Eric Hobsbawm, a twentieth century historian familiar with nationalism and socialism, remarked “Religion is an ancient and well-tried method of establishing communication through common practice and a sort of brotherhood between people who otherwise have nothing much in common” (Hobsbawm 68). This describes ISIS and their effectiveness perfectly. There are a multitude of Muslims that feel that the international community, especially those in the West, have disgraced their religion and they have banded together in order to fight a common enemy. Westernization, defined as “the conversion to or adoption of western techniques or traditions” (Merriam-Webster), has permeated the membrane of the Middle East and has ultimately impacted the Muslim culture. However, the Islamic State has enacted Sharia law within the territory that it has gained through its fights over the past few years. Sharia law is a set of governing principles that dictates the way of life for Muslims (Johnson Introduction). Some Middle Eastern countries have adopted it, while others have not. ISIS believes that this radical way of living is the best way to combat the influences of the Western world in their communities. They have law enforcement that will stone people in the streets and behead those who disobey the laws. Muslims relate to this because they feel that the Western culture has had a negative impact on the tenants of their religion and they are trying to attract people back to the holy ways of Islam. ISIS also identifies with jihadism, or holy war. This means that the group will fight those who they believe have tampered with Islam itself, most specifically those in the western part of the world. This ideology has several governing principles, which Cole Bunzel discusses in his analysis paper From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State. Some of the most
Eric Hobsbawm, a twentieth century historian familiar with nationalism and socialism, remarked “Religion is an ancient and well-tried method of establishing communication through common practice and a sort of brotherhood between people who otherwise have nothing much in common” (Hobsbawm 68). This describes ISIS and their effectiveness perfectly. There are a multitude of Muslims that feel that the international community, especially those in the West, have disgraced their religion and they have banded together in order to fight a common enemy. Westernization, defined as “the conversion to or adoption of western techniques or traditions” (Merriam-Webster), has permeated the membrane of the Middle East and has ultimately impacted the Muslim culture. However, the Islamic State has enacted Sharia law within the territory that it has gained through its fights over the past few years. Sharia law is a set of governing principles that dictates the way of life for Muslims (Johnson Introduction). Some Middle Eastern countries have adopted it, while others have not. ISIS believes that this radical way of living is the best way to combat the influences of the Western world in their communities. They have law enforcement that will stone people in the streets and behead those who disobey the laws. Muslims relate to this because they feel that the Western culture has had a negative impact on the tenants of their religion and they are trying to attract people back to the holy ways of Islam. ISIS also identifies with jihadism, or holy war. This means that the group will fight those who they believe have tampered with Islam itself, most specifically those in the western part of the world. This ideology has several governing principles, which Cole Bunzel discusses in his analysis paper From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State. Some of the most