RIP Karl
First of all, RIP Karl Lagerfeld. As my friend Luke said, when messaging me with the sad news, it seemed as if he, much like the Queen, might be immortal. As when anyone of noteriety dies, praise and critique abounds, and I'll spend a few hours more obsessed with learning about them than I ever was during the 32 years in which we co-existed. I doubt Karl Lagerfeld's death will stand out as one of those "where were you when you found out?" moments for me, but I know the Queen's death will and I am really curious as to how we'll experience Operation London Bridge here.
Onto some substance: At a dinner party on Friday night (the Brits throw superior dinner parties, I have to admit), Jamie's friend suggested listening to the podcast Caliphate (available here or on iTunes), saying it was his favorite of last year. After giving the first episode a go, I listened to the remaining eleven within two days.
The podcast follows an NYT reporter who covers the Islamic State, which I'll admit I didn't fully understand. I vaguely get what they did and stood for, but I couldn't point to Mosul on a map or tell you why it was relevant to IS. In Caliphate, you walk through a dialogue with a recruit that gives you more insight into how they recruited new, impressionable members, the brutality of the organization, and a better understanding of the beliefs that guide them to function as they do (basically, they want to recreate an ideal 7th century society under Sharia (or Islamic) law, when the Prophet was alive). If you like learning through narratives, this one is excellent.
I've since been sucked into what the internets have to say about it all. This article is long but thorough and worth reading over a few days. What's the difference between the Islamic State, al-Queda, and the Taliban? Are they all the same? Well, not really. What happens to people who joined but now want to come back? No one knows yet. Why does it seem to have so many names (Isil, Isis, etc.)? That's a complicated one.
I suppose this isn't the cheeriest of Wedensday topics, but the bits of reading and listening I did connected a lot of dots for me.
Onto some substance: At a dinner party on Friday night (the Brits throw superior dinner parties, I have to admit), Jamie's friend suggested listening to the podcast Caliphate (available here or on iTunes), saying it was his favorite of last year. After giving the first episode a go, I listened to the remaining eleven within two days.
The podcast follows an NYT reporter who covers the Islamic State, which I'll admit I didn't fully understand. I vaguely get what they did and stood for, but I couldn't point to Mosul on a map or tell you why it was relevant to IS. In Caliphate, you walk through a dialogue with a recruit that gives you more insight into how they recruited new, impressionable members, the brutality of the organization, and a better understanding of the beliefs that guide them to function as they do (basically, they want to recreate an ideal 7th century society under Sharia (or Islamic) law, when the Prophet was alive). If you like learning through narratives, this one is excellent.
I've since been sucked into what the internets have to say about it all. This article is long but thorough and worth reading over a few days. What's the difference between the Islamic State, al-Queda, and the Taliban? Are they all the same? Well, not really. What happens to people who joined but now want to come back? No one knows yet. Why does it seem to have so many names (Isil, Isis, etc.)? That's a complicated one.
I suppose this isn't the cheeriest of Wedensday topics, but the bits of reading and listening I did connected a lot of dots for me.
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