For the caliphate, now as throughout history, might makes right. The longer the Islamic State lasts, the more loyalty it will win among Muslims. We have already seen Muslims from the West traveling in record numbers to join it in Iraq and Syria. That will continue and increase, as long as the Islamic State continues to consolidate its hold on the territory it occupies.
“Analysts: ISIS Developing ‘Colonies’ in Middle East as it Gains Credibility Among Jihadists,” by Michael Carl, Breitbart, November 25, 2014:
Reports coming out of the Middle East warn that the Islamic State terrorist group has established provinces across the region and a colony in Libya.
One report from the Washington Institute says ISIS has developed colonies in areas as far as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, and in the Sinai Peninsula through jihadist groups declaring loyalty to the Islamic State.
ISIS has spread, they note, as far as Africa. One station is the result of fighters loyal to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gaining complete control of the Libyan seaport city of Derna. Derna is near the Egyptian border and about 200 miles from Greece.
Jerusalem-based intelligence analyst Adina Kutnicki told Breitbart in an interview that ISIS’ expansion into Libya is definitely an offensive move.
“Wherever the Caliphate (ISIS) claims as its address and hoists its banner, rest assured, offensive jihad gains exponential traction,” Kutnicki said.
Jihad Watch publisher Robert Spencer told Breitbart that the number of declared Islamic State loyalists means the Caliphate is gaining credibility.
“This means the caliphate claim is gaining traction. In Sunni Islam, only the caliph is authorized to wage offensive jihad. Therefore this ultimately means that there will be even more violence against Westerners and non-Muslims. This is a new level that will make these days look like times of peace,” Spencer said….