As Their Caliphate Continues To Shrink, What Are Islamic State 'True Believers' Thinking Right Now?

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Michael Weiss, Daily Beast: Inside the Head of an ISIS True Believer

The so-called Islamic State vows to endure and expand. But under relentless pressure, it’s shrinking. How do its partisans think they can endure? Here’s what one says.

With rare exception, active members of ISIS are notoriously shy about talking to Western reporters. The reason ISIS has invested so heavily in elaborate media and propaganda arms is that its mantra—“Hear from us, not about us”—is designed to demonstrate to fellow travelers and would-be enlistees that what the Crusader-Zionist press says is all lies. The higher metaphysical truth of the “Islamic State” can only be grasped by joining it or listening to what the mujahidin have to say.

For some weeks, I have been in contact via an intermediary with a man I will call Abu Jihad, trying to persuade him to talk to an American reporter. He agreed reluctantly, but as part of the deal, Abu Jihad asked that I not disclose his true identity or current role in the organization, apart from noting that it is by no means senior or even mid-level. He is both a citizen and employee of the caliphate and, importantly, lives in its de facto capital of Raqqa.

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WNU Editor: A short answer and question post with an Islamic State "true believer".