Resistance Symbolism
The group became notorious for its brutality, committing genocides against Yazidis and Iraqi Turkmen, persecuting Christians, Shia Muslims, and Mandaeans, and publicising videos of beheadings of soldiers, journalists, and aid workers.
The Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIL, ISIS, and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist militant organisation and internationally unrecognised quasi-state. It occupied significant territory in Iraq and Syria from 2013 to 2016, losing most of it between 2017 and 2019. In 2014, the group proclaimed itself a worldwide caliphate, claiming religious and political authority over all Muslims worldwide—a claim not accepted by the vast majority of Muslims. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and many countries, including Muslim countries. By the end of 2015, its self-declared caliphate ruled an area with a population of about 12 million, enforced its extremist interpretation of Islamic law, managed an annual budget exceeding US$1 billion, and commanded more than 30,000 fighters.
- Primary Symbol
- The Black Standard variant of the legendary battle flag of Muhammad
- Secondary Symbol
- The Seal of Muhammad within a white circle, with the phrase 'There is no god but
- Affiliation
- al-Qaeda in Iraq (formerly)
- First Major Appearance
- 2004 (as Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah)
- Narrative Function
- Claim to represent restoration of the caliphate of early Islam
- Associated Anthem
- None mentioned in source
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Originating in the Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004, the organisation (primarily under the Islamic State of Iraq name) affiliated itself with al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought alongside them during the 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency. The group later changed its name to Islamic State of Iraq and Levant for about a year, before declaring itself to be a worldwide caliphate, called simply the Islamic State. After a grinding conflict with American, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, IS lost control of its Middle Eastern territories by 2019, subsequently reverting to insurgency from remote hideouts while continuing its propaganda efforts. These efforts have garnered a significant following in northern and Sahelian Africa, where IS still controls a significant territory as of 2025.
In Their Own Story
In April 2013, having expanded into Syria, the group adopted the name ad-Dawla al-Islāmiyya fī l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām. In late June 2014, the group renamed itself ad-Dawla al-Islāmiyya, declaring itself a worldwide caliphate. The name 'Islamic State' and the group's claim to be a caliphate have been widely rejected, with the UN, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups refusing to use the new name. The group's declaration of a new caliphate in June 2014 and its adoption of the name 'Islamic State' have been criticised and ridiculed by Muslim scholars and rival Islamists both inside and outside the territory it controls. In a speech in September 2014, United States president Barack Obama said that ISIL was neither Islamic nor a state.
Reader's Guide
The ideology of the Islamic State has been described as being a hybrid of Salafism, Salafi jihadism, Islamic fundamentalism, Wahhabism, and Qutbism, as well as other doctrines. According to Robert Manne, there is a 'general consensus' that the ideology of the Islamic State is 'primarily based upon the writings of the radical Egyptian theoretician Sayyid Qutb'. Qutb's doctrines of jahiliyya, hakimiyya, and takfir of entire societies formed a radicalised vision of the Muslim Brotherhood's political Islam project. Alongside Sayyid Qutb, the most invoked ideological figures of IS include Ibn Taymiyya, Abdullah Azzam, and Abu Bakr Naji. IS promotes religious violence and regards Muslims who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates.
Did You Know?
- The group's Arabic acronym Daesh resembles the Arabic words Daes ('one who crushes, or tramples down, something underfoot') and Dāhis (loosely 'one who sows discord'), and within areas under its control, use of the name Daesh is punishable by flogging.
- By the end of 2015, the self-declared caliphate ruled an area with a population of about 12 million and commanded more than 30,000 fighters.
- The group committed genocides against Yazidis and Iraqi Turkmen, and publicised videos of beheadings of soldiers, journalists, and aid workers.
- IS lost control of its Middle Eastern territories by 2019, but as of 2025 its affiliates maintain a significant territorial presence in Africa.
- Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir's legal manual 'Fiqh ad-Dima' (The Jurisprudence of Jihad) was adopted by IS as its standard reference for justifying extraordinary acts of violence, including suicide operations, mutilation of corpses, beheading, and killing of children and non-combatants.
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