THE SECRET WORLD OF ISIS TRAINING CAMPS
Little is known about what goes on inside training camps run by Isis in areas under its control in Iraq and Syria particularly its religious component. The Isis ideology is generally viewed as identical to al-Qaidas or the Saudi version of Salafism adherence to fundamental Islamic tenets and so there does not seem to be a serious effort to study it more closely. There is also a tendency to play down the role of religious ideology as a recruitment tool, since the motives of many Isis members have little to do with religion.
An in-depth study by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan finds that the opposite is true...
The Guardian reports:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/25/inside-isis-training-camps
.... these two demographic components long-standing takfiris (radicals who adhere to teachings that declare fellow Muslims as infidels) and young zealots are more
central for Isis than other members because they formulate the groups identity and ensure its resilience. In addition, the appeal of Isis outside its conflict zones tends to be primarily ideologically driven.
....
You first get the basics about religion, said Abu Moussa, an Isis-affiliated religious cleric in eastern Syria but originally from Aleppo.
They cleanse you from religious innovations and Baathist ideas. Issuing fatwas is restricted to clerics and nobody can kill without a fatwa unless in the battlefield.
... Clerics in charge of religious training at Isis, known as sharii, are
mostly academically qualified and have longstanding experience within the organisations ranks
.... Indeed, one of the fascinating insights we found is that
Isis presents the mainstream Islam practised by Muslims today as one that was invented over the past few decades. To unravel this so-called invented Islam, Isis deliberately digs deep into Islamic sharia and history to find arcane teaching and then magnify it. It does so to shock its potential recruits and demonstrate it is preaching a pure and true Islam obscured by the mainstream.
.... We spread our message by proselytisation and sword. Ibn Taymiyyah said the foundation of this religion is a book that guides and a sword that brings victory. We guide and the sword brings victory.
If someone opposes the message of the prophet, he faces nothing but the sword. As the prophet spread the message across the Earth, we are doing the same.
BBM
Must-read article!