There are two messages being sent by ISIS besides the obvious shock factor : First, their caliphate is an actual functioning and legitimate state. Second, this is long-term struggle, this is a way of saying that ISIS has succeeded( in creating a state) where Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists have failed.

Ryan Mauro

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The group includes this because it needs to be seen as humane, it's hard to believe, but it implies that ISIS recognizes it has a negative image and wants to change that while still remaining brutal.

By showcasing its slavery, ISIS is boasting that it practices Islam in its most literal interpretation, doesn't capitulate to public opinion and rejects modern interpretations, it is also showing it has a functional Islamic educational system and therefore is a real caliphate. The timing of the announcement is significant as Ramadan is a time of year where Muslims are charged with rejuvenating their faith.

You won't see a significant backlash to ISIS' crimes because there is no gay rights movement in the Muslim world and the gay rights advocates in the West are usually silent when it comes to persecution overseas, from ISIS' perspective, they only stand to gain from executing gays and telling the world about it.

The new Nigerian president will have to fight Boko Haram because the group cannot be dealt with any other way, boko Haram has even alienated fellow Islamists who believe in Sharia governance. That doesn't mean that these Islamists opposed to Boko Haram are moderates; just that they are less ferocious than Boko Haram.

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These acts stem from Islamic interpretations that are more broadly held than just within ISIS and these interpretations need to be addressed, more modern Muslims say [the hadith cited by ISIS] was an instruction for a specific time and purpose and is not applicable to today, but ISIS is acting upon a widely-taught interpretation.

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What we see is that overall global support for Islamist extremist groups is decreasing but the rate of violence within that Islamist pool is increasing as that contraction happens.

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One of the purposes of these photos is to show that they didn't just seize territory ; they transformed it into an attractive caliphate that is a viable alternative to other civilizations, iSIS and other Islamist groups are at odds over the legitimacy of al-Baghdadi's caliphate, but they are in agreement that this is a ‘ civilizational jihad ’ against other systems influenced by the West.

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It does nothing to persuade jihadists to support Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda instead of ISIS and its brutality will only further alienate Muslims, when ISIS brags about massacring civilians, it is self-aware enough to include lengthy justifications. Al-Shabaab fails to do that and just looks like serial killers.

Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda desperately need to convince jihadist audiences that it is effective and not yesterday's news, especially after fellow Al-Qaeda affiliate Boko Haram in Nigeria swore allegiance to ISIS, it is known that a prominent American member of Al-Shabaab has defected to ISIS, so the group should assume that many other supporters are thinking of doing the same thing.

ISIS did not want this exclusively for a French audience, the group wanted to send a message to Americans, as well.

This successful strategy has enabled ISIS to win over the next generation of jihadists, a young radical can feel as if he or she is part of an actual community in the jihadist online world and, unlike Al Qaeda, ISIS can actually claim to be seizing ground and making progress. These videos help ISIS supporters feel as if they are part of an exciting turning point in Islamic history.

In the aftermath of the Paris attacks and the latest attack on French soldiers, ISIS knows that will generate attention.

Islamic State wants to redefine feminism by characterizing Western society as oppressive towards women, they choose to highlight women to show that their ideology treats women fairly as equals in jihad.

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These men are interested in having ‘wives’ come to the so-called... by Ryan Mauro

These men are interested in having ‘wives’ come to the so-called caliphate to live with them.

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The chief Al-Qaeda bombmaker Ibrahim Al-Asiri is innovative in his designs and isn't to be underestimated.