Islamic State provided simple answers to life's questions, historian tells Lisa Smith trial

The court heard there were many Islamic scholars who denounced terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but there were other "respected voices" who saw his caliphate as legitimate

Professor Hugh Kennedy told the Lisa Smith trial that it is possible for a person to believe in the caliphate - an Islamic state that has existed in different places since the seventh century - but not believe in the ideology of Isis, the terrorist organisation. Photo: Collins Courts

A medieval historian has told the trial of Lisa Smith, a former soldier who denies membership of Isis, that for many the Islamic State created by terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi provided simple answers to life's questions and was considered legitimate by respected religious scholars.

Professor Hugh Kennedy also said that it is possible for a person to believe in the caliphate - an Islamic state that has existed in different places since the seventh century - but not believe in the ideology of Isis, the terrorist organisation.