Study finds ideology as important an inspiration to American jihadists as affiliation with Islamic state group

A new study from the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism found that American jihadists continue to draw inspiration from a variety of groups other than the Islamic State group (IS). Many are influenced by a blend of ideas and messages from different, often rival, organizations. These findings suggest that, in the West, identification with Salafi-jihadism, the ideology that advocates for violent jihad to establish an Islamic state, is equally as important as affiliation with a specific terrorist organization.