Description
The author of the explosive Atlantic cover story โWhat ISIS Really Wantsโ has written the definitive, electrifying account of the strategy, psychology, and theology driving the Islamic State.
Tens of thousands of men and women have left comfortable, privileged lives to join the Islamic State and kill for it. To them, its violence is beautiful and holy, and the caliphate a fulfillment of prophecy and the only place on earth where they can live and die as Muslims.
The Way of the Strangers is an intimate journey into the minds of the Islamic Stateโs true believers. From the streets of Cairo to the mosques of London, Wood interviews supporters, recruiters, and sympathizers of the group. We meet an Egyptian tailor who once made bespoke suits for Paul Newman and now wants to live, finally, under Shariah; a Japanese convert who believes that the eradication of bordersโone of the Islamic Stateโs proudest achievementsโis a religious imperative; and a charming, garrulous Australian preacher who translates the groupโs sermons and threats into English and is accused of recruiting for the organization. We also learn about a prodigy of Islamic rhetoric, now stripped of the citizenship of the nation of his birth and determined to see it drenched in blood. Wood speaks with nonโIslamic State Muslim scholars and jihadists, and explores the groupโs idiosyncratic, coherent approach to Islam.
The Islamic State is bent on murder and apocalypse, but its followers find meaning and fellowship in its utopian dream. Its first caliph, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, has declared that he is the sole legitimate authority for Muslims worldwide. The theology, law, and emotional appeal of the Islamic State are key to understanding itโand predicting what its followers will do next.
Through character study and analysis, Wood provides a clear-eyed look at a movement that has inspired so many people to abandon or uproot their families. Many seek deathโand they will be the terror threat of the next decade, as they strike back against the countries fighting their caliphate. Just as Lawrence Wrightโs The Looming Tower informed our understanding of Al Qaida, Graeme Woodโs The Way of the Strangers will shape how we see a new generation of terrorists.
ISBN:9780141982137 
