Whenever al-Baghdadi "dies" reinforces his myth in the eyes of his followers, the premature passing of the leader would immediately take on the connotation of a negative omen hovering over the Caliphate.
A man with a hazy past has the typical profile of a mediocre man who wants to excel in something without committing himself, a shame that this time he has dragged two countries and a disproportionate number of people with him.
Already escaped twice to the Western raids the aura of immortality of the religious leader is increasing to excess and denotes almost a real divine approval in the eyes of the skeptics. The history of al-Baghdadi before becoming Caliph but it is quite different from what one would expect from a religious leader of implacable intransigence. Surely his faithful supporters are not aware of the mediocre man they are following, their leader's life is full of failures and small achievements.
The secrecy with which the founder of the IS lives is functional to its purpose, the less one knows and the more one can build. The less we become aware of what his life has been, the more the Caliph can embroider his obsequious origins and his remarkable qualities.
Student below average, does not shine for acumen, good at math and Arabic language categorically denies learning English. A warning sign? Who knows.
Once he reaches maturity with an overall acceptable vote, it is not enough for him to enter the legal faculty he has always aspired to. The choice of this faculty is for many a symptom of the true nature of al-Baghdadi a young man who wants to stand out, who needs to feel and be the leader of something. The mocking fate denies the advocacy to our future Caliph but allows him, thanks to the martyrdom of his brother at a young age, admission to the faculty of Sharia University of Baghdad. Here he turned his studies towards the Law Department of the Islamic University of Law, then moving on to Koranic studies.
The story is full of profiles like that of the Caliph, brilliant minds that badly apply themselves in the right direction. Almost vindictive towards that world that has given it only mediocrity and closed doors, al-Baghdadi is today in the top list of the most sought after in the world on the walls of American agencies.
A lot has been said and heard about al-Baghdadi, little or nothing comes from those who really knew him. What is certain is that in the 2004 - after his first marriage - he is arrested by the Americans and then locked up in the prison of Camp Bucca for common prisoners. TO Campo Bucca, a legend is born behind the other, those who claim that those who have been victims of physical abuse have been trained by the CIA. Many, almost all of them, actually see in the 2004 the key with which the new leader is forged and the construction of a parallel life that serves its purpose begins. The family from which it descends has never seen even in photos the prestigious origins of which it boasts so much, even bragging about the sacred descent of the prophet Muhammad. Yet almost everyone believes in it, follows it, recognizes it as the new Caliph.
The origins are peasant, large family with several brothers and two parents present. The violence of his kingdom is therefore simply practical for the purpose of building a reign of terror that grinds consensus based on fear of the different and on a still tribal society like that of the rural areas of Iraq and Libya. The concept of the Caliphate as presented by al-Baghdadi does not exist and will never exist in the reading of the Koran or even in the interpretations of the great experts in the field of Muslim theology. The oppressive and violent realm we see is a kingdom created by exploiting a model theorized in sacred texts and exasperated to become relevant to reality.
The timing between al-Baghdadi and the coalition seems to be unbelievable. Not only does his alleged death risk consecrating him to an undisputed leader, but he seems to be the victim of a strange combination of events. Being able to escape a new attack on the very day when its legitimacy to lead the new realm of the righteous was questioned for many is an unequivocal sign: he is the way.
Like any totalitarian and absolutist state that bases its creation on the identity of its leader, every starting point is good to underline the authority and goodness of the project. The proselytism of al-Baghdadi passes from this mystical and religious aura mixed with an outline of intransigence and moral severity, if the followers of the Caliph did not see and believe in his call from above, the IS would no longer exist for a long time.
