Research on the Islamic State, Syria, and Iraq

Some of the author’s photos of posters and tombstones commemorating Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria.

Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Middle East Forum research fellow, writes extensively about the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) and other armed groups in Syria and Iraq. As his writings and translations tend to be too detailed for a general readership, we periodically compile links and summaries for those wishing to learn about the groundbreaking work of this prolific researcher.

For more general interest writings by Jawad al-Tamimi, click here.

The Islamic State Caliphate Turns One (July 1)
The Huffington Post
One year after its formal establishment, the IS caliphate faces “little local opposition in the heartland of its territories,” writes Jawad al-Tamimi, while US-led “airstrikes on oil infrastructure have not critically undermined [its] finances.” On the other hand, he notes, the spread of IS outside Syria and Iraq has been “greatly exaggerated.”

Hizballah, the Jihad in Syria, and Commemorations in Lebanon (July 13)
Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA)
Drawing on the author’s two-week trip to Lebanon in April 2015, this report examines the involvement of the Lebanese Shi’a Hezbollah movement in the Syrian civil war, particularly its role in “establishing and coordinating the wider Shi’i jihad in Syria,” which has drawn participants from Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and other countries. The article contains the author’s photos of numerous tombstones and posters commemorating the “martyrdom” of Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria.

Emblem of the Coastal Shield Brigade. Top: “Coastal Shield Brigade.” Middle: “Republican Guard. Knights of Assad.” Bottom: “Syrian Arab Army.”

The Coastal Shield Brigade: A New Pro-Assad Militia (July 23)
Syria Comment
Examination of the newly-formed Coastal Shield Brigade (Liwa Dir’ al-Sahel) in coastal Latakia, which reflects the Assad regime’s new emphasis on “having locals recruited ... to focus on defending and retaking territory within their own provinces.”

The Reemergence of Jaysh Muhammad in Bilad al-Sham (July 27)
Jihad Intel
A brief analysis of Jaysh Muhammad in Bilad al-Sham and its return to social media after several months of silence. Based in Aleppo province and led by Egyptian commander Abu Obeida al-Masri, Jaysh Muhammad is ideologically and strategically aligned with Al-Qaeda’s Syrian franchise, Jabhat al-Nusra, though it claims to be neutral in the IS-Nusra conflict. Its recent statements advertise its presence in the city of Idlib.

Quwat al-Ridha: Syrian Hezbollah (July 31)

Examination of Quwat al-Ridha (Forces of al-Ridha, a reference to the eighth Shi’a Imam), an indigenous Syrian pro-regime militia modeling itself after the Lebanese Shi’a Hezbollah movement (the author previously profiled another such group, the National Ideological Resistance, and interviewed its commander). The militia’s recruits come primarily from in and around the city of Homs, which Jawad al-Tamimi notes is the “natural and logical place for Hezbollah to project influence into the remaining Syrian rump state.” Although a detailed report by the pro-regime site al-Hadath News (partially translated by the author) claims the group is non-denominational, photos of Quwat al-Ridha’s “martyrs” (several of which are displayed) suggest nearly all are Shi’a.

Translations

The Islamic State’s Services Department in Mosul and Ninawa Province (July 3)

Translation and analysis of testimony from a pro-IS source in Mosul known as Omar Fawaz. This account addresses Diwan al-Khidamat, the IS department for public services (electricity, water, road maintenance, etc.) in the Ninawa province of northern Iraq (the author previously examined this department here). Notable in Fawaz’s account is the department’s success in persuading/coercing existing public service employees to stay in their posts. His account is rich in details, such as the department’s provision of compensation to owners of “homes that have been exposed to bombing from the Crusader-Arab alliance.”

The Islamic State’s Diwan al-Rikaz in Mosul (July 6)

Translation and analysis of testimony from a pro-IS source in Mosul known as Omar Fawaz. This account addresses Diwan al-Rikaz, the IS department concerned with “precious resources,” including fossil fuels and antiquities. Notable is IS’s cooptation of existing production and distribution facilities and their personnel (a pattern also evident in Fawaz’s testimony about IS’s Diwan al-Khidamat) and its efforts to regulate the excavation of non-idolatrous artifacts.

IS Training Camp Textbook: Muqarrar fi al-Fiqh (Course in Islamic Jurisprudence) (July 6)

Translation and analysis of the two opening sections of Muqarrar fi al-Fiqh (Course in Islamic Jurisprudence), the second of four main textbooks used in IS training camps (the author’s complete translation of the first, Muqarrar fi al-Tawhid, is available here). Includes an instructional guide to different types of Shari’a rulings (obligatory, desirable, permissible, etc.).

IS Training Camp Textbook: Muqarrar fi al-Tawhid (Course in Monotheism), Complete Text (July 26)

See the author’s complete translation of the official Shari’a textbook for recruits in IS training camps.

Complete translation of Muqarrar fi al-Tawhid (Course in Monotheism) by IS cleric Turki Binali, the primary textbook for the Shari’a education of recruits in IS training camps (the author provided translation and analysis of the first two chapters here and here). The textbook is infused with teachings of Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn al-Qayyim (a student of Ibn Taymiyya), and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Saudi Arabia’s ultra-conservative Wahhabi current. The author notes that the most extensive section of the book addresses the ten nawaqid of Islam, “a distinctly Wahhabi concept” that “provides a very fertile basis for [IS’s] takfir tendencies” (branding other Muslims as apostates).

“Declare that You Are Resistance"- Nasheed from Muqawama Suriya (July 28)

Although nasheeds (musical chants) are much more common among jihadist factions, the pro-Assad militia Muqawama Suriya (which the author profiled here) is “one of the most prolific producers” of them among pro-regime factions. This nasheed is notable for its emphasis on martyrdom and victory, which Jawad al-Tamimi speculates may relate to recent regime losses in Idlib and Homs provinces.