Black Banners of ISIS : The Roots of the New Caliphate / David J. Wasserstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wasserstein, David J., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

IS (Organization)--History.

IS (Organization).

Terrorism--Religious aspects--Islam.

Terrorism.

Terrorists--Iraq.

Terrorists.

Terrorists--Syria.

Terrorism--Middle East.

Middle East--History--21st century.

Middle East.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 266 pages) : map

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A medieval Islam historian's incisive portrait of ISIS, revealing the group's deep ideological and intellectual roots in the earliest days of Islam With tremendous speed, the Islamic State has moved from the margins to the center of life in the Middle East. Despite recent setbacks, its ability to conquer and retain huge swaths of territory has demonstrated its skillful tactical maneuvering, ambition, and staying power. Yet we still know too little about ISIS, particularly about its deeper ideology. In this eye-opening book, David J. Wasserstein offers a penetrating analysis of the movement, looking closely at the thousand-year-old form of Islamic apocalyptic messianism the group draws upon today. He shows how ISIS is not only a military and political movement but also, and primarily, a religious one with a coherent worldview, a patent strategy, and a clear goal: the re-creation of a medieval caliphate. Connecting the group's day-to-day activities and the writings and sayings of its leaders with the medieval Islamic past, Wasserstein provides an insightful and unprecedented perspective on the origins and aspirations of the Islamic State.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Map of Areas under Islamic State Control

Introduction. The Islamic State

1. Caliphate

2. Administration

3. Revenue

4. Religion

5. Women, and Children Too

6. Christians and Jews and . . .

7. Apocalypse Now

Conclusion

Notes

Glossary

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-255) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Feb 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-23143-1

OCLC:

1005355196