Russia in the Eyes of Islamic State

Rivalry between Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda over the supremacy of the global jihadist movement

The aim of the article is the comparison of Islamic State and al-Qaeda, demonstrating similarities and differences between the two organisations. The main hypothesis of the research is the assumption that the Islamic State is different from al-Qaida primarily due to the fact that the main purpose of the organisation activity is to establish an Islamic state based on Sharia principles. This assumption is part of the strategy established by the deceased spiritual leader of the group – Abu Mus’ab az-Zarqawi. Despite the fact that the final strategic goal of al-Qaeda is now convergent with that of the Islamic State, al-Qaeda’s methods of operation developed under the leadership of Osama bin Laden focused on the destabilisation of the West and the Muslim support of liberation movements. In turn, the Islamic State focuses on the elimination of apostate regimes in the Arab world and establishment of the Caliphate. Currently the diversity of perspectives of leaders of both terrorist organisations, despite many similarities in the ideological issues, has led to a rivalry between the two factions for hegemony over the global jihadist movement.