The Way of the Strangers Encounters with the Islamic State By Graeme Wood (New York: Random House, 2017. 352 pages.)

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somewhat outdated, it will unfortunately retain importance as IS coalesces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 ...