For other uses, see Isis (disambiguation).
Isis
**Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant** (**ISIL**), or **Islamic State of Iraq and Syria** (**ISIS**), or **Islamic State**, (**IS**) is a Wahhabi jihadist militant group. In Arabic it is often called "Daesh". It operates in Libya, Nigeria, Syria and a small part of northern Iraq. It is influenced by the Wahhabi Sect of Islam. It claims the status of independent state for the territories under its control in Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, and Syria. It is opposed to Shiism and has been described as "Shiaphobic".

The group was started in the early years of the Iraq War and associated itself with Al-Qaeda in 2004. ISIL was composed of different insurgent groups. Its aim was to establish a caliphate in the Sunni majority regions of Iraq, later expanding this to include Syria. In February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle, Al-Qaeda cut all ties with ISIL.

ISIL is millenarianist, meaning it believes that society is going to change a lot, and everything we know will end soon. The group recruits new members by promising them sex slaves or cheap marriages.

Cults
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Isis was perhaps the most important goddess of all Egyptian mythology. During the course of Egyptian history, Isis assumed the attributes and functions of virtually every other important goddess in the land. Her most important functions, however, were those of motherhood, marital devotion, healing the sick, and the working of magical spells and charms. She was believed to be the most powerful magician in the universe, because she had learned the Secret Name of Ra from the god himself. Isis was the sister and wife of Osiris, sister of Set, and twin sister of Nephthys. She was the mother of Horus the Child (Harpocrates), and was the protective goddess of Horus's son Amset, protector of the liver of the deceased. 

Isis was responsible for protecting Horus from Set during his infancy; for helping Osiris to return to life; and for assisting her husband to rule in the land of the Dead. 

Her cult seems to have originally centred, like her husband's, at Abydos near the Delta in the North (Lower Egypt). She was adopted into the family of Ra early in Egyptian history by the priests of Heliopolis. From the New Kingdom onwards (c. 1500 BC) her worship no longer had any particular identifiable centre, and she became more or less universally worshipped, as her husband was.

Powers
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Isis had great powers such as: healing, protection, and magic. She could even cast spells on Ra. An example of her powers is when Isis brought Osiris back to life for one night. The powers were only strong enough to bring Osiris back for a single night.

Isis is shown with a sun disk on her head. She also had a throne on her head to symbolize she was a queen. Sometimes Isis is called the egg of the goose because Geb is the father of Isis and goose represents him.

Worship of Isis
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Many Egyptian gods and goddesses started in one place, or were the tutelary deity of one place all through their history. Many big cities and towns are known as the hometowns of their god or goddess. However, no local cities where Isis was worshipped have been found; all through her early history there are no known temples to her. Worship of Isis did not start until as late as the 30th dynasty; until that time Isis was worshipped in temples of other gods or goddesses. However, even in the 30th dynasty Isis was worshipped together with Horus and Osiris. Temples to Isis became common in the Roman times. There was a temple built to her at Philae.

Temple of Isis in Rome - remains of the Sanctuary Isiaco, the Janiculum (via Dandolo)
By this time, temples to Isis began to spread outside of Egypt. In many places her followers took over the worship to the Semitic goddess Astarte, because of the similarity of names. In the Hellenistic era, she also became the goddess who protected sailors. 

In all parts of the Graeco-Roman world, Isis became one of the most important figures of the "mystery religions", and many classical writers sometimes wrote about her temples, and followers. Temples to Isis were built in Iraq, Greece, Rome, even as far north as England where the remains of a temple were found at Hadrian's Wall. At Philae, she was worshipped until the 6th century, after the rise of Christianity. The fall of her temples is usually said to mark the end of ancient Egypt.

Priesthood
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Roman statue of a priestess of Isis from the 2nd Century C.E.
Little information on Egyptian priests of Isis has been found, but we know that there were both priests and priestesses of her followers all through her history. By the Graeco-Roman era, many of them were healers, and were said to have many other powers, including explaining dreams and the power to control the weather by braiding or combing their hair.
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Ancient Egyptian religion |
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| Mythology | 
* Paganism
* Pantheism
* Polytheism
* Emanationism
* Soul
* Duat
* Numerology

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| Deities | 
* Amun
* Amunet
* Anubis
* Anuket
* Apep
* Apis
* Aten
* Atum
* Bastet
* Bat
* Bes
* Four sons of Horus
* Geb
* Hapi
* Hathor
* Heka
* Heqet
* Horus
* Isis
* Khepri
* Khnum
* Khonsu
* Kuk
* Maahes
* Ma'at
* Mafdet
* Mehit
* Meretseger
* Meskhenet
* Min
* Mnewer
* Monthu
* Mut
* Nefertem
* Neith
* Nekhbet
* Nephthys
* Nu
* Nut
* Osiris
* Pakhet
* Ptah
* Qebui
* Qetesh
* Ra
* Raet-Tawy
* Resheph
* Satet
* Sekhmet
* Seker
* Serket
* Seshat
* Set
* Shu
* Sobek
* Sopdet
* Sopdu
* Tatenen
* Taweret
* Tefnut
* Thoth
* Wadjet
* Wadj-wer
* Wepwawet
* Wosret

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| Writings | 
* *Amduat*
* *Books of Breathing*
* *Book of Caverns*
* *Book of the Dead*
* *Book of the Earth*
* *Book of Gates*
* *Book of the Netherworld*

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| Beliefs | 
* Atenism
* Curse of the Pharaohs
* Funerals
* Offering formula
* Philosophy
* Temples

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