ISIS And Other Useful Fictions
By JUDE P. DOUGHERTY Islamic State (ISIS or Daesh) and al-Qaeda are useful fictions. “Islamicist” is another ill-used word. Has anyone ever identified the borders of the so-called Islamic State, identified the site of its central government, attributed to it a president, prime minister, cabinet, parliament, or congress, or anything resembling such? Even the most primitive of the newly arrived nations of the world boast of a Westernized form of government. We are told that U.S. aircraft struck Islamic State vehicles and a tank in the Libyan coastal city of Sirte. Oh! Perhaps ISIS has an embassy or consulate there. In The Washington Post (July 28, 2016) we read about “the Islamic State-inspired attack on a quiet village church in…Continue Reading