Dimitrios Stamoulis
Around nine p.m. on November 13th, Paris, France was attacked. With about 130 dead, this attack caused more discussion about the radical jihadist group ISIS (or ISIL). As more information arose about the men who carried out these attacks, it was found that most of them are Belgian, which can help but lead us all to wonder: what is it that attracts citizens, particularly young people, of the Western world towards the extremist group? As many political analysts have stated, there are a few things to consider:
1. The group provides a feeling of brothership and community. In a recent interview, a former member of ISIS admitted that he misses the strong relationships he formed with the people there, but not the group itself. This desire of a strong community is a consequence of the sense of Islamophobia that many extremists believe pervades the Western world. Since the attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, there is undoubtedly a negative association between Muslims and terrorism. As more and more people try to avoid those of the Islamic religion, Muslims have become desperate to find a community. ISIS, through their recruitment videos, promise to provide a tight knit community to those Western society, intentionally or not, has ostracized.
2. Members can also come to believe they are protecting their families, neighborhoods, and countries. The leaders of ISIS have stated that there is no way to kill their group because for each member killed there will be 10 new members recruited. This has proven to be true since many of those recruited volunteer themselves in order to protect their home countries. When governments attack the group, more often than not, civilians are caught in the midst of the destruction. This is what then motivates these young men to join ISIS, believing that they will be protecting their nations, cities, and families. Because of this, the members of ISIS feel as if they are unified in protecting their homes, seeing each other as brothers. Therefore, once one is killed, they become a martyr for their living brethren.
3. Lastly, is the strive for purpose in a generation seemingly gone awry when it comes to solid values and principles. ISIS has been using propaganda videos to recruit members. They make the group and its members seem heroic, as they are saving the lives of “Muslims oppressed by Western society.” Along with that, a majority of those videos show the victory parades into newly captured cities and territories. What they don’t show are the five men crying to God for forgiveness, with bombs across their chest, about to take down the defending forces. The recruited expect a positive atmosphere, the opportunity to be a hero, and celebrations after victories.
These are a few of the more convincing theories among dozens trying to explain the unsettling phenomenon that is the popularity of ISIS, especially to European-born men. Regardless of how these young men are viewed as they wave flags, brandish weapons, even brutally murder, each of them was at one time a young man, a boy, before somehow coming to believe eradicating “infidels” was a noble pursuit. That shift in the direction of one’s life, the corruption of one’s heart and mind, the cause of it, is what needs to be explored and understood if the flow of fresh, young, violent individuals into the ranks of ISIS is to be stemmed.
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