generalspeaking

Escaping The Slaughter

"It was totally different from what they said jihad would be like."
"It's not a revolution or jihad. It's a slaughter."
Ghaith, escaped Islamic State recruit

"Not everyone who returns is a budding criminal. Not everyone is going to kill -- far from it. But it's probable that there is a small fringe that is capable of just about anything."
Marc Trebidic, anti-terror judge, France

english.alarabiya.net ISIS recruits at record pace in Syria

Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham battles a multi-faceted war. It fights against Shiite Muslims whom Sunni Muslims consider are not true Muslims since the ancient schism occurred when Shiites honoured the caliph succession of Mohammad's direct descendants, and Sunnis believed that anyone with the stature and influence required could take his place as Mohammad's successor. But then Islamic State also does battle with Sunni Muslims who are not as fanatical about the purity of Islam as they are.

Of course they also are in conflict with Western influence and Western interference in their plans of conquest. But they are also waging a battle of terrorism against the people whose geography they occupy; not only the minority ethnic and religious groups whom they prey upon, enslaving them and slaughtering them and raping their women, but the Sunni Muslim citizens of the towns and cities they have conquered in Syria and Iraq.

Many of whom feel great moral discomfort at being forced to live under the rule of strict Sharia enforced by people lacking human conscience that stops most people from committing heinous crimes as though they are obligated by a higher power to indulge in bloodthirsty carnage to advance that power's agenda of universal conquest.

So people living in the towns and cities are given warning that they must obey the edicts of Islamic State, and that should they come afoul of those expectations they can expect the same treatment that ISIS metes out to foreign aid workers, journalists and military personnel who are beheaded, crucified, immolated. Living in fear and foreboding lest they draw the attention of ISIS fighters, they cower and obey.

And then there are those who have joined the Islamic State ranks as mujahideen from across the Muslim geographic spectrum, familiar with the conflicts emanating from tribal enmities and unlikely to shrink away in horror at gruesome slaughter. Among them as well are jihadists who have embraced the opportunity to further the work of the faithful in Islam who have lived in Europe and North America believing as eager recruits that they are fulfilling their obligation to Islam by joining jihad.

When they discover that the conflict they have joined appears not to reflect their ideas of Islam as a holy religion of peace and comfort, one that proffers compassion to people in need, and is instead an avenging campaign of unrelenting pillage, rape and murder, a campaign whose leaders fully expect those recruits to become fully involved to prove their total surrender to Islam, they are hampered by conscience.

And this is the final group which Islamic State must exert the power of terror over, to constrain them from abandoning that cause, and returning to the countries from which they emanated. The austere living conditions and unending violence that reflects the Islamic State agenda becomes discomfiting to some tender souls disappointed in jihad, whom Islamic State takes steps to stop from departing.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that Islamic State has killed 120 of its own members in the last six months, most representing foreign-derived fighters planning to return home. Perhaps not fully realizing that even if they manage to evade detection and leave before it becomes apparent that they have become traitors to ISIS, they may be unable to return, viewed as terrorist security risks in the places where they were born and lived.

The U.S.-led allied bombing campaign that has degraded the ISIS advance, once felt to be implacably inexorable in its juggernaut advance, has also struck fear into raw recruits. They face an immediate dilemma in wanting to return to Europe, since ISIS retains their passports and identity documents upon enlisting.

"They took all my documents and asked me if I wanted to be a fighter or a suicide bomber", said Abdul-Rahman from his prison cell in Baghdad. He had surrendered to Iraqi forces after making the choice to fight for ISIS. Another recruit from Tunisia, Ali had successfully completed four courier trips between Syria and Tunisia, and finally never returned to Syria after transporting money, propaganda videos and news.

"I feel like I was a terrorist, I was shocked by what I did", Ali confessed. "Go have a drink. Don't pray. It's not Islam. Don't give your life up for nothing", is his advice for those attracted to ISIS.

Labels: Iraq, Islamic State, Jihad, Syria, Terror

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, February 07, 2015