Written by: Aziz Baran
If one were to pose a fundamental question—how did the terrorist group ISIS emerge, and how has it been manipulated in the broader geopolitical landscape?—the answer lies in the group’s own conduct and in the strategic interests of global powers. A substantial body of evidence suggests that several European nations, in collaboration with the United States and the Israeli regime, provided direct and indirect support to ISIS. Tragically, many of the group’s young recruits remain oblivious to the reality that they are defaming Islam and being exploited to serve agendas antithetical to their own faith.
Despite widespread international opposition, ISIS has maintained considerable strength and continued its atrocities. One key reason is the clandestine backing it has received from the West and the United States, who have used the group’s very existence to justify the extension of their military presence and interventions in the Muslim world.
Western hostility toward Islam and its values is not a recent development. Historically, the West first became acquainted with civilization, scholarship, and cultural refinement during the Islamic Golden Age, particularly through Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). It was during this period that Europeans were introduced to universities, libraries, and the principles of scientific inquiry. This exposure rescued them from barbarism and propelled them toward civil society.
Yet, when Al-Andalus fell—due to the Muslims’ internal disunity and decline—the West began a long campaign of vengeance. Over centuries, it systematically sought to colonize, subjugate, and dismantle Islamic powers across Africa and Asia. From the Crusades to colonial occupations, this campaign of aggression has taken various forms, with the most recent being ideological warfare and psychological operations against the Muslim Ummah.
The West has traditionally relied on military power and technological superiority. But when brute force failed to achieve long-term control—resulting in defeats in colonized Muslim territories—it turned to more insidious methods: intellectual, cultural, and psychological warfare. This form of conflict is far more dangerous, as it operates through proxies and under the guise of friendship and cooperation.
Tools of this warfare include NGOs, media outlets, academic institutions, and so-called cultural exchange programs. Even more concerning are groups formed in the name of Islam—trained, funded, and weaponized to incite fitnah from within. These groups champion Islamic slogans while serving Western interests. In the 21st century, the most prominent example of such a manufactured entity is ISIS—an organization that claims to represent an “Islamic State” but in reality functions as a modern manifestation of the Khawarij.
Assigning the label “Islamic State” to this Khariji group was a calculated move, aimed at manipulating Muslim emotions and exploiting religious sentiments. Historically, Iraq and Syria have been sacred lands where many prophets were sent and from which divine guidance spread. Hijacking these holy associations, ISIS cloaked itself in false religiosity while actively undermining Islam and its global image.
Western Objectives Behind the Creation and Use of ISIS
1. Revenge for Historical Defeats
The West has suffered repeated setbacks at the hands of Muslims—from the collapse of the British Empire to losses in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. More recently, the U.S.-led coalition’s defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and France’s colonial retreat from African nations, stand as major strategic failures. In retaliation, the West has supported entities like NATO, the European Union, and other alliances as instruments of continued influence. ISIS, in this context, functions as part of this revenge strategy, allowing the West to fight indirectly what it could not conquer directly.
2. Proxy and Ideological Warfare
Faced with the limits of military conquest, the West turned to cold war tactics: covert operations, intellectual subversion, and psychological manipulation. ISIS was one such proxy—created and funded under the guise of jihad, the caliphate, and removing borders between Muslim nations. The group’s activities were then weaponized by Western media to depict Islam as violent and irrational, reinforcing Islamophobic narratives and justifying military interventions.
3. Undermining Resistance in Iraq and Afghanistan
ISIS was established during a time when Iraqi Mujahideen were inflicting serious blows to American forces. Rather than engaging occupiers, ISIS diverted its violence toward the Mujahideen and the civilian population. In Afghanistan, the group received logistical and intelligence support from foreign powers, enabling its fighters to move freely between regions or escape besieged zones unharmed. The objective was clear: to weaken genuine resistance movements like the Taliban by opening multiple fronts and creating internal division. Despite these efforts, ISIS failed to neutralize these resistance forces.
4. Recruitment in Europe
Western media has documented how recruitment campaigns in Europe led many Muslim youth—both men and women—to join ISIS under the illusion of jihad and the caliphate. Arrested individuals later revealed they were encouraged and facilitated by Western security services to join the group. ISIS was thus used to distort the image of Islam and promote the idea that Muslims were inherently violent. Additionally, financial transactions under the guise of “humanitarian support” for ISIS were later exposed, showing how deeply embedded this operation was.
5. Destabilizing the Muslim World
The West continues to interfere in Muslim countries, often through puppet regimes, sowing chaos, sectarianism, and political instability. ISIS capitalized on this disarray, exploiting ethnic and religious fault lines to create divisions. Terms like “good Muslim” and “bad Muslim,” sectarian strife, and tribalism were amplified to justify foreign intervention and prolong instability, making it easier for Western powers to control the region through indirect means.
6. Intimidating and Controlling Puppet Regimes
Many Islamic nations today are governed by Western-backed regimes, their elections funded and manipulated, their sovereignty compromised by the presence of U.S. and European military bases. While these regimes remain largely obedient, occasional friction arises. In such cases, the West employs tools like economic sanctions—and the looming threat of ISIS—as leverage to realign these regimes with its interests.
It is widely believed that the West, given its economic challenges, cannot sustain these destructive operations indefinitely. But as long as the United States continues to dictate the internal and foreign policies of its allies, these destabilizing projects will persist. Islamic nations are increasingly aware that ISIS is not a rogue threat but a calculated instrument of Western foreign policy.
The time will come when Europe realizes it has been a pawn in America’s grander geopolitical game. While the United States shelters itself under its vast military and economic security apparatus, it is the European continent that will bear the consequences of fueling instability in the Islamic world. If Muslim lands are dragged into further chaos and war, Europe will not remain untouched by the flames.