The Way of the Strangers

Abstract

Despite the considerable scholarly work which has gone into understanding the Islamic State (IS), the depths of the motivations and psychology of its members and supporters have not been truly plumbed. Graeme Wood chronicles his forays into the minds of adherents of the organization in The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State and does an impressive job of laying bare the thought behind the group and its attention-grabbing brutality. While it is regarded by most of the world as a collection of psychopaths, notably by the vast majority of Muslims, who consistently denounce the group and its claims to religious legitimacy, Wood argues that it does have a logic and basis in religious scripture that is by and large internally consistent, if morally repugnant, and notes that only by understanding this logic—and, therefore, the beliefs of its ardent supporters—can the rest of the world combat it most effectively. He also provides an interesting window into the group’s recruitment process by examining some individuals whom he terms “seducers”, those who encourage others to immigrate to the group’s territory in Iraq and Syria. While this last part may seem somewhat outdated, it will unfortunately retain importance as IS coalesces elsewhere and perhaps even attempts a resurgence in those two countries; the examination of this possibility falls far outside the scope of this review, but its existence at all sees this aspect of the book retain its importance ...