11 Facts About Islamic State

Islamic State pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, and participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multi-national coalition led by the United States.

The group's declaration of a new caliphate in June 2014 and its adoption of the name "Islamic State" have been criticised and ridiculed by Muslim scholars and rival Islamists both inside and outside the territory it controls.

Islamic State added a focus on sectarianism to a layer of radical views.

Specifically, ISIL has sought to establish itself as a caliphate, an Islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under a supreme leader – the caliph – who is believed to be the successor to Prophet Muhammad.

Islamic State thanked Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq and the Syrian Kurdish forces for their support.

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Civilians, as well as the Islamic State itself, have released footage of some of the human rights abuses.

Current Grand Imam of al-Azhar and former president of al-Azhar University, Ahmed el-Tayeb, has strongly condemned the Islamic State, stating that it is acting "under the guise of this holy religion and have given themselves the name 'Islamic State' in an attempt to export their false Islam".

Theologian and Qatar-based TV broadcaster Yusuf al-Qaradawi stated: "[The] declaration issued by the Islamic State is void under sharia and has dangerous consequences for the Sunnis in Iraq and for the revolt in Syria", adding that the title of caliph can "only be given by the entire Muslim nation", not by a single group.

Islamic State stated on his official website "United Arab Emirates and the leaders of Daesh terrorist group are from one species and they are two sides of the same coin".

ISIL is widely denounced by a broad range of Islamic State clerics, including Saudi and al-Qaeda-oriented clerics.

Islamic State called upon jihadists to establish Islamic entities in Egypt and the Levant, slowly implementing sharia before establishing a caliphate, and has called for violent assaults against America and the West.