Introduction

Abstract

The self -proclaimed "Islamic State" (IS) is a terrorist jihadist entity also known for its previous designations ISIL/ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/ash-Sham) or DAESH (Dawlah al-Islamiyah fil Iraq wa ash-Sham). Just like al-Qaeda (AQ) , theIS is based on Salafist-jihadist ideology (al-salafiyya al-jihadiyya), a puritanical branch of the Sunni Islam that wants the Islamic community to return to "pure" ancestral practices, making a clear separation between "true believers" and "unbelievers" considered to be "infidels".