Islamic State

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/islamic-state

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary ideological stance?Radical Salafi jihadism advocating for a global caliphate
2. What is the peak territorial control?Governed approximately 12 million people across significant swathes of Iraq and Syria
3. What was the Islamic State and where did it start?It began as a group called Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 2004, later became al‑Qāʾida in Iraq, and then changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in 2013.
4. Why did the Islamic State want to control land and make a caliphate?They believed they could create a worldwide Islamic state ruled by strict Sharia law, rejecting modern borders and claiming authority over all Muslims.

Salafi jihadism: An extremist Sunni Islamic ideology that seeks to establish a caliphate through violent means, often advocating a return to a perceived pristine form of Islam.
Genocide: The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.
Insurgency: An active revolt or uprising, typically against an established government or authority, often employing guerrilla warfare tactics.