WIMAYA: Interdisciplinary Journal of International Affairs Vol.03/No.01, January-June 2022
(e-ISSN: 2272-3760)

Book Reviews

The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic
State Movement. By Haroro J. Ingram, Craig
Whiteside, and Charlie Winter. Oxford
Scholarship Online, 2020. ISBN:
9780197501436.

The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the

Islamic State Movement is one of the most

important books in the current study of

terrorism. There are four advantages of this

ISIS book: The Reader: Milestone Texts of the

Islamic State Movement. First, this book states

that a thorough understanding of ISIS

terrorism is needed. In general, most people

see the emergence of ISIS only in 2014 Indeed

ISIS is famous after the group declared itself as

the caliphate in 2014. However, the author of

this book states that understanding ISIS

terrorism should not be limited to just 2014

when the group declared itself a caliphate for

the first time. An understanding of the ISIS

phenomenon must be understood

comprehensively. The seeds for the

emergence of the ISIS movement have

emerged from the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In the post-US invasion in 2003, Iraq was

marked by political turmoil, sectarian conflicts,

and security instability. Conflictual conditions

allow the development of armed groups in

Iraq. ISIS was born from a background of

political instability that occurred in Iraq after

the US invasion. This can be seen in statements

in ISIS documents that call on Sunni community

groups to join the ISIS caliphate and fight the

Shia group that was in power in Iraq after the

US invasion. Where in its various documents,

ISIS describes that the United States conspired

with Shia groups in dominating Iraqi politics

after the fall of Saddam Hussain's regime in

2003.

Second, this book provides a

chronological narrative in several systematic

chapters. This book sequentially explains the

seeds of the birth of ISIS, the heyday of ISIS,

until the defeat of ISIS. More specifically, this

book describes the history of the struggle of

Abu Mushab Zarqawi with his group Tauhid

wal JIhad, which continued with the presence

of Al Qaeda in Iraq, until jihadist groups in Iraq

formed the Islamic State of Iraq. The Islamic

State of Iraq group then separated from Al

Qaeda, claiming to be a legitimate caliphate

institution for Muslims. With this chronological

view, readers can see the history of the

emergence of ISIS in its entirety. In addition,

readers can examine the genealogy of ISIS

thinking that consistently comes from the Abu

Mushab Zarqawi group. This consistency, for

example, can be seen in the priority of attack

targets. Abu Mushab Zarqawi admits that the

United States is the enemy of Muslims.

However, according to Zarqawi, some enemies

are more dangerous and must be prioritized in

attack operations, namely the local

government regime and Shia groups. This

genealogy of thinking can be found in the ISIS

movement which is more busy fighting Shia

groups and local governments than prioritizing

attacks on Western objects. This priority is

confirmed in various reports in various media

owned by ISIS.

Third, the most important thing in this

book is that the author has succeeded in

translating primary data about ISIS. The author

of this book has succeeded in selecting primary

sources from among the many available

sources and then presenting them

systematically. From the translation of primary

data provided by the book, we can try to

understand more deeply the ideology and

strategy adopted by the ISIS group. This is what

we do not find in other books that rely on

secondary sources in discussing ISIS. This book

has a similar pattern to the book entitled

Messages to the World: The Statements of

Osama Bin Laden and the book Voice of

Hezbollah: The Statements of Sayyed Hasan

Nasrallah which also presents primary sources

from the jihad movement they lead. But what

WIMAYA: Interdisciplinary Journal of International Affairs Vol.03/No.01, January-June 2022
(e-ISSN: 2272-3760)

distinguishes it from other similar books, ISIS:

The Reader, this book features critical

commentary on each chapter. So, this book

combines primary sources and critical

comments from the author. From these critical

comments, readers can understand the

context behind ISIS' statements contained in

the primary sources. For example, in the final

chapters of this book, it is stated that since

2016 ISIS has ordered its sympathizers to

always be patient in the struggle and

aggressively carry out attacks wherever they

live. ISIS also cites verses from the Koran that

tell about the wisdom behind the defeat in

war. In his critical commentary, the author of

this book explains that ISIS's speeches since

2016 which have more themes of firmness in

the struggle and suggestions for global

resistance are in line with the defeat of ISIS on

various battle fronts in Iraq and Syria. In that

context, ISIS leadership figures stated that the

caliphate army must carry out attacks on the

enemy wherever ISIS sympathizers live.

According to ISIS, attacking an opponent in a

place where the enemy lives is more

frightening than a terror operation carried out

in a place where ISIS is in power. ISIS stated

that if its sympathizers could not carry out

attacks on a large scale, ISIS sympathizers

could carry out attacks on a small scale even if

only by throwing stones at the enemy. The

author of this book explains the fact that ISIS's

suggestion to hold global resistance is in line

with the increase in ISIS terror operations in

various countries.

Fourth, by reading these primary

sources, this book presents the fact that the

jihadist movement is not monolithic. There is

mutual criticism and debate between jihadist

movements. In this book, we can see how the

debate between Al Qaeda and ISIS is. For

example, there are several statements from

ISIS figures that criticize Al Qaeda. There are

also several statements from ISIS leaders

asking Al Qaeda to join together under the ISIS

caliphate. On the other hand, it also describes

how Al Qaeda criticizes ISIS, which is

considered to have deviated from the jihad

method.

ISIS the Reader is a monumental book.

By translating primary documents, this book

can make it easier for scientists or security

forces to explore the latest genealogy of

terrorism. This book is useful for scientists and

security forces to understand the ISIS terrorist

movement and then take policies in fighting

terrorism in the future.

Prihandono Wibowo

Lecturer of International Relations Dept.
University of Pembangunan Nasional
“Veteran” Jawa Timur
prihandono_wibowo.hi@upnjatim.ac.id

mailto:prihandono_wibowo.hi@upnjatim.ac.id