Once they join the ranks of the Islamic State, there is no turning back for them. For jihad, holy war against infidels, they must be ready for any sacrifice. They put their family, career and, above all, their own life at stake. How does ISIS convince them to do so?
Allah gave us the Internet and cell phones
The main carrier of propaganda content served by Islamic radicals is ... the Internet. It is eagerly used by jihadists from ISIS, the self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq, which was announced in 2014. It is with his help that they indoctrinate, recruit and train their followers. IS-administered websites are also a powerful tool in psychological warfare to intimidate Western societies.
Showing cruel executions and praising the "heroism" of the shahids, or martyr fighters, has one more clearly defined goal. Its idea is to call on young Muslims to go to the hijra, that is to emigrate from the country of kafirs (infidels) to the ISIS caliphate.
Thanks to the enormous popularity of social networking sites and the spread of smartphones, the reach of ISIS fundamentalists' propaganda has become almost unlimited. Real Islamic headhunters, hunting young Muslims . They are mainly looking for poor people with no major life prospects. They offer them a vision of a just and holy war and, after their glorious death, an eternal paradise. Interestingly, this message convinces not only the followers of the Prophet Muhammad. There have been cases of Christians converting to Islam and going into "holy war".
For the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to grow in strength, warriors are needed. How to catch them? Preferably via the Internet! On the map of Syria and Iraq, the area controlled by ISIS in February 2017 is marked in gray (author:Haghal Jagul, public domain).
The true online celebrity of the Islamic State has become the French-Moroccan jihadist Abu Abdallah Guitone. Young, handsome, fluent in several languages. On his Facebook profile, he presented himself in clothes and shoes of the best brands. Always well-groomed, smiling and ... armed to the teeth, he was the idol of thousands of teenagers. His way of being and clothes made an electrifying impression on young people. Guitone made them too want to become Islamic fighters.
A Chechen fighter from Georgia
Georgia turned out to be a plentiful source for ISIS recruiters. One of the most famous fighters from there was Tarhan Batirashvili, a former sergeant of the Georgian army intelligence. During the war with Russia in 2008, he was active in the rear of the Russian troops. Two years after the war, he was dismissed from service because he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He could not find a job for a long time. Eventually, he was arrested on bogus charges of illegal possession of a gun. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
While doing his sentence, Tarhan underwent a real metamorphosis. In prison, he met a man who became his spiritual guide. It was a Saudi named Muhammad. This is what Marcin Mamoń writes about his influence on Batirashvili in his book "Wojna braci" ("War of the brothers"):
He told Tarhan about the important role of the Saudis in supporting the jihad and about the life and deeds of the legendary martyr - Shahid, Inshallah, Samir Abd Allah Salih al-Suwajlim, known throughout the Islamic world under the name of Amir al-Khattab, a mujahideen who spent his entire life in jihad.
After his release from prison, Batirashvili contacted jihadists via the Internet. Already in mid-2012, he crossed the Turkish-Syrian border. In Syria, he took the name of Umar Ash-Shishani. He quickly became one of the closest associates of the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and thus - one of the most influential people in the caliphate. The distinctive red-bearded man gave fiery speeches published on the Internet and called for a "holy war". His career, however, only lasted a few years. According to various sources, Batirashvili died in March or July 2016.
Businessmen and married women
The complete opposite of the Georgian ex-soldier was a fighter with the Muslim name of Abdulla. He started out as a Moscow businessman. He was doing great then. He also had a "normal" family. The crisis came when a war broke out in Moscow between the state-controlled mafia and the "brothers" - the Islamists. Abdulla, wanting to have peace of mind in business, had to pay off with the former. So in the end he sold everything, took his wife and children, and by the beginning of 2012 he was in Syria. This is how Marcin Mamoń describes his decision in "War of brothers":
He didn't want to live or die in the world of sin that the capital of Russia was for him. He wanted to fight. Why would I blow myself up there or in Europe? - says. - Only a sick person leaves himself among normal people. He is ready for suicide, but "together with those who fight against us, who came to our earth." Our, all Muslims, gift al-Islam - the land of Islam.
Frustrated by two unsuccessful wars for independence against Russia, Chechens willingly side with ISIS and are valued fighters. The photo shows the Chechen's prayer during the battle for Grozny (photo:Mikhail Evstafiev, license CC BY-SA 3.0).
The Islamic State attracted not only men. Women also fled to the caliphate . For example, two young girls escaped from a village in the Pankisi Gorge (Northeast Georgia). One of them left her husband and children.
He left for school and… joined ISIS
Young people in particular are susceptible to the propaganda of ISIS jihadists. One Georgian teenager showed exceptional ingenuity to be at the side of the "brothers". He told his family that he wanted to go to school in Western Europe. His relatives borrowed money to provide him with money for the trip. However, the boy bought a ticket to Istanbul with them and made his way to Syria.
The story of two other young men who joined the ranks of Islamic State fighters echoed widely in Georgia. 18-year-old Ramzan Alhanashvili did not return home after school in April 2015. Concerned, his mother reported him missing to the police. After searching computer databases, it turned out that Ramzan left Georgia in the company of a friend who was two years his junior and went in an unknown direction. Fugitives soon notified their parents over the Internet that they were going to Syria for jihad . Soon a photo of them in field uniforms and with weapons in their hands appeared on the ISIS website.
Georgia is also an important recruitment point, where villages in the mountains are almost completely abandoned. Inhabitants went to jihad. In this photo, a Georgian soldier in 2004 is walking along a path in South Ossetia (photo:Jonathan Alpeyrie, license CC BY-SA 3.0).
Another future fighter, 21-year-old Zubir, was a refugee from Chechnya. Through Poland, he got to Austria. As he was a wrestler for a long time, he quickly became a champion in his weight there. He was even supposed to compete for the Austrian national team at the European Championships in Belgrade in 2012. Unfortunately, an injury eliminated him. And two weeks later ... missing.
Desperate parents started a search. It turned out that Zubejr left for Georgia. From there, accompanied by several other men, he was to go to Syria. This plan has failed. The group of fighters was surrounded by Georgian special forces and Zubejr was bursting with a grenade.
Terrorist is looking for a wife
A French journalist, writing under the pseudonym Anna Erelle, tried to learn about the mechanisms of recruiting the Islamic State on the Internet. On Facebook, she set up a fictitious account, where she was listed as Melodie - a 20-year-old Muslim living in Toulouse . On YouTube, she found a video recorded by high-ranking French jihadist Abu Bilel al-Firansi and shared it on her fake account. It was enough for the terrorist himself to contact her after a dozen or so minutes:
"SALAM ALEIKUM, SISTER, I can see you've watched my movie, it's amazing that he went around the world! Are you a Muslim? "
"What do you think of the mujahideen?"
"Last question:are you thinking about going to Syria?"
This is how the real psychological game began. On the one hand, she, playing the role of a naive young girl. On the other - a terrorist posing as an omnipotent fighter, trying to subjugate and control her. For days, Abu Bilel bombed Melody with dozens of messages. They also contacted each other via Skype. During these conversations, the journalist, in order not to reveal her true identity, put on a burqa and a jellaba, which are traditional Muslim clothes.
Abu Bilel constantly urged Melodie to come to him in Syria. In hot words, he called her his "lioness" and "queen". He also assured us about the undying, great love. He promised that the girl would experience true happiness and passion by his side. When asked why he would not find a chosen one on the spot, he stated that militants prefer women from Europe because… they are more "flirty".
After some time, Bilel informed Melodie that he had already formally arranged a marriage for them. He added that on his wedding night he would expect something "special" from her. Actually, for him she will be able to wear whatever she likes under the jellaba:garter belt, lace underwear ...
What should a future jihadist have under the Jelab? For example, a garter belt ... Pictured here is a Moroccan stall with jellaba and other traditional costumes (photo by Sir James, license CC BY 4.0).
Don't mess with the jihadist
Unfortunately, the plot of Anna Erelle has come to light. Deceived and humiliated, Abu Bilel al-Firansi imposed a fatwa on her out of revenge:
My brethren all over the world, here is a fatwa call to this impure creature who mocks the Almighty. If you see her - wherever it is - obey the laws of Islam and kill her. Her death is to be slow and painful. Whoever mocks Islam will pay for it with blood. She is dirtier than a dog, rape her, stone her, kill her . Inszallach .
Since spring 2014, the journalist has been in hiding. What happened to Abu Bilel? There have been rumors of his death, but this information cannot be confirmed with 100% certainty. It is certain, however, that at the time when he communicated with Anna Erelle aka Melodie, he was already married to three women. They were all with him in Syria at the time.
Buy the book "Wojna braci" cheaper on Empik.com:
