Sounds pretty ominous, but also ambiguous — perhaps deliberately so. Nation of the Cross? That could mean the U.S., where 83% of the population self-identifies as Christian and which is arguably the Islamic State’s arch enemy. In addition, as Weasel Zippers notes, last August Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the man proclaimed by members of the group to be their Caliph, “defamed” the U.S. as the “Defenders of the Cross.”
#ISIS upcoming new release: A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross #Syria #Iraq pic.twitter.com/e2UHhoRvnh
— Rami (@RamiAlLolah) February 15, 2015
Then again, the threat might be directed at Denmark, whose flag bears the Nordic Cross, which traces its roots to the Crusades. That interpretation would also square with yesterday’s twin Islamist terrorist attacks on the Danish capital, one at an event celebrating free speech, the other at a synagogue.
Of course, if we are to believe the Obama administration, neither of these readings is correct. According to the White House and its defenders in the leftosphere, there is no conclusive evidence that ISIS is connected in any way with Islam or that its mission is religious. Then again, Obama is the man who wrote the group off as the JV last year, so maybe he’s not the best or brightest source on the murderous intentions of a bloodthirsty militant organization that calls itself — unambiguously — the Islamic State.
