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What is a caliph? The Islamic State tries to boost its legitimacy by hijacking a historic institution

  • Written by Ken Chitwood, Journalist-fellow, University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture / Lecturer, Concordia College New York, University of Florida
An image of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died on Oct. 26, 2019..Department of Defense via AP

Just days after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 27, the Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new “caliph.”

In 2014, IS conquered vast swaths of Iraq and Syria and declared itself to be the...

Read more: What is a caliph? The Islamic State tries to boost its legitimacy by hijacking a historic...

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