Black Banners of ISIS: The Roots of the New Caliphate

Wasserstein (From Hellenism to Islam) combs through primary documents to present an in-depth analysis of ISIS’s actions and ideals. Beyond its modern political and militaristic manifestations, he writes, ISIS is an explicitly religious movement with an ideology rooted in the restoration of a medieval Muslim caliphate. Drawing on his medieval scholarship, Wasserstein, professor of history and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University, makes the claim that, to understand ISIS, one has to understand the movement’s reading of Islamic history, theology, and political precedent. Wasserstein does well to assert the primacy of ISIS’s religious ideas; however, he sometimes fails to make crucial distinctions between what is “Islamic” and what has been filtered through ISIS’s particular selection, interpretation, and application of Islamic sources and legal theory. At the same time, Wasserstein is careful to point out how ISIS presents a challenge not only to “the West,” but also to the Islamic world. This book will serve readers wanting to understand more about the broad religious underpinnings of ISIS. (Aug.)