The manner in which a terrorist took over a downtown Sydney cafe and his demand that an Islamic State flag be delivered to him, proves how strongly jihadist ideas have come to resonate with young Muslims worldwide. This lone gunman was able to carry out a terrorist attack despite the massive raids carried out by Australian law enforcement agencies around two months ago, in which dozens of people were arrested. At the time, Sydney police said intelligence had indicated the suspects were planning to execute civilians and spread terror and fear across Australia. The Islamic State group, it seems, has found a way to circumvent the measures implemented by many Western countries, which enable the immediate arrest of individuals who return home after fighting for the jihadist group and revoking their citizenship. This method of long-distance jihad stipulates that any attack on Western soil is in line with jihad, meaning the "mujahedeen" -- holy warriors -- no longer have to travel to Iraq or Syria to fight the infidels. After all, any country that is not Muslim is doomed for destruction. This evil, hateful terrorist heeded the call of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to wage jihad -- holy war -- where he was, in Australia. Proof of this hatred for the West and its symbols can be seen in recent online videos showing European Muslim youths, who do not even bother masking their faces, burning their European passports, knowing they can never go home again. For whatever reason, these youths have turned their backs on the West and its modern lifestyle, and now see the democratic life they once led as a severe ideological failure. These "holy warriors" believe the West has gone morally bankrupt. These youths seek to prove to the world that Islam must be allowed to fulfill its destiny, that is "leading humanity," via the Islamic State group, which derives its authority and legitimization from Shariah, Islamic religious law. The Islamic State's true goal is the inception of a physical nation of Islam, where its fighters would rule and the only source of authority would be the Quran. The leader of the Islamic State group calls upon these youths to realize his vision for an Islamic caliphate. They believe their religion and their leader have what it takes to from an Islamic nation in Syria and Iraq, and later to overrun Paris, Washington and Sydney. There is no doubt the Australian terrorist was enthralled by this notion. The Islamic State group embodies the role Baghdadi seeks to see young Muslims worldwide fulfill. It is no secret that this jihadist group has made it its mission to "liberate" all non-Muslim nations -- the West -- via holy war, and the latter is an obligation all Muslims must undertake. Those who seek to join this war and be part of the future caliphate must undertake the ways of Islam, and those who shirk this responsibility are traitors. For the Islamic State group, the first step in realizing its goal is the liberation of the Muslim states from their corrupt, traitorous, secular leaders. Only then can they install the rule of Allah across Europe, the United States and Australia. Is Islamic State a fleeting phenomenon similar to extinct Western ideologies like communism, Nazism or fascism, or is it a new religious movement growing within the West, sprouting from the base while eyeing its annihilation? If the latter is true, how does the West plan to counter this threat, and what is to become of the thousands of young Muslims whose affiliation with Islamic State has made them ticking time bombs? Dr. Edy Cohen is a research fellow at Bar-Ilan University.
