The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) is a terrorist group that relies deeply and existentially on the widespread belief of impending apocalypse to promote and support his brutal ideology. The group's fixation on the apocalypse can be seen to evolve in part from personal and collective trauma, which at the same time helps the group attract woefully misguided recruits. While rational individuals might be able to demonstrate that ISIS prophecies (i.e. about the apocalypse) are atrociously misleading and even easily disproven, it is unfortunately extremely difficult to convince radicalized people to abandon their extremist views. While the absence of apocalyptic beliefs would go a long way toward mitigating the radical influence of the terrorist group, the dispute also does not necessarily work to mitigate the underlying issues that lead ISIS to adopt its terrorist ideologies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay ISIS harbors various apocalyptic visions based on prophecies that have been (incorrectly) attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. These were generally “put together in the Middle Ages. Some of these prophecies have become more popular – not just among ISIS members – in the wake of the upheavals following the Iraq War and the Arab Spring.” The trauma resulting from revolution and actual war has helped give credibility to apocalyptic prophecies and other radical ideas. In this light, “the Islamic State is not a simple collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, including that they are a key agent of the coming apocalypse.” To offer more detail regarding ISIS beliefs, as part of its “apocalyptic propaganda,” the otherwise unremarkable Syrian city of Dabiq was supposed to be the site of a clash with “Rome,” the Christian invaders of the Middle East, which was 1/6 immediately precede the conquest of Constantinople, and therefore the Day of Judgment." According to this belief, “the Islamic State awaits the arrival of an enemy army there.” ISIS prophecies obviously did not come true, and the group suffered considerable losses in Dabiq and elsewhere that seemingly contradict them. However, this does not necessarily mean that ISIS's apocalyptic message will begin to fall on deaf ears. As part of a "classic study from the mid-1950s, social psychologist Leon Festinger and his colleagues suggested that when predictions of apocalyptic or messianic movements do not come true, this may actually make their adherents more devoted to the cause." . The dispute may fail to eliminate ISIS ideology. This is especially true when violence continues to rage, creating an environment that facilitates this radical ideology even if the logic does not. In this sense, “ISIS brutality is strategic”. It can serve to attract recruits, exploiting their trauma. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Ultimately, ISIS's focus on the supposedly impending apocalypse provides the terrorist group with its raison d'être. The absence of his apocalyptic message threatens the group existentially. This is why brutality and violence are so necessary for ISIS, as these factors foster apocalyptic messages and viewpoints, providing urgency and persistence to the group's terrorist mission. To effectively eliminate ISIS, it would be necessary to significantly undermine the group's ability to promote the idea..