ISIS is a plausible version of Islam, not a fringe cult

The Islamic State is not the 'Scientology of Islam'—not a fringe cult—but offers an all-too-plausible version of Islam directly linked to the actual doctrine of jihad found in the Quran and hadith and to specific ideas about martyrdom and paradise, so the problem the Muslim world must grapple with is rendering that interpretation less plausible and less contagious.