Inside The Islamic State's Apocalyptic Beliefs

Current Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Renowned for smashing beautiful things up, the bushy-bearded barbarian hooligan statue smashers of the so-called Islamic State may be driven by its vision of being the harbinger of the End Times:

The Islamic State has shifted in just a few short years from a militant group nominally under the control of al Qaeda and based solely in Iraq to an international insurgency. Now arguably the most powerful terror organization in the world, it brutally occupies major cities and is fighting to establish a caliphate in the Middle East.  Part of the Islamic State's precipitous rise is related to its belief that it is prophesied to bring about the end times. These are not just fringe beliefs held by some in the organization. Rather, as author Will McCants explains in his new book, The ISIS Apocalypse, they are views that directly affect the way that the group operates and appeals to its followers.
The WorldPost spoke with McCants, who is director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution think tank, on how these views have shaped the growth of the Islamic State.

Read More here: Nick Robins-Early, 'Inside The Islamic State's Apocalyptic BeliefsAn interview with expert Will McCants', The Huffington Post 09/26/2015.