Islamic State - Quiz
Islamic State
  • 1. What is a key difference in focus between the Islamic State and al-Qaeda mentioned in the text?
A) Focus exclusively on domestic politics in the West
B) Emphasis on eschatology and apocalypticism
C) Rejection of establishing an Islamic state
D) Reliance solely on peaceful diplomacy
  • 2. At which town does the Islamic State believe it will defeat the army of "Rome"?
A) Dabiq
B) Baghdad
C) Mosul
D) Raqqa
  • 3. According to scholar Will McCants, what fills Islamic State propaganda?
A) References to the End Times
B) Economic reform plans
C) Democratic manifestos
D) Scientific discoveries
  • 4. Why did Bin Laden's generation find the apocalypse a less effective recruiting pitch compared to today?
A) Middle Eastern governments were more stable and sectarianism was more subdued
B) There was no internet access available
C) Al-Qaeda strictly forbade religious texts
D) Foreign fighters were barred from traveling
  • 5. Since at latest what year has a significant goal of the group been the foundation of a Sunni Islamic state?
A) 1990
B) 2004
C) 2010
D) 2014
  • 6. What specific form of government has ISIL sought to establish?
A) A caliphate
B) A socialist confederation
C) A federal republic
D) A constitutional democracy
  • 7. Who is the supreme leader of a caliphate believed to be the successor of?
A) Ali
B) Omar
C) Muhammad
D) Abu Bakr
  • 8. When did ISIL publish a document claiming to have traced its leader al-Baghdadi's lineage back to Muhammad?
A) June 2004
B) May 2017
C) November 2015
D) June 2014
  • 9. On what date was the new caliphate proclaimed, and al-Baghdadi appointed as its caliph?
A) 29 June 2014
B) 15 July 2004
C) 1 January 2015
D) 11 September 2001
  • 10. What did al-Baghdadi demand from all devout Muslims worldwide in his role as caliph?
A) Emigration to Europe
B) Allegiance
C) Financial donations
D) Democratic votes
  • 11. According to its Dabiq magazine, what is ISIL's ultimate goal regarding territory?
A) To conquer only Southwestern Asia
B) To remain strictly within Iraq and Syria
C) To seize land and take over the entire Earth
D) To establish a small autonomous region
  • 12. Whose tyranny and falsehood does ISIL claim it will put an end to?
A) Sharia law
B) Jahiliyyah
C) Democracy
D) Caliphate rule
  • 13. According to German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer, what did ISIL fighters believe about all religions that agree with democracy?
A) They are acceptable neighbors
B) They should be protected
C) They have to die
D) They must form alliances with ISIL
  • 14. What political divisions did the proclamation of the caliphate explicitly reject?
A) Those drawn by the Roman Empire
B) Those set by the United Nations charter
C) Those established by the UK and France in the Sykes–Picot Agreement
D) Those created by the Ottoman Empire
  • 15. According to the manual Management of Savagery, which areas would be targeted for conquest after Muslim lands were dealt with?
A) All non-Muslim areas
B) Neighboring tribal territories
C) Only Western Europe
D) Only North America
  • 16. Who was described as the "strategic head" of ISIL and a former colonel in the Iraqi Air Force intelligence service?
A) Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi
B) Al-Baghdadi
C) Martin Reardon
D) Jürgen Todenhöfer
  • 17. What initial step did al-Khlifawi call for in areas to be conquered?
A) Infiltration of the area with spies
B) Negotiating with local governments
C) Immediate aerial bombardment
D) Broadcasting propaganda on television
  • 18. What followed surveillance and espionage in ISIL's strategy for conquered towns?
A) Murder and kidnapping of potential leaders or opponents
B) Establishment of public schools
C) Elections for local mayors
D) Distribution of food and aid
  • 19. What happened in Raqqa after rebel forces drove out the Assad regime and ISIL infiltrated the town?
A) First dozens and then hundreds of people disappeared
B) The city was abandoned
C) A democratic council was formed
D) Peace treaties were signed
  • 20. According to security expert Martin Reardon, what is IS's purpose regarding those under its control?
A) To educate them in modern political science
B) To provide them with economic prosperity and healthcare
C) To psychologically "break" them to ensure absolute allegiance through fear and intimidation
D) To integrate them into Western society
  • 21. According to journalist Jason Burke, what are three components of IS's goal?
A) Isolate, ignore, and withdraw
B) Terrorize, mobilize, and polarize
C) Negotiate, compromise, and settle
D) Educate, pacifiy, and assimilate
  • 22. What is the purpose of IS's efforts to terrorise enemy populations?
A) To demonstrate advanced military hardware
B) To comply with international law
C) To encourage foreign tourism
D) To intimidate civilians and force target governments to make rash decisions
  • 23. How does IS aim to mobilise its supporters?
A) By motivating them with spectacular deadly attacks deep in Western territory
B) By funding peaceful community centers
C) By encouraging them to run for public office
D) By organizing academic conferences
  • 24. What is the goal of polarization by IS?
A) To dissolve the borders between nation-states peacefully
B) To unite all world religions under a single banner
C) To promote international trade agreements
D) To drive Muslim populations away from their governments and increase the appeal of the caliphate
  • 25. According to Rukmini Maria Callimachi, what is IS interested in eliminating?
A) The use of digital currency
B) The "grey zone" between non-Muslims and IS
C) The desert climate of Iraq and Syria
D) All historical monuments
  • 26. Who does the "grey zone" represent according to Callimachi?
A) Neutral military contractors
B) Unregistered journalists
C) Foreign government diplomats
D) Moderate Muslims living in the West who feel engaged in society
  • 27. What strategy did the online work Management of Savagery recommend regarding attacks outside IS territory?
A) Engage in cyber espionage only
B) Focus entirely on defensive fortifications
C) Establish diplomatic embassies worldwide
D) Diversify and widen vexation strikes against the Crusader-Zionist enemy to drain it
  • 28. What has IS been accused of attempting to do by staging terror attacks abroad when losing territory?
A) Bolster morale and distract attention from its loss of territory
B) Demonstrate its capability for large-scale construction
C) Comply with foreign ceasefire agreements
D) Rebuild infrastructure in war-torn cities
  • 29. Which of the following terror attacks was claimed by IS?
A) The 3 June 2017 attacks in London
B) The 2001 World Trade Center attacks
C) The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing
D) The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing
  • 30. Which event is specifically listed as a terror attack abroad staged or claimed by IS?
A) The 2003 invasion of Iraq
B) The 2012 Benghazi attack
C) The 2016 Berlin truck attack
D) The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall
  • 31. Which of the following is an alternative name or acronym for the Islamic State?
A) Hamas
B) Da'esh
C) Hezbollah
D) Al-Nusra
  • 32. Which international body designates IS as a terrorist organisation, subjecting it to counterterrorism sanctions?
A) The International Red Cross
B) The Arab League
C) The United Nations
D) The European Union only
  • 33. Roughly how many people lived under the rule of the self-declared caliphate by the end of 2015?
A) 1 million
B) 50 million
C) 12 million
D) 500,000
  • 34. What preceded the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq in October 2006?
A) The Al-Sham coalition
B) The Arab Awakening
C) The Muslim Brotherhood
D) The Mujahideen Shura Council
  • 35. Which group experienced genocide committed by IS in Syria and Iraq?
A) Sunni Muslims
B) Chechens
C) Kurds
D) Yazidis
  • 36. According to Robert Manne, the ideology of the Islamic State is primarily based upon the writings of whom?
A) Ibn Saud
B) Ruhollah Khomeini
C) Sayyid Qutb
D) Osama bin Laden
  • 37. Who authored the legal manual on violence titled Fiqh ad-Dima?
A) Sayyid Qutb
B) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
C) Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
D) Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir
  • 38. What flag does IS use, featuring the Seal of Muhammad within a white circle?
A) The Golden Caliphate Standard
B) The Green Banner of Islam
C) The Black Standard
D) The Red Crescent Flag
  • 39. Who said that the Islamic State was 'drafted by Sayyid Qutb, taught by Abdullah Azzam, globalized by Osama bin Laden, transferred to reality by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and implemented by al-Baghdadis'?
A) Laurent Fabius
B) Hayder al Khoei
C) Bernard Haykel
D) Abdulelah Haider Shaye
  • 40. What militant group ideology is IS described as adhering to?
A) Marxism-Leninism
B) Wahhabism
C) Ba'athism
D) Salafi jihadism
  • 41. Which force announced the full capture of Raqqa from IS on 17 October 2017?
A) Iraqi Security Forces
B) Syrian Democratic Forces
C) Turkish Armed Forces
D) Free Syrian Army
  • 42. What was the ethnicity of al-Baghdadi's two deputy leaders, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani and Abu Ali al-Anbari?
A) Arab
B) Turkmen
C) Kurdish
D) Persian
  • 43. What proportion of IS fighters did journalist Mary Anne Weaver estimate were foreigners in early 2015?
A) Half
B) All of them
C) Ten percent
D) One quarter
  • 44. According to U.S. intelligence in February 2015, how many foreign fighters had joined IS, including those from the West?
A) 8,000,000
B) 30,000
C) 3,000
D) Around 20,000
  • 45. In September 2015, how many foreign fighters did the CIA estimate had joined IS?
A) 30,000
B) 15,000
C) 200,000
D) 3,400
  • 46. What is the primary source of conventional weapons for IS?
A) Donations from foreign allies
B) Black market purchases from Western nations
C) Captured weapons
D) Direct factory manufacturing
  • 47. Which country's historical stockpiles from the 2003-11 insurgency served as a major source of weapons for IS?
A) Bashar al-Assad's Syrian stockpiles
B) The Shah's Iranian stockpiles
C) Saddam Hussein's Iraqi stockpiles
D) Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan stockpiles
  • 48. According to Conflict Armament Research, what percentage of the group's weapons originated in China, Russia, or Eastern Europe?
A) Fifty per cent
B) Twenty-five per cent
C) Ninety per cent
D) Seventy-five per cent
  • 49. Which specific U.S.-made anti-tank missiles were captured by IS from the Free Syrian Army?
A) Stinger missiles
B) Javelin missiles
C) TOW missiles
D) Hellfire missiles
  • 50. From which university did IS capture nuclear materials in July 2014?
A) Damascus University
B) Baghdad University
C) Basra University
D) Mosul University
  • 51. What chemical agent was IS manufacturing and using in Syria and Iraq as stated by a U.S. official in September 2015?
A) Chlorine gas
B) Sarin gas
C) Mustard agent
D) VX nerve agent
  • 52. What types of bombs were used by Royal Air Force Tornadoes to destroy an IS drone base?
A) JDAM precision bombs
B) Cluster bombs
C) Paveway IV guided bombs
D) Napalm bombs
  • 53. Approximately what percentage of IS's western foreign fighters were made up of western women in 2015?
A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 5%
D) 50%
  • 54. Where were women generally confined upon arrival until 2016?
A) A refugee tent
B) A local prison
C) A 'women's house'
D) A training camp
  • 55. What are widows encouraged to do within IS?
A) Remarry
B) Return to their home countries
C) Join combat units
D) Live alone
  • 56. Which all-female brigade released the document entitled Women in the Islamic State: Manifesto and Case Study?
A) Al-Khansaa Brigade
B) Zainabiyoun Brigade
C) Khattab Brigade
D) Umm al-Mu'minin Brigade
  • 57. At what age does the manifesto suggest marriage and motherhood can begin?
A) As early as eighteen years old
B) As early as fifteen years old
C) As early as twelve years old
D) As early as nine years old
  • 58. According to a 2015 study by the Financial Action Task Force, how many primary sources of revenue does IS have?
A) Four
B) Six
C) Three
D) Five
  • 59. Since what year has IS produced annual reports giving numerical information on its operations in the style of corporate reports?
A) 2010
B) 2005
C) 2012
D) 2015
  • 60. Which organization analysed IS's funding sources from documents captured between 2005 and 2010?
A) The RAND Corporation
B) The Iraqi National Intelligence Service
C) The Financial Action Task Force
D) The United States Department of Justice
  • 61. According to the 2014 RAND Corporation analysis, what percentage of IS's operating budgets came from outside donations?
A) 20%
B) 75%
C) 5%
D) 50%
  • 62. What made IS the richest jihadist group in the world in mid-2014?
A) Having assets worth US$2 billion
B) Receiving massive outside donations
C) Selling billions of barrels of oil
D) Charging high corporate taxes
  • 63. Which company was found guilty in 2022 of paying IS for the operation of its facilities?
A) Swiss Exchange
B) Holcim
C) Lafarge
D) RAND
  • 64. During which century was the coinage used that inspired the IS monetary system?
A) Ninth century
B) Seventh century
C) Eleventh century
D) Fifth century
  • 65. What was the level of adoption for the new IS currency according to the text?
A) Overwhelming
B) Moderate
C) Minimal
D) Universal
  • 66. Which of the following subjects was NOT included in the IS school curriculum?
A) Islamic Law
B) History
C) Jihad
D) Sharia
  • 67. Which of the following subjects was included in the IS curriculum?
A) Geography
B) Art
C) Music
D) Jihad
  • 68. What was the focus of the educational centres organised by the Diwan of Outreach and Mosques?
A) Foreign languages
B) Sharia
C) Science
D) Mathematics
  • 69. Who may have been chief of education under the caliphate?
A) Iman al-Bugha
B) Abu Omar al-Baghdadi
C) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
D) Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
  • 70. At what age were students supposed to be able to attend university in the IS education system?
A) Eighteen
B) Sixteen
C) Twelve
D) Fifteen
  • 71. At what age were students supposed to graduate from university in the IS system?
A) Eighteen
B) Fifteen
C) Twenty-one
D) Twenty-two
  • 72. What was the original name of the group founded in 1999?
A) Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād
B) The Islamic State
C) Al Qaeda
D) The Badr Brigade
  • 73. What nationality was the founder of the group, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi?
A) Jordanian
B) Saudi
C) Syrian
D) Iraqi
  • 74. According to Zarqawi's 2004 letter, what method should jihadis use to start an open sectarian war?
A) Peaceful protests
B) Bombings
C) Cyberattacks
D) Naval blockades
  • 75. In which country did IS establish an official province on the Sinai Peninsula by June 2015?
A) Egypt
B) Yemen
C) Algeria
D) Libya
  • 76. What term was sometimes used to describe IS at its peak?
A) A terrorist cell
B) A multinational corporation
C) A quasi-state
D) A liberation front
  • 77. By what date had IS lost most of its territory in its former core areas in Syria and Iraq?
A) March 2019
B) October 2022
C) June 2015
D) Late 2020
  • 78. Through late 2020 and early 2021, which regional affiliates once again seized territory and settlements?
A) African affiliates
B) Asian affiliates
C) North American affiliates
D) European affiliates
  • 79. In which country did IS affiliates seize territory during the Boko Haram insurgency?
A) Mozambique
B) Nigeria
C) Mali
D) Egypt
  • 80. What is the name of the forest that was notably taken over by IS?
A) Sambisa Forest
B) Cabo Delgado Forest
C) Zarqawi Forest
D) Ansongo Forest
  • 81. On 17 November 2021, IS supporters urged the establishment of 'New Provinces' in which country?
A) Nigeria
B) Mali
C) Indonesia
D) Mozambique
  • 82. Which IS province captured the rural committee and town of Ansongo in Mali in October 2022?
A) Libyan province
B) Cabo Delgado province
C) Sahel province
D) Sinai province
  • 83. In which years did IS still hold a large territory in Africa according to the text?
A) 2004–2005
B) 2023–2024
C) 2019–2020
D) 2014–2015
  • 84. When did the Islamic State – Central Africa Province (IS-CAP) first appear?
A) 2015
B) 2018
C) 2022
D) 2020
  • 85. When was the Islamic State – Mozambique Province (ISMP) formed?
A) 2022
B) 2015
C) 2018
D) 2020
  • 86. In which province of Mozambique is ISMP primarily active?
A) Cabo Delgado
B) Puntland
C) Chad Basin
D) Greater Sahara
  • 87. From which group did ISMP emerge?
A) Al-Shabaab (Somali)
B) Allied Democratic Forces
C) Al-Shabaab (Mozambican)
D) Boko Haram
  • 88. What is the current size of ISMP?
A) 1,500–2,000
B) 8,000–12,000
C) Unknown
D) 2,000–3,000
  • 89. When was the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) formed?
A) 2022
B) 2015
C) 2020
D) 2018
  • 90. What was ISSP called when it was part of ISWAP?
A) ISWAP-Sahel
B) Greater Sahara Province
C) IS-CAP Greater Sahara
D) ISWAP-Greater Sahara
  • 91. In which region of Somalia does the Islamic State – Somalia Province (ISSP) primarily operate?
A) Chad Basin
B) Cabo Delgado
C) Puntland
D) Greater Sahara
  • 92. What is the estimated size of the Somali ISSP as of 2025?
A) 100-200 fighters
B) 2,000–3,000 fighters
C) 8,000–12,000 fighters
D) 1,500–2,000 fighters
  • 93. In which basin is the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) primarily active?
A) Zambezi Basin
B) Congo Basin
C) Chad Basin
D) Niger Basin
  • 94. From which group did ISWAP split?
A) Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
B) Boko Haram
C) Allied Democratic Forces
D) Al-Shabaab
  • 95. In which country is Islamic State – Bengal Province (IS-BP) active?
A) Bangladesh
B) Azerbaijan
C) India
D) Turkey
  • 96. Islamic State – Bengal Province (IS-BP) is an offshoot of which group?
A) Ansar Khalifa Philippines
B) Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
C) Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
D) Maute Group
  • 97. From which group did Islamic State – Pakistan Province (ISPP) split in 2019?
A) JMB
B) IS-CP
C) ISIS-K
D) Maute Group
  • 98. Where does Islamic State – Philippines Province (ISPP) primarily operate?
A) North Caucasus
B) Punjab
C) Mindanao
D) Jammu and Kashmir
  • 99. Who stated on 24 September 2014 that groups like ISIL have nothing to do with Islam?
A) Ban Ki-moon
B) Steven Hassan
C) An unnamed Sunni theologian
D) An Amnesty International representative
  • 100. What alternative name for ISIL did Ban Ki-moon use in his September 2014 speech?
A) Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
B) Da'ish
C) Al-Qaeda
D) Maute Group
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