What Living Under ISIS Taught Me About Extremism

The Rest Is Politics

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Friday, 13 November 2026 - 15 minutes

Twenty-five years after 9/11, does terrorism still pose an existential threat to humanity? How do ordinary people become extremists — and why is it a mistake to generalise about the “type” of person who joins a terror organisation? What opportunities did the chaos of ISIS’ caliphate present to otherwise unlikely recruits?

This week, Rory is joined by Iraqi historian and blogger Omar Mohammed, who, when ISIS captured Mosul in 2014, began secretly reporting on life inside the city, at great personal risk, and documented the occupation while it was happening.

To hear the whole episode and the rest of the series where Rory interviews Yuval Noah Hararri, Edward Fishman, Carlo Rovelli and Toby Ord, sign up at therestispolitics.com

Video Editor: Vasco Andrade

Producer: India Dunkley

Assistant Producer: Evie Townend

Executive Producer: Bella Soames

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