Is the "Islamic State" actually Islamic?

As the so–called "Islamic State" becomes more and more infamous, both Muslim leaders and Western politicians have fervently denounced the terrorist organization as completely un–Islamic. In 2014, Barack Obama told Americans, "ISIL is not Islamic. No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL's victims have been Muslim." Soon after, David Cameron declared, "They boast of their brutality. They claim to do this in the name of Islam – that is nonsense. Islam is a religion of peace. They are not Muslims, they are monsters."

I'm naturally skeptical of anything that any politician has to say about any religion. However, it is clear that the vast majority of Muslims around the world have no sympathies for the Islamic State and condemn terrorism as contrary to true Islamic belief.

Countless influential Muslim leaders from around the world have loudly denounced the Islamic State and are working against the organization's recruitment. Just last year in India, 70,000 Muslim clerics issued a fatwa (legal ruling) declaring that terrorist organizations are not Islamic and their members are not Muslims.

So is the Islamic State actually Islamic? From an orthodox, mainstream Islamic standpoint they are not.

That being said, from an objective outsider's perspective it is very hard to avoid the conclusion that the organization is indeed Islamic. They by no means represent Islam as a whole, but even just a cursory look at their literature reveals that Islamic beliefs are at the core of what they do and say.

Their literature? Yes, their literature. Not all terrorists are illiterate lunatics. The Islamic State publishes an online propaganda magazine called Dabiq. In the eleventh issue, on pages 18–21, they criticize preachers and writers who "seek to portray Islam as a religion of peace that teaches Muslims to coexist with all." Interestingly, in this article they also criticize racism in America and claim that "racial hatred has no place in Islam."

In the seventh issue, there is a whole article called "Islam is the Religion of the Sword, not Pacifism" (pages 20–24). With quotes from the Qur'an and Hadith, they construct a theological argument that "Allah has revealed Islam to be the religion of the sword, and the evidence for this is so profuse that only a zindīq (heretic) would argue otherwise."

In Dabiq's fourth issue, the Islamic State attempts to theologically justify the sexual slavery of Yazidis with an article called "The Revival of Slavery Before the Hour" (pages 14–17). The article accuses the Yazidis of worshipping Iblis (the Devil) and describes their slavery as the fulfilment of a Hadith prophecy concerning the endtimes: “the slave girl gives birth to her master.” Sexual slavery is defended theologically again in the ninth issue, with an article called "Slave Girls or Prostitutes?"

The Islamic State's theological arguments are certainly in direct conflict with most Islamic scholarship, but the fact remains that they are making theological arguments. Next, let take a look at the Islamic State's flag.

Surprisingly, the flag adopted by the Islamic State does not have any explicit references to terrorism, violence, or radicalism. The words at the top make up the Shahada, which is the statement of faith recited by all Muslims: "There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God." The white circle at the bottom is a depiction of Muhammad's seal. Though this flag has been used by the Islamic State as a symbol of terror, its content is simply religious.

Of course there is no way to look into the hearts of the Islamic State's leaders to see if they are motivated by genuine religious belief or by more selfish reasons. But the way the organization presents itself, from its name to its flag to its literature, is certainly Islamic.

It's important to remember that Islam is not a unified, monolithic entity. There are major divisions between Sunnis, Shias, Sufis, and Ahmadiyyas, and these major groups also have smaller sects within them. There are also a number of different madhabib (schools of Islamic law). Most Muslims today believe that Islam is a religion of peace and interpret the Qur'an as only allowing war in cases of self–defence. But unfortunately not all Muslims come to that same conclusion.

The Islamic State's relationship with Islam may be comparable to the Westboro Baptist Church's relationship with Christianity. WBC members claim to worship Jesus Christ and they claim to be Christians. From a secular perspective, they technically are Christians. But would most Christians expect to see Fred Phelps in heaven? Certainly not.

Further reading:

9 Things You Should Know About Islamic State

The surprising way groups like ISIS stay in power

ISIS has reached new depths of depravity. But there is a brutal logic behind it

What ISIS really wants

Beyond Authenticity: ISIS and the Islamic Tradition