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khruch's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Informative analysis of ISIS history full of unexpected and curious facts (class character of the ISIS members, apocalypse motif, history of Islam as it relates to ISIS)
hattushash's review against another edition
3.0
Focuses mostly on the surface-level ideological elements of the islamic state. Not really what I was looking for.
sjwoods's review against another edition
5.0
This book is relatively short, so it's important to remember that this isn't a comprehensive analaysis of the birth of ISIS. McCants begins with the figures starting ISIS in 2006 without providing the context for *why* it began when and where it did. For those seeking to learn about the destabilization of Iraq or how the US contributed to the rise of ISIS (other than leaving it as early as it did), this is not your book.
What McCants does do, he does masterfully. With proper academic rigor and detachment, he gives a good chronology that explains ISIS's first failures, its split with Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra, and the characteristics of a number of its leaders. Most significantly, he explains the group's end-times vision with plenty of reference to the Hadith on which they're based, and how it relates to their current behavior and future plans.
Definitely recommended for those trying to understand the current ISIS and jihadist climate.
What McCants does do, he does masterfully. With proper academic rigor and detachment, he gives a good chronology that explains ISIS's first failures, its split with Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra, and the characteristics of a number of its leaders. Most significantly, he explains the group's end-times vision with plenty of reference to the Hadith on which they're based, and how it relates to their current behavior and future plans.
Definitely recommended for those trying to understand the current ISIS and jihadist climate.
e_kelly's review against another edition
4.0
A very well written and researched book on the origins of ISIS. A must read for anyone working in government whose work relates to the Middle East or foreign policy. Refreshing to read a book like this that is clearly written in an informative, rather than political way. The author has a deep knowledge of the Muslim faith and so provides the reader a unique insight into the topic. Whilst it was not a page turner or gripping read, it has been written simply, and it is easily accessible for the reader. Definitely a book I would recommend if you are interested in learning more about the topic.
maisela25's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating and important look into how the Islamic State sees itself in a religious context. Mr. McCants guides the reader through the origins of the Islamic State along with the prophecies that influence their actions in a highly readable format. A must-read for practitioners of foreign and national security policy or anyone seeking a better understanding of IS.
koohzad's review against another edition
3.0
روایتی از پیشینه تاریخی و الهیاتی گروه دولت اسلامی عراق و شام (داعش) و همچنین الهیات سیاسی و آخرالزمانی گروه‌های بنیادگرای جهادی اسلامی. به نظرم نویسنده به خوبی توانسته بود الهیات جهادی و آخرالزمانی و مبانی خشونت هولناک این گروه‌ها را نشان دهد. به باور من تلاش نویسنده برای توضیح تفاوت میان گروه‌های جهادی نسل پیشین، مانند القاعده با نسل جدید جهادی‌ها، مانند دولت اسلامی، موفق بود. همچنین نویسنده توانسته بود که مسئله تشکیل خلافت اسلامی و موافقان و مخالفان آن در درون گفتار سیاسی- الهیاتی جهادی را به خوبی نشان بدهد. نقطه ضعف کتاب، مانند بسیاری دیگر از کتاب‌هایی که در حوزه مطالعات اسلامی در غرب نوشته می‌شود، حذف آگاهانه یا ناآگاهانه ایران و تشیع از موضوع تحقیق بود. به هر دلیلی ایران و تشیع عملا از این تحقیق هم تقریبا کنار گذاشته شده است.
lukescalone's review against another edition
3.0
This is just going to be a quick write-up with a couple quips and thoughts, I apologize for not offering a ton more depth here.
What sets this one apart from other works on ISIS is the amount of time McCants spends on the distinctions between other jihadist groups and ISIS. Moreover, he continually comes back to these distinctions.
Although he admits there are a number of differences between ISIS's strain of Islam and Wahhabism, he notes that "Wahhabi scholars might reach different conclusions from Islamic State scholars, but they start at much the same place."
McCants even spends a great deal of time dissecting what separates ISIS from al-Qaeda: "Bin Laden and other jihadists found plenty of scriptural support for waging a hearts-and-minds campaign in the Muslim world. The Islamic State's scholars acknowledge these passages of scripture but look for ways around them or find other passages that fit their views. Thus, the Islamic State's disagreement with al-Qaeda's leadership isn't scriptural, it's strategic." That being said, I don't think it's exclusively strategic. ISIS is forced to pay lip services to al-Qaeda, but as McCants mentions, it seems that nearly anything can be justified using the Qur'an and Hadith: "Want to find passages justifying peace and concord? They're in there. Want to find passages justifying violence? They're in there too." If ISIS refused to even pay lip service to peaceful passages, nobody at all would take it seriously.
Another notable thing about McCants book--which differs considerably from other publications--is how little the West plays into it. The goal of ISIS is to create an Islamic State the grows to encompass all Muslims, and eventually to bring about the end of the world. Does the West play a role in Islamic eschatology? Sure, if you associate the meaning of "Rome" with the Western world (which at the time referred to Constantinople/Istanbul). Moreover, ISIS did come to engage more closely with the West as a whole in the latter half of 2014 and after, in large part due to debates about refugees, Western involvement, and ultimately the series of terrorist attacks that took place in France and the United States above all--but elsewhere as well.
Yet, without the destabilization of Iraq in 2003, apocalypticism of the sort that ISIS thrives on would not exist. McCants himself agrees with Jean-Pierre Filiu in that "most modern Sunni Muslims viewed apocalyptic thinking with suspicion before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. It was something the Shi`a or the conspiracy-addled fringe obsessed over, not right-thinking Sunnis." I think this shift in attitude towards apocalyptic thought is the turning point in the history of the Middle East that allowed this to take place. Yet, this shift towards eschatology is not unique in the Arab world, or the Islamic world more broadly. Whenever there is catastrophe, there is apocalypticism. Take the case of Algeria after the French invasion, for instance. Or China during the Taiping Rebellion, for another. Or, if you really want to go back further, think closely about the end of the Heian period in Japan or the history of Black Death sweeping across Eurasia. As with those cases, this too will pass, but it may take some time.
Anyways, this book isn't outstanding, but McCants does approach his subject in a manageable way for those who don't know a ton about the Islamic State.
What sets this one apart from other works on ISIS is the amount of time McCants spends on the distinctions between other jihadist groups and ISIS. Moreover, he continually comes back to these distinctions.
Although he admits there are a number of differences between ISIS's strain of Islam and Wahhabism, he notes that "Wahhabi scholars might reach different conclusions from Islamic State scholars, but they start at much the same place."
McCants even spends a great deal of time dissecting what separates ISIS from al-Qaeda: "Bin Laden and other jihadists found plenty of scriptural support for waging a hearts-and-minds campaign in the Muslim world. The Islamic State's scholars acknowledge these passages of scripture but look for ways around them or find other passages that fit their views. Thus, the Islamic State's disagreement with al-Qaeda's leadership isn't scriptural, it's strategic." That being said, I don't think it's exclusively strategic. ISIS is forced to pay lip services to al-Qaeda, but as McCants mentions, it seems that nearly anything can be justified using the Qur'an and Hadith: "Want to find passages justifying peace and concord? They're in there. Want to find passages justifying violence? They're in there too." If ISIS refused to even pay lip service to peaceful passages, nobody at all would take it seriously.
Another notable thing about McCants book--which differs considerably from other publications--is how little the West plays into it. The goal of ISIS is to create an Islamic State the grows to encompass all Muslims, and eventually to bring about the end of the world. Does the West play a role in Islamic eschatology? Sure, if you associate the meaning of "Rome" with the Western world (which at the time referred to Constantinople/Istanbul). Moreover, ISIS did come to engage more closely with the West as a whole in the latter half of 2014 and after, in large part due to debates about refugees, Western involvement, and ultimately the series of terrorist attacks that took place in France and the United States above all--but elsewhere as well.
Yet, without the destabilization of Iraq in 2003, apocalypticism of the sort that ISIS thrives on would not exist. McCants himself agrees with Jean-Pierre Filiu in that "most modern Sunni Muslims viewed apocalyptic thinking with suspicion before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. It was something the Shi`a or the conspiracy-addled fringe obsessed over, not right-thinking Sunnis." I think this shift in attitude towards apocalyptic thought is the turning point in the history of the Middle East that allowed this to take place. Yet, this shift towards eschatology is not unique in the Arab world, or the Islamic world more broadly. Whenever there is catastrophe, there is apocalypticism. Take the case of Algeria after the French invasion, for instance. Or China during the Taiping Rebellion, for another. Or, if you really want to go back further, think closely about the end of the Heian period in Japan or the history of Black Death sweeping across Eurasia. As with those cases, this too will pass, but it may take some time.
Anyways, this book isn't outstanding, but McCants does approach his subject in a manageable way for those who don't know a ton about the Islamic State.