Under the Black Flag: At the Frontier of the New Jihad

by Sami Moubayed

The Islamic State movement (ISIS/IS/ISIL) burst onto the world stage in 2014. From its heartland in Syria, where it arose from the chaos of the Syrian Revolt, the organisation has expanded in ideology and membership and now poses a significant threat to the region, if not to the wider world. Sami Moubayed, a Beirut-based journalist who has been analysing Syria and the region for 20 years, has unrivalled access to the movement and its participants. His book is the first inside account of an organisation which has dominated the headlines with a dangerous mix of barbarity and military prowess. In looking at the historical background of ISIS: where it came from, how it evolved, where it stands today and what its aims are for the future to reveal, it will provide, for the first time, a fully-fledged picture of what lies at the heart of the Islamic State.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle East, History, Military Fiction, Religion, 21st Century, War

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2015

Reviews

[Manny]

- So how long you been with ISIS?

- A few months. Allahu Akbar.

- Allahu Akbar. So whadya think?

- We are the great light of the world. We will triumph over the infidels.

- No, really.

- Like, hey, it's a job. Food's okay. We have some fun. But the leadership is shit.

- Ain't that the truth.

- They got no idea. No idea at all. Like, these attacks just now on the Great Satan.

- The Manhattan bomb? And the crapshow in NJ? I was watching CNN and I was thinking the same.

- Yeah. Why the fuck did the top guys order that? Are they out of their minds? It's pushing Trump ahead.

- Too true. He looks set to overtake Hillary any day now. I'm checking fivethirtyeight all the time. It don't look good.

- It don't. Couldn't those morons wait a few weeks? We want Hillary to win. She's weak.

- She's a woman.

- Yeah. If Trump wins, he'll pull the secret plan on us and we're toast.

- Yeah.

- Don't the fucking generals get that?

- Hey, calm down. Someone'll hear you.

- Sorry bro. I just get so mad thinking about it.

- Go rape a couple of sex slaves. That'll take your mind off things.

- You're right. Wanna come along?

- Sorry, I got some beheading to do.

- Another time then. Allahu Akbar.

- Allahu Akbar.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was very interested in this book, because I think that the group known as IS (or ISIS, ISIL, Daesh etc) is very poorly understood in the West, as a result we don't fully understand how we should be dealing with them at a political or military level.

Under the Black Flag is written by a Syrian journalist, and is written for the most part from a neutral position. After being presented with the realities of life inside the IS state, it is difficult not to come away more horrified than ever.

One of the most interesting parts of the book for me was how the author traced the history of Islam, and some of the political movements which have led us to the point we are at today. It is easy to look at the organisation we are confronting today, but knowing the history provides greater insight into why IS is what it is.

The book does not necessarily seek to address the question of how the west should appropriately respond to the threat of ISIS, but the author does not set out with that intention. Instead he focuses on the kind of "slice of life under ISIS" stories which we don't get through traditional forms of media. He uses information and quotes gathered from interviews with current and former members of IS and related groups, blended together with factual news reports to bring the story to life.

This is a very engaging book, with an interesting new voice, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in current events, and the changing face of the Middle East region.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the Islamic State/ISIS a flash in the pan? Brutal but ephemeral? Or might it be more long-lasting?

Could it even become a 'proper' state? Might the 'Caliph' one day address the UN?

Dr. Sami Moubayed is a Syrian historian and researcher who tries to answer these questions in Under the Black Flag: At the frontier of the new jihad.

Based in Damascus, he has the bitter sweet advantage of witnessing the events convulsing his country at first hand, and has interviewed many of those involved. This proximity to sources and evidence gives a unique perspective to his book. An added strength is that he has no particular axe to grind - the tragedy he describes that is the current Syrian crisis is made all the worse by seeming to have no obvious solution and no easy fixes.

In trying to understand ISIS and the other jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq, he emphasises their ideology as deriving from one specific strand of Islamic thought, and not, as ISIS and indeed some of its enemies would claim, inherent in and intrinsic to Islam itself.

Moubayed traces this extremist interpretation from the 1300s thought of Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328) to later Wahhabism in the 1700s and beyond, revived in the twentieth century by people such as Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb and continued by modern salafi-jihadism.

He shows that this history is far from irrelevant - it is indeed the central focus of and justification for the ruthless campaigns of ISIS, the Nusra Front and al Qaeda: a return to what they imagine was the purity of the past. Simply return to those beliefs and glory will follow. Anyone rejecting the call stands in the way of regress, and will suffer.

Moubayed describes how the Islamic State based on the city of al-Raqqa in Syria, and headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi/self proclaimed Caliph Ibrahim, now has all the trappings of a state - a civil service, a police force, an army, an intelligence service, taxes, schools, a capital, a national anthem, a flag and significant income from oil smuggling and border crossing levies. This developing governance structure is staffed by many experienced ex-Iraqi Army officers and former Baath officials.

No less important is a slick and sophisticated communications strategy, taking in social media, as well as print, television, and radio.

Overall, Moubayed concludes, ISIS is a significant threat and one that stands a good chance of creating a functioning and enduring state from the ruins of what was Syria and Iraq.

A sobering assessment from an experienced and talented scholar in an informative and well researched book.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Fear is in the air and nobody has answers as to why ISIS is advancing and how to bring it to a final end.’

In a world where terrorist attacks are becoming more frequent, more difficult to predict and tragically more deadly, most of us have heard of the Islamic State movement by one or more of its acronyms: IS, ISIS, ISIL or Daesh. We are aware of the damage being done, so graphically reported by the media, but what do we know about it? Where did this movement come from, how is it funded and what is its attraction for the (generally) young and (frequently) disaffected people who join it?

In this book, Sami Moubayed – a Syrian historian of pre-Baathist Syria with a PhD in Middle East Politics – has presented a well-researched account of the factors behind the rise of Daesh, of the historical, political and religious factors which have both enabled its rise and spread. This is not a small disorganised movement with limited funding. It is well placed to consolidate and expand its territory, to function as a state at least in the short to medium term.

‘The Islamic State is rich. Unlike al_Qaeda, which relied on donations from members and sympathizers, ISIS earns its own money …’

So, where to from here? How do we move from reacting to terrorist attacks to anticipating and preventing them more effectively? How do we make the prospect of joining Daesh less attractive to the disaffected? Daesh is expanding to fill a power vacuum, and is (at least in the short-term) has no difficulty attracting followers to its cause. This book provides a wealth of information, and raises a lot of questions. I recommend this book to anyone looking for more information about the background to the rise of Daesh. I need to reread it, in order to absorb more of the information provided.

‘The rapid advancement of ISIS throughout Europe and North Africa will be a game-changer in the war on terror.’

For sure, but just how do we fight terror? Since this book was published, there have been more terrorist attacks, including in Paris on the 13th of November claiming 130 lives.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and IB Tauris for an opportunity to read this book.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sami Moubayed presents an excellent and extremely well-rounded account of Islamic militancy in Syria and Iraq in the contemporary age, and how Islamic State has risen in the region. As a student of the region's history, and someone who also watches the region regularly, I can say that this is an extremely useful and timely book for those seeking to understand the conflict, as well as those wanting to expand their knowledge of the current security issues in the region.

Moubayed assumes little pre-knowledge of Islam or the Middle East, with the book explaining the foundations and rise of Islam and the Caliphate, which will be welcome for many readers. The title also examines and dissects the multitude of Islamic groups that have emerged since 2001 to help readers understand - within what they may already have a grasp upon from current events - the roles and aims of these groups.

Significantly, Moubayed helps to expand upon the role of political Islam and Islamism in Syria in the (Hafez and Bashar) al-Assad era. This is a subject that is little covered in both academic and mainstream writing, and helps to frame the narrative of the Islamic State phenomenon well.

Moubayed also examines the structure of the Islamic State organisation - its bureaucracy, policing, and economy - and how this helps it to create an operative government in the areas it controls.

I was provided with an advance copy of this title through NetGalley, and later adjustments to content may have taken place compared to the version I was provided with.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Under the Black Flag” is as prescient as it is well written. It is thoroughly researched, and provides the reader with an incredible introductory to Islamic sects and geopolitics, in addition to the history of ISIS.

Particularly well written for Westerners who are just learning about Islam and its many factions, Sami Moubayed’s “Under the Black Flag” rapidly provides the reader with context around ISIS. I genuinely appreciated the author’s perspective, especially given that he is Syrian, a Syrian scholar, and deeply understands the dearth of knowledge most Westerners have regarding the Middle East, Arabs, Islam, and the Islamic State.

Moubayed excels at remaining unbiased, or at least candidly stating his bias. I will say, I was worried I was going to read a book about how the West has destroyed the Middle East and the Islamic world, but the author avoided that dialogue without dismissing Western culpability. His sensitivities and his honesty only strengthened “Under the Black Flag” because it felt like a book I could trust.

Impressively, Moubayed carefully lays out a concise history of Islam starting from “the early years of Islam and the generation of the first Muslims” up to the present. Moubayed explains the “sacred dream” of a caliphate, the all-important origin of Salafi jihadis and modern Wahhabism, which is promulgated by the Saudi regime. Wahhabism, according to Moubayed, advances “spreading the faith by the sword, killing infidels and purifying the Islamic world from foreign ideas and lifestyles…It is the blueprint for all Sunni jihadi movements that have dominated world affairs over the last generation, namely, al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS.” Moubayed boldly states, “Without Wahhabism, there would be no Saudi Arabia, no Islamic State in al-Raqqa today and no talk of al-Qaeda or ISIS.” The author doesn’t flinch from pointing a stern and authoritative finger at Saudi Arabia and King Fahd for fueling, finding, and funding Islamic terrorist cells. The author also ties in Boko Haram and the Muslim Brotherhood of North Africa. Al-Qaeda is thoroughly and relevantly discussed, from its U.S. backed founding to Abdullah Azzam and Bin Laden.

Of course, Syria and Iraq are the countries most notably affected by ISIS, and after establishing the history of the jihadi movement, Moubayed carefully takes the reader through the modern history of Syria. For example, the Syrian regime under President Assad, “was trying to undo what it had very willingly allowed to happen: creating an Islamic genie within Syria, which soon emerged in the form of Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS.” Moubayed highlights the U.S. policies and actions that strengthened the jihadi movement, from GTMO to U.S. inadequacies and contempt in Iraq. Moubayed notes, “the irony is that the consequences of the US war to bring [Saddam Hussein] down, actually produced Islamic terrorism in Iraq in the form of ISIS.”

Of particular interest is the U.S.’s reaction to al-Nusra, which Moubayed notes “legitimiz[ed] the Syrian regime’s bombardment of cities like Aleppo” and pushed many into the arms of the anti-Syrian-regime arms of al-Nusra. Why is al-Nusra important? “Over 70-percent of al-Nusra fighters defected to join ISIS in mid-2013.” Furthermore, the fighting between ISIS and al-Nusra may be overcome “if the United States wages an extended campaign against al-Nusra” pushing al-Nusra closer to ISIS.

So how widespread and organized is the Islamic State? “As of mid-2015 [ISIS] has somewhere between 35,000-50,000 fighters inside Syria and Iraq and controls approximately 35,000 square miles of territory.” For perspective, the U.S. intelligence community found that ISIS had “no more than 200 warriors in Syria as of August 2012.” The area covered is larger than Great Britain and has a greater population than Finland and Demark. Moubayed states, “ISIS’s rise is eclipsing the old al-Qaeda.” Interestingly, however, unlike al-Qaeda’s focus on “far enemies,” the “primary target of the Islamic State has not been the United States, but the ‘Shi’I regime in Baghdad and the Baathist/Alawite regime in Damascus.”

Moubayed explains several unique features of the Islamic State. For example, Arab Christians are given three options: leave, pay a 20% religious levy (“jizya”), or “be put to the sword.” “Any homage, let alone mention of pre-Islamic State political personalities, such as Hafez al-Assad or Saddam Hussein, is a serious offense, punishable by arrest and whipping.” Similar to Saudi Arabia, ISIS uses a “moral vice squad” to keep it’s subjects inline, and again similar to Saudi Arabia, they behead and crucify wrongdoers, such as those accused of witchcraft and apostasy. Those accused of being gay are thrown from tall buildings.

How does ISIS make money? Moubayed notes two major sources of revenue: oil and relic sales. Who buys the oil? How about the central government in Damascus. Amazingly, what relics ISIS doesn’t blow up, they sell, generating “impressive revenue.” Moubayed notes, “this includes gold coins, bronze artifacts, and early Christian relics such as gold chalices and other valuables. Statues, crucifixes, Byzantine coins and iconography are however immediately destroyed no matter what their worth, since making money from them is ‘haram’ (prohibited by religion). The Islamic State even has a ministry of antiquities “tasked with streamlining the process of selling looted artifacts.”

Fighters, as we all know, continue to pour in from the West. Der Spiegel was first to report on Europeans fighting in Syria as early as mid-2012. Interestingly, the Islamic State is helping and recruiting from the Xingiang (Chinese Muslim) community. Furthermore, women have exceptionally important recruitment roles in the Islamic State. “Day and night, they manage ISIS-affiliated pages on Facebook, along with their accounts on Twitter and Instagram. [Women] are in charge of nearly all of ISIS’s online media.” Furthermore, “al-Baghdadi hates the term ‘jihadi brides’ and insists that ISIS women are ‘citizens of the Islamic State’.” He expects women to be engineers, doctors, nurses, teachers, and fighters.

In addition to providing historical and religious context, Moubayed uses “firsthand interviews with ISIS members and people living within ISIS-held territory, as well as presenting the observations of field reporters from within ISIS-held territory.” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is thoroughly covered, providing a greater understanding of the person at the helm of the Islamic State. I was surprised to learn that in 2004, the U.S. had captured al-Baghdadi

Moubayed is highly skeptical of the U.S. led strikes against ISIS, noting they “are not working.”

When we see pictures of starving children and men foaming at the mouth because of chemical weapons, it’s hard not to be moved to action. There are literally millions of valid reasons for wanting to help Syrians who are being killed, raped, and sold into slavery under ISIS and Assad. Syria and Iraq are in a deeply tragic state, and tens of millions are suffering.

But targeted bombings are not going to solve the problem. Boots on the ground are not going to solve the problem. Why? Because there isn’t just one problem. As Moubayed points out, the lead up to ISIS has literally been centuries in the making. It’s a gross simplification to believe that the Iraq War is to blame. Yet, it would be equally foolish to dismiss the ramifications of the Iraq war.

The West’s involvement in the Middle East, including our actions in Afghanistan in 2001, and our involvement with Pakistan before 2001, have done nothing but escalate regional and global unrest. I’m going to say something enormously unpopular among both conservatives and liberals: I want my country to leave the Middle East, much of Central Asia, and most of North Africa (billions of people) to its own devices. As Saddam and so many others have taught us, sending aid doesn’t help. As Operation Iraqi Freedom has proven, sending our military doesn’t help. As Saudi Arabia has proven, getting in bed with evil regimes doesn’t solve problems.

Thank you, Sami Moubayed, for inadvertently strengthening my position that there’s absolutely nothing the West can do to help, that any intervention will only lead to worsen the situation. I’m sorry your former country is lost to me. It was a beautiful place, the oldest “remaining” civilization, and it’s been losing ground for hundreds of years.

For those still wanting to go to war for humanitarian reasons, I’ll leave you with this poem:


“The War in the Air”

BY HOWARD NEMEROV

For a saving grace, we didn’t see our dead,

Who rarely bothered coming home to die

But simply stayed away out there

In the clean war, the war in the air.


Seldom the ghosts come back bearing their tales

Of hitting the earth, the incompressible sea,

But stayed up there in the relative wind,

Shades fading in the mind,


Who had no graves but only epitaphs

Where never so many spoke for never so few:

Per ardua, said the partisans of Mars,

Per aspera, to the stars.


That was the good war, the war we won

As if there was no death, for goodness’s sake.

With the help of the losers we left out there

In the air, in the empty air.
- See more at: http://russianhillreader.com/2016/01/...

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book about the origins of isis. It provides context to the movement and never negates the brutality of the group. For me the scary thing of the group is that it is merely the latest manifestation of ideas that have been around since the very foundation of Islam. With the defeat of isis it is unlikely that we will see the end of its ideas and I am sure it will not be the last we see of such groups.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey Everyone,
I am going to review "Under the Black Flag" by Sami Moubayed. First I want to thank Netgalley, I.B. Tauris (the publisher), and Sami Moubayed (the author) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I chose this book to read because being that ISIS is all over the place, I wanted to learn more about it, then what is being portrayed on U.S. media. I in particular chose this book because the author Sami Moubayed is a native of Syria and is specialized in Syrian History. I chose this book because I wanted to read this subject coming from the middle east region and specifically not from the U.S. I guess I assumed that I wouldn't get straightforward honest information if it came from elsewhere. I appreciated the risks that this author took in writing this book. Overall I would rate this book 4 stars out of 5.
For anyone who wants to know more about ISIS about its full history, how it formed, how it grew, what forces enabled ISIS to form and grow, what ISIS's goals, beliefs, and vision are, then you need to read this book. If you are interested in buying this book click HERE. I think it is important and essential for people to be informed about ISIS in its true form, not just what you hear on the news. It is important to understand the nature of ISIS. Without being informed, it is too easy to make false assumptions, judgements and jump to the wrong conclusions. This book did an excellent job on educating its readers. It told a full straight forward story of ISIS. The book was well organized, it was clear, concise and to the point. The author told the story how it was. And some parts of the book were quite chilling to read. This book was able to answer a lot of questions I had about ISIS. It allowed me to put ISIS in perspective in a way that it was not like the sensationalized, fear-mongering media sources you hear everyday on the news. It surprised me that ISIS is not just a group of bad guys, it is a fully functioning government and society that is run by bad guys. I can understand the lure of ISIS of what draws people to it, how some join willingly and others are forced to submit to it. The fear and panic that ISIS creates in getting people to do what they want. I am not sympathizing with ISIS I am merely saying I can understand why ISIS is so big.
The only thing I can say was a downside to this book, was that it did not really have any personalization to it, that I was wishing for. I wanted to hear the author's voice more, just wanted little touches here and there throughout the book. By this I mean this book was a more straightforward chronology and history of ISIS, I would have liked to hear a little about the author's personal thoughts, experiences and opinions on what he is writing. I can understand why he chose not to. It didn't take anything away from this book it just would have been an added perk.
The most powerful statement of this book was right at the end. It summed everything up with a perfect well said statement. Basically the author states that the problem is not with the Islamic State but with its leaders. That if ISIS was lead with a fair, just, non-violent leaders, then this book would have been a totally different story than it is being played out today. I am glad I read this book, I gained a lot of information and helpful knowledge out of this book and I hope that you will too.

Until the next page,
Jill
Come follow my book review blog here http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogs...

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book on ISIS is different in that it is written by a Syrian who actually lives in Syria, and is a Sunni Muslim. Sami Moubayed is an accomplished Phd historian and journalist as well, with 6 books to his credit and numerous journalistic accomplishments. His area of expertise is in pre-Baathist Syrian history, though his set of skills translate well to analyzing the current situation in Syria.

Reading this book gave me an understanding of the roots of the schism between Shi'a and Sunni sects of Islam. Moubayed explains the importance of the caliphate in Islam. The book explores the birth of Wahhabism and its role in Saudi Arabia and ISIS. We see how Saudi Arabia and the US have wittingly and unwittingly aided in the growth of al-Qaeda. The author does a good job explaining how the US and Saudi Arabia, through their support of Saddam Hussein in the Iraq/Iran war, have planted seeds of discontent in Iraq. We read how the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 ironically created the conditions for terrorism in the form of ISIS.

Moubayed explains that the growth of ISIS is partly about Islam and ideology, but it is to a large degree due to social and economic conditions. He sees the root cause as the failure of Baathism. It was supposed to be an Arab renaissance, but it ended up as a bloated bureaucracy. Add to that oppressive military regimes, sectarianism, lack of social mobility, joblessness, unequal distribution of wealth, and mediocre education and you have fertile ground for jihad and ISIS.

The author spends several chapters on changes that ISIS have brought to al-Raqqa as they try to build the city-state. We see what is haram, forbidden, and what it is like to live under the rule of ISIS. It is eye-opening and chilling. From my perspective it seems doomed to fail.

Moubayed goes on to say that the current US coalition in Syria is not working. He advises that ISIS is not going away anytime soon, but there is hope for changes that keep the good things about nation building, while shedding the excesses that are peculiar to ISIS.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The names of IS, ISIL, ISIS and Islamic State flash on our television screens and fill our newspapers daily, yet do most of us really know that much about them? We may have an idea, probably shaped by the media, yet this is invariably a superficial level of coverage at best. This book aims to change that.

The author has put a lot of effort into this book, billed as the first inside account of the organisation, mixing historical background and current day events to great aplomb. It is so comprehensive and information-packed it is hard to know where to start. Naturally this reviewer cannot verify the accuracy of the author’s writing, but the author’s background is that of a journalist who has been analysing Syria and the region for over 20 years and certainly one gets the impression that this is a sensitively written, informative work. It is not a “PR job” for Islamic State and neither is it a obloquy against it.

The author does not assume any prior knowledge. Very few people, if they are honest, have even more than a passing understanding about what is happening in the region. With this book, at least, the reader will be a little more informed. The author offers up a well-rounded, rigorous examination of events but lets the reader form their own conclusions and opinions.

There can, in fact, be just too much information! It may feel quite overwhelming when unfamiliar “familiar” things are being discussed; yet the author’s text is a carefully controlled high-pressure hose of knowledge. It tries to put you at ease. You want to read on and on in any case.

This was a worthy read, even if probably only a mere fraction of the information sticks to the brain. It is clearly a book you can read several times and get new insights, new knowledge and new thoughts with each visit. A recommended consideration!

Autamme.com

[Lukas Dufka · Rating 4 out of 5]

An immensely perceptive primer on the Islamic State, with solid historical underpinning that gives those of us with little or no previous study of the history of Islam or the Middle East a great deal of important context, often missing in other books and invariably omitted or misunderstood by the media. I'd very much recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their understanding of the global jihad and of its most dangerous manifestation, an outfit vying for statehood which from now on I shan't call anything other than Deash, having discovered in the book that it was the name they least prefer for themselves...

[Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a year ago. Offers a linear point of view of the creation of ISIS and describes the cultural milieu it happens in. Many Baathist members were left without an affiliation after the US lead invasion of Iraq destroyed their position, and then joined ISIS (one of several other scenarios and factors). Sami also talks about women's roles in the structure to some extent. The book finishes off with a chilling and sobering "what if" version of the future in which ISIS has been forced to be acknowledged as a de facto state and is invited to the round table of world politics.

[Paulo Reimann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavier than Pat Cockburn 's book, excellent though,

Tough reading but gives a correct historical perspective. Builds on since the early times to explain current state of affairs, conclusion at final is logical and probably right.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moubayed, one of Syria's leading historians, offers a good, concise, and very helpful look at the history and idealogical evolution of the Islamic State as well as an insider's look at it's policy, governance, and what life is like under its rule.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I couldn't put the book down - it very much exceeded my expectations. Moubayed put together a very focused, concise book focused around ISIS and the external factors surrounding how the organization was started. Definitely a must-read. Loved it.

[Nick Pengelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! What a ton of information is packed into this small goldmine of a book. Must read for anyone who wants to know where ISIS came from - and where they might be going.

[Simon Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive summary of a complicated situation, accurate up to 2015.
The first half of this thorough summary of ISIS goes into a lot of detail about the history that lead to the situation in 2015. I found the second half more absorbing as it focussed on case studies of people who joined ISIS.
A fascinating insight into what happens following the heady cocktail of sectarianism, disaffected youth, the power of the internet, international and local abuse of power, economic inequality and the lasting influence of medieval religious belief in a modern and changing world.

[Gavin Phoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear & concise, easy on the eyes. Personal favourite part is at the back with a reintroduction of persons in chronological order. Bringing a south-east Chinese into the world of Islam, Muslims and its Caliphs. A history lesson on the once ever-evolving dynamics particularly at the regions once ruled by ISIS. A must-read for those who yearn the understanding of the cause and effect on today's conflicts in that region.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fear the dark people! They are dangerous. They are trained by the Western governments. They have the weapons sold at a generous profit by the Western governments. They have the explosives also sold by the Western governments at a good profit. And just like the Western governments specialize in killing civilians in other countries.

[Eva Hočevar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started to read this book because I was not familiar with the history of this part of the world. It was still too hard to follow - too manny names, places, dates... I think the clarity of this story was lost because of that. Some parts of the book were extremely interesting, others were just too full of information.

[Bashar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to ISIS albeit a bit outdated now.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided historical information that explains what is happening today.