"It's Either The Islamic State Or The Flood," the cover headline continued.
The timing of the release could not be more concerning, as ISIS might actually have the ability to flood Iraqi population centers. Competing reports have emerged that the militant organization has taken control of the Mosul Dam, allowing the jihadists to unleash torrents of water that woudl reach all the way to Baghdad.
Aaron Zelin, the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute, published the contents of the latest issue. The magazine is almost entirely dedicated towards ISIS' self-justification of its extremist ideology, explained through an analogy comparing the group and its uncompromising vision to the story of Noah and the flood. A full PDF can be found here at Zelin's Jihadology.net website, and parts of the magazine are extremely graphic.
ISIS claimed that the biblical flooding which Noah prepared for by building an ark was a "refutation of the pacifists." As Noah faced no choice but to believe in God to survive, ISIS argues that people should have no choice but to believe in the group's radical and broadly rejected interpretation of Islam.
The magazine goes on to argue against accusations that ISIS targeted fellow Muslims as often as non-believers, arguing that many Muslims are so in name only. Unless fellow Muslims were to 'reform,' the jihadists viewed others Muslims as "like a hundred camels amongst which you almost can't find any that are fit for riding."
ISIS' magazine didn't just deal with the story of Noah. The group also published photos of the destruction of various shrines and historic sites throughout the city of Mosul and the surrounding regions. In ISIS's interpretation of Islam, all shrines should be destroyed as they allegedly encourage idolatry.
ISIS's destruction of the Tomb of Jonah in July prompted outrage within Mosul. Deadly clashes between residents and the jihadists were reported, but the militants have continued their drive towards eliminating shrines and tombs in areas throughout their control.
According to ISIS, the veneration of these tombs is just one of the many ways in which Muslims have lost their way and abandoned the original precepts of Islam. Elsewhere in the magazine, ISIS praised themselves for returning to the fundamentals of the religion by waging jihad, attacking Shias, and stoning women accused of adultery to death.
H/t Aaron Zelin. Images used with permission.