Part 6
Aziz Jalal
The Ideology of ISIS: A Fusion of Salafism and Absolute Violence
The ideology of ISIS must be understood as a toxic synthesis of extremist interpretations of Salafism and systematic, institutionalized violence, an ideology that emerged and expanded amid the political disintegration and prolonged crises of the Middle East.
Although wrapped in religious terminology, this ideological construct functioned primarily as a mechanism for legitimizing the pursuit of power through organized brutality.
At its core, this ideology rested upon three interrelated pillars: a rigid and selective invocation of the Salaf al-Salih, the indiscriminate use of takfir against opponents, and the elevation of violence as the sole and sacred instrument for achieving its aims. Together, these elements formed the intellectual framework of a movement that claimed to revive the Islamic Caliphate but, in reality, became one of the most blood-soaked and destructive organizations of the modern era.
ISIS’s interpretation of Salafism represented one of the most extreme distortions of this intellectual tradition. It was marked by an obsessive focus on outward religious forms and an almost complete disregard for the ethical, jurisprudential, and spiritual depth of Islam. By selectively appropriating historical texts and dismissing centuries of scholarly interpretation, ISIS advanced a brutal and impoverished vision of Islam, one rejected not only by mainstream scholars but also by a significant number of Salafi scholars themselves. Within this framework, foundational Islamic concepts such as jihad, enjoining good, and forbidding evil were emptied of their original meanings and transformed into tools of coercion and bloodshed.
Relying heavily on weak narrations and arbitrary interpretations, ISIS declared violence not merely permissible but obligatory, portraying any hesitation or opposition as evidence of weak faith. This expansive practice of takfir became the backbone of the group’s ideology. By constantly widening the circle of excommunication, ISIS created an ideological justification for limitless violence against nearly all who stood outside its narrow definition of belief.
Shiites, Sufis, Druze, Christians, Yazidis, and even Sunni Muslims who rejected its claims were branded as apostates or polytheists. This takfiri logic enabled ISIS to justify every crime by invoking classical rulings related to warfare against unbelievers. Notably, this exclusionary mentality extended even to other jihadist organizations such as al-Qaeda, which ISIS accused of deviating from “true jihad.”
This sweeping application of takfir revealed the deeply exclusivist nature of ISIS’s worldview, a worldview that tolerated no disagreement and recognized no moral restraint. Within this ideological universe, violence was not simply a means to an end but an end in itself. Unlike other insurgent movements that employ violence primarily to secure political objectives, ISIS transformed violence into a theatrical display of domination and terror. Public executions, beheadings, immolations, and mass atrocities were deliberately staged as spectacles intended to project power and instill fear.
These acts served two primary purposes. First, they functioned as instruments of intimidation against enemies. Second, they acted as a magnet for radicalized individuals drawn to extreme expressions of brutality. Within the ISIS mindset, such violence was not condemned but celebrated as evidence of religious commitment and moral superiority. This profound moral inversion was among the most dangerous features of ISIS’s ideological system, enabling its adherents to commit horrific crimes without guilt or hesitation.
The convergence of rigid Salafism, boundless takfir, and unrestrained violence unleashed a cycle of bloodshed that scarred the Middle East for years. Despite its intellectual fragility and internal contradictions, ISIS’s ideology appealed to simple minds through its crude clarity and its promise of direct, uncomplicated answers to complex realities.
By exploiting religious emotions and skillfully employing modern media, ISIS succeeded in drawing thousands of followers from across the globe. Yet its narrow vision and uncompromising rigidity ultimately prevented it from establishing a sustainable social base. Consumed by its own extremism, the group collapsed under the weight of the violence it glorified. In the aftermath of the fall of its self-declared caliphate, the enduring legacy of ISIS’s ideology is not revival or renewal, but devastation, bloodshed, and enduring hatred.
