The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.
—Graeme Wood, “What ISIS Really Wants”
R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
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Long article, but I will get around to reading it. Thanks for posting it. I also need to read Lawrence Wright’s “The Looming Tower” to get a better overall picture of things.
I listened to a few minutes of Hugh Hewitt’s program where he played some comments from the President today; the President said things like it’s not a religion that kills (with reference to Islam), its people. And we shouldn’t be blaming religion. But didn’t he say some other things a few weeks ago about the Crusades and racists laws defended in the name of Christ? Muslims are by definition incapable of engaging in violence due to their religious beliefs? Oh man, I hope he is just speaking in an ignorant fashion and not actually thinking in accordance with the words spoken.
One of the best articles I’ve seen on this subject yet. ISIS is indeed Islamic, is not a terrorist organization per se, and has a clear objective of establishing the long-awaited Caliphate. Unless our feckless Western political leaders can bring themselves to deal with these realities, we are in for a long and ineffective “war on terror.”
Thanks for this! This knowledge urgently needs to be disseminated.