Isis The Origins of Violence

In this authored historical investigation, historian Tom Holland traces the origins of Isis's extreme violence, which it claims is justified by the tenets and scriptures of Islam. Travelling from Paris to Istanbul and from Sinjar to Cairo, he examines the roots of Isis's interpretation of notions such as jihad and caliphate, and examines the origins of the group's beliefs. Holland also questions whether the group's ideology is in part a reaction to a westernisation of Islam that ultimately dates back to the time of Napoleon.

In the ongoing conflict with ISIS, military observers and regional experts have noted that it is just as important to understand its motivating ideology as to win battles on the ground. This book traces the evolution of this ideology from its origins in the prison writings of the revolutionary jihadist Sayyid Qutb, through the thinking of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, who planned the 9/11 terrorist attack, to today's incendiary screeds that motivate terrorism via the Internet.