Over the past year, ISIS has gotten constant coverage in the press. So we asked the staff of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures what they knew about ISIS...
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The first question: What does ISIS stand for?
The actual answer: ISIS has many names including IS, and ISIL. The 'IS' in ISIS is an acronym for "Islamic State."
"Calling the insurrection an 'Islamic State' just plays into this delusion... Even President Obama has been hesitant to lend ISIL an explicitly 'Islamic' label," according to ISIL is growing and this is why.
Then we asked: Who is the leader of ISIS?
The actual answer: The leader of ISIS is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"This is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the 'Islamic State' (ISIS), the group currently ravaging Syria and Iraq in a bid to create its own fiefdom," according to Meet Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, The Self-Declared Leader Of The "Islamic State" In Syria And Iraq.
Next, we asked: Where is ISIS?
The actual answer: ISIS is not just in Iraq and Syria.
"The pledge of allegiance comes after al-Baghdadi accepted similar undertakings in November from jihadist groups in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, according to the BBC," according to Nigeria's Boko Haram Pledges Allegiance To ISIS In Purported Audio Message.
But ISIS is also on the internet...
...And uses Twitter to recruit women.
"These outreach methods appear to be effective. An account of a woman who claimed to have arrived in Syria in November mentioned her excitement at meeting one of the "Akhawhat," or sisters, from Twitter upon her arrival," according to
Then we asked people: How much money does ISIS have?
The actual answer: Over $2 billion.
"It is believed to have built itself a total wealth of over $2 billion — far beyond what any terror group before it has managed to muster," according to
Where does ISIS get money from?
The actual answer: Oil smuggling.
"Even with U.S. airstrikes now targeting its oil infrastructure, ISIS can make over $1 million a day from the trade," according to This Is How ISIS Smuggles Oil.