Members of Daesh group parading in a street in Libya's coastal city of Sirte, which lies 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli. AFP
Members of Daesh group parading in a street in Libya's coastal city of Sirte, which lies 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli. AFP

2014 - The rise of Daesh

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2014 - The rise of Daesh

2014 - The rise of Daesh
  • The terrorist organization changed the terms of the debate on extremism 

LONDON: In June 2014, I was part of the team that launched a new think tank looking at religious extremism. Our patron, the former British prime minister, Tony Blair, had long been concerned that the ideological element of extremist groups was being overlooked and needed more policy-focused research. 

That month, Daesh raced through northern Iraq, routing government troops and capturing a vast amount of territory and materials that would strengthen its new position. On June 29, in the central mosque in Mosul, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the group’s leader, declared himself to be caliph of a new caliphate. 

The world was fascinated and horrified. Most people had never heard of Daesh or were unaware of its links to Al-Qaeda in Iraq during the Iraq War. How had this group come out of nowhere to conquer the north of Iraq, in addition to its territories in Syria? The interest was such that an article I published on our think tank’s website, explaining where the group had come from, was for a while the top result in Google searches. 

For extremists and their sympathizers around the world, this was the moment for which they had been waiting and fighting for many years. Here at last, they thought, was a leader and a group capable of delivering on what it promised. 

How we wrote it




Arab News reported the militant group’s announcement of the establishment of a “caliphate.”

Extremists flocked to Daesh in droves. Estimates at the height of the group’s power put the number of foreign fighters who joined its Iraqi and Syrian core at 40,000, with a flow at its peak of up to 2,000 a month. The majority of these foreign fighters were from the Middle East and North Africa, but they included a large number from the West, and South and Southeast Asia as well. 

Throughout modern history, in every kind of social or political movement, new kinds of organizations have emerged that changed the terms of the debate. Al-Qaeda did that with the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Daesh did the same in 2014. 

The use of propaganda by Daesh probably received the most international focus, including the way it showcased of acts of extreme violence, such as the 2015 immolation of Muath Al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian pilot, and the beheadings of soldiers, journalists and aid workers. 

The group produced slick videos and professionally edited magazines. It created vast networks on social media, playing a game of cat and mouse with the law enforcement agencies and tech companies that attempted to suppress them. 

Efforts to counter Daesh sought to emulate the group’s own tactics, but with very limited success because the majority of these efforts seemed unable to grasp the fact that the production of slick videos was not the point, but merely a mechanism for communicating a message: the caliphate that so many frustrated extremists had longed for was supposedly back. 

Another aspect in which a total change of tactics was in evidence was Daesh’s approach to governance. Other transnational terrorist groups had attempted governance, notably Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the aftermath of 2011. And other extremist groups of various ideological stripes had tried it on a large scale, including the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Key Dates

  • 1

    Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of Daesh, proclaims the establishment of a caliphate stretching from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala in Iraq.

    Timeline Image June 29, 2014

  • 2

    Daesh posts photos and videos showing beheadings of dozens of captured Syrian soldiers, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, US aid worker Peter Kassig and British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines.

    Timeline Image July to Nov. 2014

  • 3

    US forms Global Coalition Against Daesh.

    Timeline Image Sept. 2014

  • 4

    Daesh murders 163 people and destroys historic Great Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, and monuments at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Palmyra in Syria.

    Timeline Image June to Dec. 2017

  • 5

    US Special Forces track Al-Baghdadi to a hideout in northern Syria, where he kills himself and 3 children by detonating a suicide vest. He is succeeded as leader by Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi.

    Timeline Image Oct. 26, 2019

  • 6

    Abu Al-Hussein Al-Husseini Al-Qurashi takes over as leader after his predecessor’s death.

  • 7

    Abu Hafs Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi appointed the 5th, and current, leader of the group.

    Timeline Image Aug. 2023

But Daesh was the first group with an explicitly transnational ideology (it sought to establish a global caliphate) to attempt governance at scale. It sent out calls to doctors and teachers; it announced the launch of a currency, with great fanfare; it encouraged those who traveled to its territory to burn their passports. 

This relates to the third way in which a total change was evident in how this group operated, and the reason why extremists all over the world continue to carry out attacks in its name. 

Daesh’s actions in 2014 had sent out a message across the Islamist world: “We deliver.” For decades, various groups had claimed to seek the establishment of a caliphate. Most observers laughed at this fantasy and instead focused on how the West, in their eyes, might avoid provoking such groups. 

But the actions of Daesh granted it a legitimacy in the eyes of its ideological sympathizers. Fighters from other extremist groups in Syria and Iraq defected to it; the leaders of these groups were mere warlords in comparison to the leadership of Daesh. Groups in several countries, from Nigeria to the Philippines, swore allegiance. And across the Middle East and North Africa, Daesh cells claimed to be expanding its jurisdiction. 




Daesh militants gather at undisclosed location in Iraq's Nineveh province after taking over the Iraqi city of Tikrit, the second provincial capital to fall in two days. AFP

Despite the deaths of successive leaders and loss of its territories, allegiance to the Daesh ideology persists. In Nigeria, the Sinai, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere around the globe, people still claim to be acting in the name of the supposed “caliphate.” 

Such is the power of ideology. When we focus only on personalities, propaganda or territory, we risk missing the most important aspect. It was not Al-Baghdadi’s charismatic personality that drew people to him who had never met him and hardly ever heard him speak, and convinced them to pledge allegiance. If slickly produced films were enough, the world would be rushing to pledge allegiance to Peter Jackson. If territories were the key, support for Daesh would have dried up on the banks of the Euphrates. 

All of these things are certainly important but it is the very idea of the caliphate, and the means through which to achieve it, that holds Daesh’s supporters together.

  • Peter Welby is a priest in the Church of England. Previously, he was a consultant on religion and global affairs, specializing in the Arab world, and the managing editor of a think tank on religious extremism, the Centre on Religion and Geopolitics.  


Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks

Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks
Updated 21 June 2025
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Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks

Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks

BASEL: Tunisian art expert Amina Debbiche, who co-founded digital art platform The Open Crate alongside Nora Mansour, shares her top artworks from Switzerland’s Art Basel contemporary art fair, which wraps up on Sunday.

Amina Debbiche. (Supplied)

The Open Crate allows clients to digitalize their entire collection, whether it be artwork, design objects or luxury items.

Yto Barrada at Sfeir-Semler Gallery

“I first discovered Yto Barrada’s work at the Arsenale during the 2011 Venice Biennale and was instantly captivated by her poetic and political approach. Since then, I’ve followed her brilliant trajectory across film, photography, textiles, and installation. Born in Paris and raised in Tangier, her practice explores themes of memory, displacement, and resistance. We’ve now come full circle - she will represent France at the upcoming Venice Biennale, curated by Myriam Ben Salah.”

Yto Barrada’s work at Art Basel. (Supplied)

 Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ at Art Basel Unlimited

Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ at Art Basel Unlimited. (Supplied)

“Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ deeply moved me with its layered storytelling and political tenderness. The work maps Arab and South Asian migration to Latin America and the Caribbean through handwoven rugs made with Iraqi weavers. It documents hybrid identities, memory, and solidarity across geographies. I’ve long admired how Alia reclaims overlooked narratives with such poetic clarity. Her voice feels both urgent and timeless.”

Eunnam Hong’s ‘Safeway’ at Mendes Wood DM booth

“Eunnam Hong’s painting … stopped me in my tracks — cinematic, hyper-stylized, and effortlessly cool. With nods to Cindy Sherman and K-drama aesthetics, the Korean artist explores identity and performance through staged, uncanny tableaus. Her figures- drenched in soft light, wrapped in curlers and headscarves, clutching vitamin D and Safeway bags - feel both retro and unmistakably now. It’s suburban surrealism meets generational moodboard, complete with Converse and quiet rebellion. Hong is one of the most compelling contemporary voices out there - sharp, relatable, and iconic in the making.

Eunnam Hong’s ‘Safeway’ at Mendes Wood DM booth. (Supplied)
​​​​​

Simone Fattal’s ‘Music On My Mind’ (2024)

“Simone Fattal is a Syrian Lebanese artist whose sculptural practice draws from archaeology, poetry, and mythology to explore themes of memory, exile, and resilience. Born in Damascus and raised in Beirut, she has created only a few large-scale sculptures, making each one rare and significant. Her works are held in major collections including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Sharjah Art Foundation … I was drawn to “Music On My Mind” for its quiet power — the naive, totemic form and subtle reference to sound felt deeply poetic.”

Simone Fattal’s ‘Music On My Mind’ (2024). (Supplied)

M'barek Bouhchichi’s ‘Terr

M'barek Bouhchichi’s ‘Terra’ series (2024)


Noah Davis’s ‘The Goat from Grayson’ (2008) at David Zwirner

“I love this work for its quiet intensity and material poetry and Selma Feriani, who presents it, is one of the few truly independent voices from the region to make it to Art Basel with a consistently bold program. M’barek Bouhchichi, born in southeastern Morocco, lives and works in Tahanaout, Morocco. The artist collaborates with women artisans to create henna-dyed wool works that evoke both landscape and memory. His ‘Terra’ series explores cultural links between Morocco and Mali through ancestral weaving techniques. These minimal, earthy compositions blur the line between textile and painting. A major solo show in Tunis is coming this September.”

Noah Davis’s ‘The Goat from Grayson’ (2008) at David Zwirner

“I’ve always been drawn to Noah Davis’s ability to create scenes that feel both dreamlike and grounded in Black lived experience. “The Goat from Grayson” (2008), shown here at David Zwirner, captures his signature blend of poetic realism, rich symbolism and painterly tenderness. The glowing tree, the quiet tension, and the spiritual undertone pull you in. Davis, who passed away tragically young at 32, was not only a brilliant painter but also the founder of The Underground Museum in Los Angeles, a vital space for Black art and community. His work was the subject of a major retrospective at the Hammer Museum in 2020, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential artists of his generation.”

Eric Fischl’s ‘After the Funeral’ (2017)

“Eric Fischl’s paintings often feel like paused movie scenes, loaded with tension, memory, and unspoken drama. I was instantly drawn to these two women, something about the cigarette, the ice cube, the gaze, it felt like I’d stumbled into a Woody Allen film mid-conversation. Fischl captures that strange mix of intimacy and detachment with uncanny precision. A key figure of American figurative painting since the 1980s, his work explores suburban psychology and social dynamics. He is represented by Skarstedt, a gallery known for championing major contemporary artists like David Salle, Cindy Sherman, and George Condo.”

Eric Fischl’s ‘After the Funeral’ (2017)

Sheila Hicks’s ‘Lianes Etoiles’ (2020)

“Sheila Hicks’s ‘Lianes Etoiles’ is pure visual rhythm. Its vibrant threads, soft textures, and sculptural layering instantly drew me in. There is something meditative and sensual about the way the colors pulse across the surface. Hicks, a pioneer of textile art, has redefined fiber as a sculptural and painterly medium for over six decades. This piece feels both contemporary and ancestral, like a coded language of color and craft. It is shown by Alison Jacques, a gallery that consistently champions strong, visionary practices.”

Wael Shawky’s ‘I Am Hymns of The New Temples: Pompeii glass amphora (#06)’ (2023) at the booth of Lia Rumma

“Wael Shawky’s amphora sculptures are a masterclass in historical layering and contemporary wit. Representing the Egyptian Pavilion at the last Venice Biennale, his work was among the most celebrated and nearly won the Golden Lion. The video “Drama 1882” retelling of the ’Urabi revolution that was co‑funded through support from Mai Eldib, who organised key patronage, was later acquired by a major institution in the Middle East. These Murano glass forms, draped in ornate textiles, are as subtle as they are rich in reference. Shawky continues to expand the visual language of Arab myth, ritual, and storytelling with quiet force.”

Wael Shawky’s ‘I Am Hymns of The New Temples: Pompeii glass amphora (#06)’ (2023) at the booth of Lia Rumma

Amoako Boafo’s ‘Floral One Piece’ (2025) at Gagosian Gallery’s booth

“This striking portrait by Amoako Boafo was exhibited at the Gagosian booth, where the brilliant Rola Wazni, director of Gagosian Paris, walked me through a presentation curated by Francesco Bonami. Boafo, originally from Ghana and based in Vienna, is known for his lush finger-painted figures and bold exploration of Black identity and presence. His textured brushwork and floral detailing here are both tender and defiant. The composition radiates quiet power, dignity, and individuality. Rolla’s sharp eye and grace made the experience even more memorable.”

Amoako Boafo’s ‘Floral One Piece’ (2025) at Gagosian Gallery’s booth

Maurizio Cattelan and Rudofl Stingel at Gagosian Gallery’s booth

“Gagosian’s booth at Art Basel 2025, curated by Francesco Bonami, offered a brilliantly irreverent pairing of Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘No’ (2021) and Rudolf Stingel’s ‘Untitled’ (2012). Cattelan’s kneeling figure in a suit, head covered by a paper bag, delivers a biting satire of modern-day capitalism and mental health collapse — a man caught between denial and trauma, refusing to face symbolic castration or mortality. Stingel’s silvery abstraction provided a haunting, meditative counterpoint, echoing themes of absence and ego. Together, the works reflected on visibility, repression, and the absurd rituals of the art world. The result was a sharp, minimalist statement that lingered long after.”


Exiled former Tunisia leader sentenced to 22 years: reports

Exiled former Tunisia leader sentenced to 22 years: reports
Updated 8 min 3 sec ago
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Exiled former Tunisia leader sentenced to 22 years: reports

Exiled former Tunisia leader sentenced to 22 years: reports

TUNIS: A Tunis court has sentenced exiled former president Moncef Marzouki in absentia to 22 years in prison for offenses related to “terrorism,” Tunisian media reported on Saturday.
Four other defendants, including his former adviser Imed Daimi and former head of the national bar association Abderrazak Kilani, were also handed the same sentence late Friday.
A staunch critic of President Kais Saied who has been living in France, Marzouki had already been sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison in two separate cases, one involving “provoking disorder.”
The latest ruling came after a press conference held in Paris, during which he, along with Daimi and Kilani, sharply criticized state institutions and members of the Tunisian judiciary, reports said.
Marzouki, who served as Tunisia’s third president from 2011 to 2014, said in a statement the ruling was “surreal.”
He said it came as part of a “series of verdicts that have targeted some of Tunisia’s finest men and continue to provoke the world’s mockery.”
Tunisia emerged as the Arab world’s only democracy following the ousting of longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, after it kicked off the Arab Spring uprisings.
But since a sweeping power grab by Saied in July 2021 when he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, rights groups have warned of a sharp decline in Tunisian civil liberties.
In April, a mass trial saw around 40 public figures, mainly critics of the authorities, sentenced to long terms on charges including plotting against the state.
Other media figures and lawyers also critical of Saied have been prosecuted and detained under a law he enacted in 2022 to prohibit “spreading false news.”


Syrian security forces detain cousin of toppled leader Assad

Syrian security forces detain cousin of toppled leader Assad
Updated 15 min 2 sec ago
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Syrian security forces detain cousin of toppled leader Assad

Syrian security forces detain cousin of toppled leader Assad

Syria’s security forces have detained Wassim Assad, a cousin of toppled leader Bashar Assad, state news agency SANA said on Saturday.
Wassim Assad was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 for leading a paramilitary force backing Assad’s army and for trafficking drugs including the amphetamine-like drug captagon.
Bashar Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December and fled to Moscow. Most of his family members and inner circle either fled Syria or went underground.
Syria’s new security forces have been pursuing members of the former administration — mainly those involved in the feared security branches accused of rights abuses.
Rights groups have called for a fully-fledged transitional justice process to hold them to account.


Turkiye’s Erdogan says Israel attacks aimed to sabotage Iran nuclear talks

Turkiye’s Erdogan says Israel attacks aimed to sabotage Iran nuclear talks
Updated 43 min 47 sec ago
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Turkiye’s Erdogan says Israel attacks aimed to sabotage Iran nuclear talks

Turkiye’s Erdogan says Israel attacks aimed to sabotage Iran nuclear talks
  • Around 40 diplomats are slated to join the weekend gathering of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Israel’s attacks on Iran right before a new round of nuclear talks with the United States aimed to sabotage the negotiations, and it showed Israel did not want to resolve issues through diplomacy.

Speaking at a foreign ministers’ meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Erdogan urged countries with influence over Israel not to listen to its “poison” and to seek a solution to the fighting via dialogue without allowing a wider conflict.

He also called on Muslim countries to increase their efforts to impose punitive measures against Israel on the basis of international law and United Nations’ resolutions.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi earlier arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, Tasnim news agency reported, for a meeting with diplomats to discuss Tehran’s escalating conflict with Israel.

Around 40 diplomats were expected to join the weekend gathering of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as Israel and Iran continue to exchange missile strikes.

“The Foreign Minister arrived in Istanbul this morning to participate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ meeting,” Tasnim reported.

Araghchi met with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday.

“At this meeting, at the suggestion of Iran, the issue of the Zionist regime’s attack on our country will be specifically addressed,” said Araghchi, according to the news agency.

Israel began its assault in the early hours of June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, triggering an immediate retaliation from Tehran in the worst-ever confrontation between the two arch-rivals.

Earlier on Friday, Araghchi said Tehran was ready to “consider diplomacy” again only if Israel’s “aggression is stopped.”

The ministers are expected to release a statement following their meeting, the Turkish state news agency Anadolu said.


Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Updated 49 min 51 sec ago
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Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
  • Some analysts in Pakistan said the move might persuade Trump to think again about potentially joining Israel in striking Iran’s nuclear facilities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Saturday it would recommend US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, an accolade that he has said he craves, for his work in helping to resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
Some analysts in Pakistan said the move might persuade Trump to think again about potentially joining Israel in striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. Pakistan has condemned Israel’s action as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
In May, a surprise announcement by Trump of a ceasefire brought an abrupt end to a four-day conflict between nuclear-armed foes India and Pakistan. Trump has since repeatedly said that he averted a nuclear war, saved millions of lives, and grumbled that he got no credit for it.
Pakistan agrees that US diplomatic intervention ended the fighting, but India says it was a bilateral agreement between the two militaries.
“President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi, which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation,” Pakistan said. “This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker.”
Governments can nominate people for the Nobel Peace Prize. There was no immediate response from Washington. A spokesperson for the Indian government did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump has repeatedly said that he’s willing to mediate between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region, their main source of enmity. Islamabad, which has long called for international attention to Kashmir, is delighted.
But his stance has upended US policy in South Asia, which had favored India as a counterweight to China, and put in question previously close relations between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump gave a long list of conflicts he said he had resolved, including India and Pakistan and the Abraham accords in his first term between Israel and some Muslim-majority countries. He added: “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do.”
Pakistan’s move to nominate Trump came in the same week its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met the US leader for lunch. It was the first time that a Pakistani military leader had been invited to the White House when a civilian government was in place in Islamabad.
Trump’s planned meeting with Modi at the G7 summit in Canada last week did not take place after the US president left early, but the two later spoke by phone, in which Modi said “India does not and will never accept mediation” in its dispute with Pakistan, according to the Indian government.
Mushahid Hussain, a former chair of the Senate Defense Committee in Pakistan’s parliament, suggested nominating Trump for the peace prize was justified.
“Trump is good for Pakistan,” he said. “If this panders to Trump’s ego, so be it. All the European leaders have been sucking up to him big time.”
But the move was not universally applauded in Pakistan, where Trump’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza has inflamed passions.
“Israel’s sugar daddy in Gaza and cheerleader of its attacks on Iran isn’t a candidate for any prize,” said Talat Hussain, a prominent Pakistani television political talk show host, in a post on X. “And what if he starts to kiss Modi on both cheeks again after a few months?”