MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Despite using modern war tactics, the Islamic State (IS) militants’ global outlook is based on a medieval end-of-days prophecy, defining their ideological message which attracts supporters of their cause from all over the world.
The small town of Dabiq, located in Syrian province of Aleppo near the Turkish border, does not, at first, seem to have much strategic value from a military viewpoint. IS fighters control a vast amount of territory spanning from the outskirts of Baghdad in the southeast to vicinity of Kobani in the north, from the Jordan border in the west to the Jihadi-controlled city of Mosul in the east. However, Dabiq plays a crucial role in motivating IS fighters, as the town is the place of a Jihadi "Gotterdammerung", their final battle against “infidels” and “apostates”.
The 7th century prophecy by Abu Hurayrah, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, reads: “The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A'maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them). They will then fight and … win and they would be conquerors of Constantinople”.
The ideology of Islamic State thus seems to be a sincere statement of their holy war to ensure their kingdom comes for themselves and supporters of their cause. At the same time, in order to spread their beliefs, the Islamic State has launched an official English-language magazine named “Dabiq” this July. The editing team claims in their statement that “the area will play a historical role in the battles leading up to the conquests of Constantinople, then Rome”.
Despite being inaccurate (Dabiq and al-A’maq are actually two different settlements on the Syrian-Turkish border), the prophecy is seen as helpful in strengthening the militants’ morale, says Shadi Hamid of Brookings Institution. “It is fair to assume that the vast majority of (IS) fighters believe in this type of talk”, he said as quoted by the Times of Israel.
The town of Dabiq has been occupied by the IS fighters this August after a fierce skirmish with Sunni rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), where 40 were killed. The FSA, known in the west as ‘moderates’ and enjoying limited support from the Obama administration, subsequently failed to retake Dabiq, causing widespread cheering among the supporters of Jihadi cause as the prophecy had already been revealed as the fundamental of IS ideology.
On social media, Dabiq has become a symbol of struggle against the West and the Jihadists are awaiting the “upcoming great battle”. "The lions of Islam have raised the banner of the Caliphate in Dabiq", an IS supporter from Tunisia posted on Twitter. "Now they await the arrival of the Crusader army". Some of the Jihadists are said to be counting the US-led coalition’s member states, which are now more than 60, and they expect the “80 banners”, as allegedly stated in the prophecy. Others suggest that the “boots on the ground” rhetoric means the day of the final battle against “infidels” is fast approaching.
