In the aftermath of the occupation by, and subsequent war against, the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Iraq (2014-2017), geographically proximate communities with similar ethno-religious and tribal compositions, as well as shared social systems, developed different resilience responses to the return of IS affiliates. Some communities developed ‘exclusive resilience’, whereby communities responded to the perceived threat of return by rejecting the return of families with a perceived affiliation to IS, thereby aiming to keep the perceived threat away. Other communities developed ‘inclusive resilience’, whereby they allowed the return of IS affiliates; this approach aimed to mitigate the perceived threat from within. Drawing on a Most Similar Systems Design method of comparative case study analysis, this study found that pathways to exclusive or inclusive resilience emerged from specific combinations of the communities’ social interaction factors associated with the four-element model of Sense of Community, which is used as the framework of analysis. The study is based on original data collected through 42 in-depth interviews, 17 focus group discussions and 17 participatory mappings in six Arab Sunni communities in Iraq from June to August 2019.