The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic StateMacmillan + ORM, 2015 M09 22 - 258 pages Based almost entirely on primary sources in Arabic--including ancient religious texts and secret al-Qaeda and Islamic State letters that few have seen--William McCants's The ISIS Apocalypse explores how religious fervor, strategic calculation, and doomsday prophecy shaped the Islamic State's past and foreshadow its dark future. |
From inside the book
... God's kingdom on earth, called the caliphate. Prophecy was fulfilled, they said, and Judgment Day approached. The new caliphate was expansive and flush with weapons and cash, reportedly in the billions. At its head was the self-styled ...
... their own version of Machiavelli's dictum, “It is far safer to be feared than loved.” They stir messianic fervor rather than suppress it. They want God's kingdom now rather than later. This is not Bin Laden's jihad . In what follows.
... God's rule on earth. Alarmed, the passerby sent a picture of the house and its flag to his friend Marc Leibowitz, a ... god, Allah, and the prophet Muhammad is his messenger.' It's not meant to be a symbol of hate. Islam is all about ...
... God's permission . I was in agreement with brother Abu Mus'ab [ al - Zarqawi ] in this analysis . ” 14 ... For Sayf and presumably for Zarqawi , the " state of Islam " was the caliphate itself.15 Sayf used to believe that " the Islamic ...
... God . ” " 22 Al - Qaeda's leaders were wary . Bin Laden and Zawahiri wanted to compel the U.S. military to leave the Middle East and to stop supporting local autocrats . Their strategy was to attack the Americans and stir Muslim ...