But pretending that it isn’t actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it.

Is there any doubt this is a religious group and not a terrorist organization? Did the Catholic Church behave any differently earlier in history? Not really.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/arch...ts/384980/

[Minimalist]

It seems to me they want some head.

[Metis]

I really am no admirer of Islam, far from it! It makes some of the shit Joseph Smith came up with sound sane but I don't know if I can really agree with them saying it is based on "learned" (I suppose they mean most orthodox) interpretation of Islam.

Islamic state follows an apocalyptic variation of Salafism, essentially a Muslim version of American fundamentalism; where the Koran is top be taken absolutley literally as are a (more or less random) selection of hadith (sayings of the prophet, closer to Confucius quotes honestly). This isn't new, the Kajarites did this in the eight century and they were literally annihilated by the rest of them for being too aggressive. From then up until the 19th century Islam did fight, it did seek to expand it's border further into the "theater of war" (that is, non-Muslim states) but a good portion of this was done against other Muslims (who weren't to each other the right kind of Muslim) and a literal interpretation of the Koran on many topics was never taken that seriously, much like Catholics and Orthodox didn't and it only cropped up after the reformation.

In it's earliest days under the Calpihate (the first four specifically) I think a better comparison would actually be the LDS church and their leading Prophet. As much as the Popes do claim they've never actually claimed to be able to make shit up as they go along, something the Caliphate and Mormon Phrophets did and still do.

The Pope's may have had immense political power too, but their efforts were often thwarted by not having it directly in their own hands; they traditionally have had to bribe or bully the Kings of France, Austria or Spain to do their bidding, and they were activley hindered for a good 800 years by the Holy Roman Emperors who claimed divinely sanctioned temporal rule (and regually used it to slap down the Papacy, one of the biggest mistakes they ever made creating that office).

The Isis "Caliph" has the power directly in his hands, and diverges almost entirely from the most Historically popular Islamic theologies. He's less of a Pope 2.0 and a blatant cult leader in the truest sense of the word. He's closer to Jim Jones than Francis. Actually no, he's Jim Jones but with a fuckton more money.

[emilynghiem]

From a piece in The Atlantic, as should be no surprise to anyone paying attention, the Islamic State, is very much Islamic and dearly looks forward to the coming apocalypse.

The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.

What would happen if the Westboro Baptists crazies had their own country, complete with authentic adherence to the Bible, OT included? Would it look like the Islamic State? Would they be throwing gays from the tops of buildings? Sure they would. And making videos of it.

The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.

Virtually every major decision and law promulgated by the Islamic State adheres to what it calls, in its press and pronouncements, and on its billboards, license plates, stationery, and coins, “the Prophetic methodology,” which means following the prophecy and example of Muhammad, in punctilious detail. Muslims can reject the Islamic State; nearly all do. But pretending that it isn’t actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it.

Is there any doubt this is a religious group and not a terrorist organization? Did the Catholic Church behave any differently earlier in history? Not really.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/arch...ts/384980/

It's a political religion, they don't believe in due process
but acting as judge jury and executioner.

Need to set up a place where they can practice that all they want,
with people who agree to that system, and leave everyone else to theirs.

Only an authority that believes in equal freedom to practice political
and religious beliefs in peace can enforce that natural law.

So that is what they are clamoring for: to challenge a perfectly righteous
authority of law to put them in their proper place. anything less is
not perfect enough to enforce laws consistently and will be overruled by them.

they are begging to meet their maker.

[vorlon13]

From a piece in The Atlantic, as should be no surprise to anyone paying attention, the Islamic State, is very much Islamic and dearly looks forward to the coming apocalypse.

The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.

What would happen if the Westboro Baptists crazies had their own country, complete with authentic adherence to the Bible, OT included? Would it look like the Islamic State? Would they be throwing gays from the tops of buildings? Sure they would. And making videos of it.

The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.

Virtually every major decision and law promulgated by the Islamic State adheres to what it calls, in its press and pronouncements, and on its billboards, license plates, stationery, and coins, “the Prophetic methodology,” which means following the prophecy and example of Muhammad, in punctilious detail. Muslims can reject the Islamic State; nearly all do. But pretending that it isn’t actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it.

Is there any doubt this is a religious group and not a terrorist organization? Did the Catholic Church behave any differently earlier in history? Not really.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/arch...ts/384980/

Your heart is in the right place, but I must point out Westboro Baptist is not even remotely fundamentalist. They are scripture cherry pickers and liberal backsliders scarcely different from the Methodists or the Church of Christ.

They don't hew to Literalism at all, and they wouldn't recognize Inerrancy if God wrote it on a lightning bolt and fried their asses with it.


Really.

[JuliaL]

OOps, wrong thread.

[Exian]

That was a great article. Good find. Thank you Jesus.

[JesusHChrist]

Bless you my child.

[Regina]

They want donkeys, or if not I'm sure sheep will do.

[KevinM1]

It's a political religion

All religions are political. That's pretty much the entire point of religion.