ISIS congratulates Lionel Messi on scoring against Iran

ISIS congratulates Lionel Messi on scoring against Iran
(Image credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Everyone loves the World Cup. Even psychotic extremists who dream of imposing a seventh century-style caliphate on the Middle East.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a Sunni militant group that has violently seized control of a wide swath of Iraq, has reportedly congratulated Argentina's Lionel Messi on his last-minute World Cup goal against Iran, the predominantly Shiite nation that is clearly unnerved by ISIS's rise next door. Through Twitter and Facebook, ISIS also invited Messi to "join the jihadist call," according to the Brookings Institution.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.