A Sunni Islamic caliphate was declared at the end of June in territory in Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State (I.S.), formerly known as ISIS or ISIL. Its leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. His state extends from near the Mediterranean Sea in Syria to areas close to the Iran-Iraq border. The I.S. combines anti-imperialist rhetoric with the imposition of religious restrictions on corruption. This provides the ideological gel to attract disgruntled Sunnis from all around the world to its cause.

Where the I.S. rules, the strictest concepts of Sharia law are imposed on the people. These laws touch on every aspect of life: social and sexual behaviour; food and liquid consumption; clothing; culture and religious practices; crime and punishment and economic issues. I.S. fighters persecute anyone who does not follow their rules and regulations and they demand the annihilation of people of other faiths. Those identified as infidels are murdered and this category includes Shiite Muslims. These barbaric practices of religious intolerance are enforced by public beheadings, mass shootings, and crucifixions.

If Bin Laden was the Moses of Al-Qaeda, then Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, hopes to be seen as the founder of an Islamic caliphate, governed by god-given laws, written in tablets of stone. The I.S. has concentrated on securing control of oil rich regions so as to multiply their financial resources. They have grand ambitions, which they present as business proposals to attract investors with deep pockets from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Ironically, these countries have traditionally been the most intimate allies of the U.S. in the Arab world. However, Saudi Arabia recognises that U.S. global influence is waning, so they want to diversify their international diplomatic portfolio. The United States is seeking rapprochement with Iran in order to jointly manage the threat from the I.S. in Iraq. Meanwhile, Russia and Saudi Arabia are moving closer together, and both are global energy players hostile to Iran.

I.S. emerged out of the war in Iraq in 2003. At that time, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush both claimed they were fighting "a war on terror," in order to stop terrorism from developing in Iraq. But with more than a million Iraqis dead there is no doubt that Bush and Blair acted as extraordinary recruiters for Al Qaeda. Now the terrorists that their policies helped to create have captured many of the weapons that the United States gave to the Iraqi army. In Syria the I.S. accessed Western funds and resources directly by joining the Western backed military campaign to oust President Bashar-Al Assad. True, the military opposition to Assad was not initiated by Al-Qaeda, but as the opposition splintered, the fundamentalist I.S. made rapid headway. Their ideological unity guides their military determination. Their recruits are also won to the Jihadist cause by the hypocritical lies of Western rulers, which are reinforced by the spinelessness of the leaders of the Arab world.

A motley crew of I.S. fighters arrived from all over the world, particularly Britain. Many of these young Western Muslim recruits are motivated by a feeling that capitalist democracy in Europe and the United States is based on pure hypocrisy. Social media provides the ideological foundations with which to anchor the I.S. cause in the minds of such volunteers. The adventure and apparent heroism of participating in a global struggle acts to consolidate the motivation of recruits and throw themselves into the fray. They form the basis of a religiously motivated army, which targets young males, offering them a meaning and life purpose -- to fight for Allah.

Like many conspiracy theories, the geo-political mythologies of I.S. supporters are based on real injustices inflicted over centuries on the people of the Middle East and North Africa by imperialism. The I.S. claims that its objective is to overturn the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916. This agreement was drawn up by the British and French during World War I. When, in 1917, Russia's revolutionary government published the agreement it caused outrage amongst the Arabs. It revealed Anglo-French plans to divide up the Ottoman Empire between them and Russia. This was a betrayal of promises made to the Arabs. This agreement remains the root of most of today's conflicts in the region, including the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The imperial powers divided up the Arab lands and created festering sores, which continue to drip with blood today.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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