ISIS
The March to Dystopia
Will be published approx. on 11. December 2025
Book
Hardback
312 pages
978-0-7556-0164-6 (ISBN)
Description
How should we understand ISIS today?
The most comprehensive study of ISIS to date, this book benefits from Arabic sources previously unavailable to an English-speaking audience. Renowned scholar and political philosopher, Azmi Bishara, stresses the need to place ISIS in its historical, social, and political context - shifting the focus from Salafi ideology - to understand its rise and expansion. This includes a discussion of how regional wars, the occupation of Iraq, sectarian politics, the outbreak of civil war in Iraq and Syria, and the decline of the central state contributed to both ISIS's formation and the unprecedented merger of Jihadism and Salafism.
The book counters a wide misconception in the West that ISIS's control of Syria and Iraq can be attributed to a Sunni environment, separating the rise of the organization from its exploitation of religious texts. It presents a rebuttal of arguments that hold Islamic civilization responsible for ISIS ideology by reviewing and deconstructing significant jihadi Salafi texts and demonstrating how they depart from Islamic thought and culture. Beyond ISIS, the book offers an original comparative analysis of the ideology of jihadism, as well as matters of governance, recruitment, and radicalisation.
The most comprehensive study of ISIS to date, this book benefits from Arabic sources previously unavailable to an English-speaking audience. Renowned scholar and political philosopher, Azmi Bishara, stresses the need to place ISIS in its historical, social, and political context - shifting the focus from Salafi ideology - to understand its rise and expansion. This includes a discussion of how regional wars, the occupation of Iraq, sectarian politics, the outbreak of civil war in Iraq and Syria, and the decline of the central state contributed to both ISIS's formation and the unprecedented merger of Jihadism and Salafism.
The book counters a wide misconception in the West that ISIS's control of Syria and Iraq can be attributed to a Sunni environment, separating the rise of the organization from its exploitation of religious texts. It presents a rebuttal of arguments that hold Islamic civilization responsible for ISIS ideology by reviewing and deconstructing significant jihadi Salafi texts and demonstrating how they depart from Islamic thought and culture. Beyond ISIS, the book offers an original comparative analysis of the ideology of jihadism, as well as matters of governance, recruitment, and radicalisation.
Reviews / Votes
In this incisive monograph, Azmi Bishara masterfully unpacks the sociopolitical underpinnings of ISIS, melding historical nuance with rigorous analytical depth. His erudite treatment dissects modern extremism as a product of failed states, sectarian politics, and instrumentalized religiosity-an indispensable reference for researchers and policymakers alike. -- Omar Ashour Azmi Bishara's book on ISIS is the most comprehensive and complete treatment of the topic to date. He has explored the phenomenon of this modern movement in greater depth and clarity than any other book before it. An impressive achievement. -- Ahmed S. Hashim, Professor of War Studies, Centre for Future Defence and National Security, Deakin University, Canberra, Australia A deeply thoughtful work, one of the few ISIS books that will stand the test of time. I'm delighted to see it finally appear in English translation. * Thomas Hegghammer, University of Oxford, UK * This is a powerful book of a distinguished scholar who has assembled a remarkable collection of a rigorous and multidisciplinary critique of ISIS. It addresses both the phenomenon of ISIS and the broader issues within Islamist political movements, authoritarian regimes, and ideological discourse in the contemporary Middle East. * Francois Burgat, Emeritus, CNRS, France *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
631 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7556-0164-6 (9780755601646)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Azmi Bishara is one of the Arab world's most prominent scholars and critics of authoritarianism and colonialism. He has published extensively on political thought, state formation theory, social theory, and philosophy. His books include his trilogy on the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria (/I.B. Tauris), as well as Palestine: Matters of Truth and Justice; Religion and Secularism in Historical Context; The Question of the State; and On Salafism.
Content
Introduction
Chapter One: Literature Review and Critical Notes
ISIS as an Opportunity to Confirm Existing Prejudices
How Central was the Declaration of a Caliphate?
A Generational Revolt?
The War Perspective
Attempting a Psychological Explanation
Chapter Two: From Mujahidin to Jihadis, from Jihad to Jihadism
From a Religious Obligation to a Political Identity?
A Tension between Salafism and Jihadism in the Jihadi Salafism
Chapter Three: The Islamic State's Divergence from al-Qaeda
Leadership Dispute after Afghanistan and the Roots of Disagreement
Al-Zarqawi and the Conjugation of Sectarianism and Jihadi Salafism
A Debate Arises within the Jihadi Salafi Movement
Chapter Four: Expand or Perish
Background
Not Entirely Imported
The Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Phase
Chapter Five: Life under ISIS
Imposing Hudud: First Comes the Punishment
Economic Aspects
The Nightmare of ISIS's Daily Dictates
The Cultural Makeover and the Failed Attempt to Produce the "New Muslim"
Chapter Six: Ideologues
The Brutality Required to Manage Savagery
Abdullah Ibn Muhammad: How Strategic Thinking Prompted a Jihadi Salafi to Change His Mind
The Islamic State's Strategic Plan
From Informing Humanity to Pledging Allegiance to al-Baghdadi
Extending Hands of Allegiance to al-Baghdadi
Between Reality and Illusion, or Debates within the Jihadi Salafi Movement
An Addendum in Commentary on Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir's Issues in the Jurisprudence of Jihad
Bibliography
Chapter One: Literature Review and Critical Notes
ISIS as an Opportunity to Confirm Existing Prejudices
How Central was the Declaration of a Caliphate?
A Generational Revolt?
The War Perspective
Attempting a Psychological Explanation
Chapter Two: From Mujahidin to Jihadis, from Jihad to Jihadism
From a Religious Obligation to a Political Identity?
A Tension between Salafism and Jihadism in the Jihadi Salafism
Chapter Three: The Islamic State's Divergence from al-Qaeda
Leadership Dispute after Afghanistan and the Roots of Disagreement
Al-Zarqawi and the Conjugation of Sectarianism and Jihadi Salafism
A Debate Arises within the Jihadi Salafi Movement
Chapter Four: Expand or Perish
Background
Not Entirely Imported
The Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Phase
Chapter Five: Life under ISIS
Imposing Hudud: First Comes the Punishment
Economic Aspects
The Nightmare of ISIS's Daily Dictates
The Cultural Makeover and the Failed Attempt to Produce the "New Muslim"
Chapter Six: Ideologues
The Brutality Required to Manage Savagery
Abdullah Ibn Muhammad: How Strategic Thinking Prompted a Jihadi Salafi to Change His Mind
The Islamic State's Strategic Plan
From Informing Humanity to Pledging Allegiance to al-Baghdadi
Extending Hands of Allegiance to al-Baghdadi
Between Reality and Illusion, or Debates within the Jihadi Salafi Movement
An Addendum in Commentary on Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir's Issues in the Jurisprudence of Jihad
Bibliography