Books in The Crimes of Isis series

ISIS claims to have reinstated the glorious caliphate of old: a time when Islam was at the center of the world, and Islamic law was the law of the land. Many of their practices are considered barbaric by modern standards, but followers of the Islamic State claim their ways are prescribed by righteous ancestors, passed down orally and in written records. Daily life under the caliphate has been turned upside down for those caught in the path of ISIS. Students will learn how ISIS enforces a 1,500-year-old body of laws, what daily life is like for followers of the Islamic State, and what it's like to live under the caliphate for those forced to endure the rule of ISIS.

When Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi called all Muslims to join the self-proclaimed Islamic State and fight jihad, tens of thousands answered the call from all over the globe. This book explores the formation of the Islamic State and how the organization went about recruiting an army to challenge the world order. Students will learn how the Islamic State used traditional recruitment methods, such as outreach through mosques and local influencers, as well as more modern tactics like social media and smartphone apps, to amass its following, and will explore what sorts of followers each mode of recruitment attracted.

The world leapt to action in 2014 when it learned that 50,000 members of a Christian minority group were trapped and starving on the side of a mountain, having been driven from their homes by ISIS soldiers. These Christians are not the only minorities caught in the destructive path of ISIS; Jews and Zoroastrians have also been persecuted, as have more permissive sects of Muslim believers. While many have fled, others have been offered a choice: convert to Islam, pay a tax, or die. This book explores how the rise of ISIS has influenced religious minorities caught in the so-called caliphate and what their lives are like under this oppressive regime.

While most children learn reading and math, the child soldiers of ISIS spend their days on weapons training and religious education. Called "The Cubs of the Caliphate," these children are weapons of the Islamic State. Some are the children of Islamic State fighters, while others are kidnapped and forced to fight for ISIS if they want to live. While the world has been outraged by footage of these young fighters killing hostages and waging war, there's more to their story. This book looks at how ISIS is selecting and grooming the next generation of jihadists and what can be done to prevent a generation of lost children.

As terror attacks dominate our nightly news stories, it's important for young adults to learn how to decipher the headlines and get to the heart of the story. To do that, they need to know how and why the Islamic State (ISIS) exists, and what incites its members to produce a unique brand of widespread, horrific violence. Your readers will be taken through the rapid rise of the terror group, learn how they recruit worldwide, including children, and discover untold stories about the people who have been persecuted by an organization that views all outsiders as enemies.