Under the Black Flag

A superb read for Muslims and non-Muslims seeking to trace the ideological underpinnings of ISIS—and other groups around the world adopting the ISIS branding—to their ancient Islamic roots. Moubayed weaves a fluid and concise narrative illuminating the complexities of historical Islam and connecting them to modern day manifestations. Shedding light on the challenges the Muslim world has faced throughout history to establish a legitimate Caliphate and Islamic State, Moubayed reveals that the recent emergence of firebrand groups of Islam like ISIS is not a new phenomenon. Moubayed offers unsettling yet important insights into what—and who—has fueled the recent rise of global jihadism. A highly accessible read, particularly for the layperson seeking to fully understand what drives the rhetoric of political Islam and conservative Muslim societies.

So this is the first adult, non-fiction book I have reviewed on this blog, but it is one of the best books I have read in a very long time.  Releasing on November 30th, Under the Black Flag gives a detailed account of the history of Jihadi groups and how and why they rise and eventually splinter apart. Starting and ending with ISIS, Moubayed goes into great detail about the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra and their inter-relatedness.

Lovers of history and people interested in an unbiased view of these groups should find this book.  The intense reality of what these groups have done and are still doing will shock people.  The impact of these groups' Islamic beliefs varies, in truth and in practice.  I was greatly intrigued at how different groups greatly strayed (sometimes openly) from their Islamic faith in the pursuit of wealth, land, and a perverse sense of glory and accomplishment.

I took away a few things from reading Moubayed's work: 1) one terror group begets another which begets another. 2) ISIS is just the newest, baddest boy on the block and is surely to be followed by someone even worse. 3) ISIS is the most well-rounded group in history, thus it poses the gravest threat. 4) The world's tact against ISIS is not working and won't work if it doesn't change.

Moubayed has provided a work that is almost overwhelmingly informative. It is clear and thorough, providing detail in such a way that the reader isn't overwhelmed but is fully prepared to wade into any headline dealing with jihad in the modern world. This title is written exceedingly well. Thank you for the work!

Brilliant book to read, allows the reader insight into ISIS the Frontier of the New Jihad. How ISI is traced back to the early years of Islam, the Golden Rule to establish a state ruled by the law of Islamic Sharia. It allows the reader into what reality is really like for women in Isis, bearers of children and home makers, its brutality at its worse but it a brilliant book to read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED A MUST READ

Frightening, resourceful, fascinating. A very scary and informative look into what is taking shape in our world at the moment. This is a book that every American needs to read and understand. A survival manual and a historical reference all in one. great read!

Is the Islamic State/ISIS a flash in the pan? Brutal but ephemeral? Or might it be more long-lasting?

Could it even become a 'proper' state? Might the 'Caliph' one day address the UN?

Dr. Sami Moubayed is a Syrian historian and researcher who tries to answer these questions in Under the Black Flag: At the frontier of the new jihad.

Based in Damascus, he has the bitter sweet advantage of witnessing the events convulsing his country at first hand, and has interviewed many of those involved. This proximity to sources and evidence gives a unique perspective to his book. An added strength is that he has no particular axe to grind - the tragedy he describes that is the current Syrian crisis is made all the worse by seeming to have no obvious solution and no easy fixes.

In trying to understand ISIS and the other jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq, he emphasises their ideology as deriving from one specific strand of Islamic thought, and not, as ISIS and indeed some of its enemies would claim, inherent in and intrinsic to Islam itself.

Moubayed traces this extremist interpretation from the 1300s thought of Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328) to later Wahhabism in the 1700s and beyond, revived in the twentieth century by people such as Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb and continued by modern salafi-jihadism.

He shows that this history is far from irrelevant - it is indeed the central focus of and justification for the ruthless campaigns of ISIS, the Nusra Front and al Qaeda: a return to what they imagine was the purity of the past. Simply return to those beliefs and glory will follow. Anyone rejecting the call stands in the way of regress, and will suffer.

Moubayed describes how the Islamic State based on the city of al-Raqqa in Syria, and headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi/self proclaimed Caliph Ibrahim, now has all the trappings of a state - a civil service, a police force, an army, an intelligence service, taxes, schools, a capital, a national anthem, a flag and significant income from oil smuggling and border crossing levies. This developing governance structure is staffed by many experienced ex-Iraqi Army officers and former Baath officials.

No less important is a slick and sophisticated communications strategy, taking in social media, as well as print, television, and radio.

Overall, Moubayed concludes, ISIS is a significant threat and one that stands a good chance of creating a functioning and enduring state from the ruins of what was Syria and Iraq.

A sobering assessment from an experienced and talented scholar in an informative and well researched book.

The names of IS, ISIL, ISIS and Islamic State flash on our television screens and fill our newspapers daily, yet do most of us really know that much about them? We may have an idea, probably shaped by the media, yet this is invariably a superficial level of coverage at best. This book aims to change that.

The author has put a lot of effort into this book, billed as the first inside account of the organisation, mixing historical background and current day events to great aplomb. It is so comprehensive and information-packed it is hard to know where to start. Naturally this reviewer cannot verify the accuracy of the author’s writing, but the author’s background is that of a journalist who has been analysing Syria and the region for over 20 years and certainly one gets the impression that this is a sensitively written, informative work. It is not a “PR job” for Islamic State and neither is it a obloquy against it.

The author does not assume any prior knowledge. Very few people, if they are honest, have even more than a passing understanding about what is happening in the region. With this book, at least, the reader will be a little more informed. The author offers up a well-rounded, rigorous examination of events but lets the reader form their own conclusions and opinions.

There can, in fact, be just too much information! It may feel quite overwhelming when unfamiliar “familiar” things are being discussed; yet the author’s text is a carefully controlled high-pressure hose of knowledge. It tries to put you at ease. You want to read on and on in any case. 

This was a worthy read, even if probably only a mere fraction of the information sticks to the brain. It is clearly a book you can read several times and get new insights, new knowledge and new thoughts with each visit. A recommended consideration!

Under the Black Flag, written by Sami Moubayed and published by I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781784533083. YYYYY

The dialogue on terrorism has taken a sharper tone in the aftermath of Paris. Piled on top of the horror and despair has flowed a polluted stream of rumor, wrath and confusion. Which makes Sami Moubayed’s Under the Black Flag all the more important.

Moubayed is a Syrian journalist and historian with roots in the country’s past — and an insider’s view of its turbulent present. He provides an account of ISIS and the rise of jihadism with a depth that no cable-news sound bite or Internet meme could capture.

If you want to understand where ISIS came from and where they (and us) are headed, read this book.