8/18/2016

ISIL and the myth of the European jihadist hordes - Al Jazeera English

OPINION

News

HUMANITARIAN CRISES

17 MARCH 2016

ISIL and the myth of

Programmes
Opinion
Investigations
the
European
jihadist hordes

Live

Thefixationonjihadistsis
distractingattentionaway
fromthetroublingriseoffar
rightextremisminEurope.

Theexaggeratedhypearoundjihadistsmakesordinary
Europeansfeelmuchlesssaferthantheyactuallyareand
shakestheirtrustintheirMuslimcompatriots,writesDiab
[TheAssociatedPress]

by Khaled Diab

@diabolicalidea

Khaled Diab is an award-winning EgyptianBelgian journalist, writer and blogger. He is the

author of Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/isil-myth-european-jihadist-hordes-160314143607169.html

1/13

8/18/2016

ISIL and the myth of the European jihadist hordes - Al Jazeera English

Palestinians in the Holy Land. He blogs at

www.chronikler.com

Ithasbeendescribedasa"treasuretrove"and
"goldmine".Germanintelligencehasreportedly
obtainedtherecruitmentdocumentsof22,000
membersofIslamicStateofIraqandtheLevant(ISIL,
alsoknownasISIS).

Whilesomehavecastdoubtsontheauthenticityofthe

informationreleasedinthemediaorraisedquestions
aboutwhetherthiswasperhapsanintentionalISIL

leak,theGermansecurityservicesaresatisfiedthatthe

Live

documentsareauthentic.

News

Nevertheless,onething

Programmes

Opinion

Investigations

thiscacheofdocuments
andearlierfindsclearly
pointtoisthebasic
breakdownofwhereISIL
recruitscomefrom.

UpFrontHowreligiousare
socalled'Islamicterrorists'?

Ananalysisof1,700ISIL
documentsobtainedbySyrianindependentelectronic
newspaperZamanalWaslfoundthatnearlythree
quartersofrecruitswerefromArabcountries,with
SaudiArabialeadingthepack,followedbyTunisia,
MoroccoandEgypt.

Syriansmakeuplessthan2percentoftherecruits
listedinthiscache,lendinggreatercredibilitytothe
notionthatISIL'sbloodsoakedtheocracyisakindof
foreignimposition.

A false presumption
However,whileISILdependsheavilyonforeignerswith
noconnectionstothelocalsocialfabricthereby
facilitatingitsbrutalitythisfigureisprobablytoolow,
especiallyconsideringhowlongtheterrorgrouphas
nowruled.

"It'spossiblethat[Syrians]arementionedinother
documents,andthesearemostlyaboutforeigners,"
HassanHassan,coauthoroftheacclaimedISIS:Inside
theArmyofTerror,toldme."Syrianshaveasizeable
presencewithinISIL,particularlyyoungpeopleor

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/isil-myth-european-jihadist-hordes-160314143607169.html

2/13

8/18/2016

ISIL and the myth of the European jihadist hordes - Al Jazeera English
formerinsurgents."

News

The exaggerated hype

around jihadists makes
ordinary Europeans feel
much less safe than they
actually are and shakes
their trust in their Muslim
compatriots. It also
Programmes
Opinion
Investigations
causes a sense of greater
marginalisation and
isolation among ordinary
Muslims in Europe, as
they endure a mounting
wave of racism and hate
crimes.

Live

Despiteallthemediahypeandpoliticalfrenzy
accompanyingthephenomenonofEuropeanjihadists,
onlyasmallminorityofISILrecruitsintheleaked
documentsactuallycomefromEurope.

ThischimeswiththeestimatesofWesternintelligence
agenciesandindependentthinktanks.Inearly2015,
theInternationalCentrefortheStudyofRadicalisation
(ICSR)atKing'sCollegeLondonestimatedthepresence
of4,000WesternEuropeanfightersinSyriaandIraq.

Attheendof2015,anotherestimate,releasedby
intelligenceconsultancytheSoufanGroup,putthe
numberofEuropeanscombatantsinSyriaandIraqat

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/isil-myth-european-jihadist-hordes-160314143607169.html

3/13

8/18/2016

ISIL and the myth of the European jihadist hordes - Al Jazeera English
5,000(PDF).

AlthoughthenumberofEuropeanrecruitsappearsto
haverisensignificantlyoverthepastcoupleofyears,it
stillrepresentsaminusculeproportionofEurope's
Muslimminority.

TheEuropeanUnionishometo1320millionMuslims,
whileEuropeasawholehasaMuslimpopulationof44
million.ThismeansthatEuropeanjihadistsinSyria

andIraqrepresentamaximumof0.04percentofthe
EU'sMuslimpopulation.

Despitethismicroscopicfraction,theconcavemirrorof
sensationalistpoliticiansandmediaoutletsmakeit

Live

appeartobeamonstrousphenomenonofgiant

News

Programmes

Opinion

Investigations

proportionsasifaEuropeanjihadistforeignlegionis
marchingtotheLevant,whileasimilararmy,disguised
asrefugees,ismarchingintheotherdirection,to
conquerEurope.

Thismagnifyingandamplifyingeffecthasseriousreal
worldconsequences.Onesignificanteffectishowthe
hypeshiftsgovernmentresponsesawayfromholistic
policiesandtowardsnarrow,securityfocusedpunitive
measures.

OPINION:TherealthreatofforeignfightersinSyria

Whilefearoftheterrorismpotentialofreturning
jihadistsisunderstandableandwemustbevigilantso
astopreventfutureatrocities,thisoverlooksthefact
that,astheexperienceofsomeMuslimcountries
shows,themosteffectiveformofderadicalisationof
jihadistsisoften"jihad"itself.Confrontedwiththe
discrepancybetweentheir"utopian"idealsandthe
ugly,murderousreality,manyreturn,wishingtoturn
overanewleafandreintegrateintosociety.

Cooperation rather than coercion

Insteadoflockingupexjihadistsandthrowingaway
thekeyorstrippingthemoftheirnationalities,
therebygivingthemnopathtowardsderadicalisation
andreintegrationweneedamorenuancedapproach.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/isil-myth-european-jihadist-hordes-160314143607169.html

4/13

8/18/2016

ISIL and the myth of the European jihadist hordes - Al Jazeera English
Thoughwarcrimescommittedshouldbepunished,the
growingranksofdisillusionedISILdefectorscanbe
utilisedtounderminethegroup'sappealand
propaganda,andassistinstateeffortstoprevent
radicalisationamongvulnerableindividuals(PDF).

"Governmentsandcivil
societyshouldrecognise
thedefectors'valueand

makeiteasierforthemto
speakout,"contends

PeterNeumann,ICSR's

Anarrangementof

director."Wherepossible,

Britishdailynewspapers

governmentsshouldassist

photographedin

Live

February2015shows

theminresettlementand

News

Programmes

ensuretheirsafety."

theISILmilitant

Opiniondubbed'JihadiJohn'.
Investigations
[Getty]

Moreover,the
exaggeratedhypearound
jihadistsmakesordinary
Europeansfeelmuchlesssaferthantheyactuallyare
andshakestheirtrustintheirMuslimcompatriots.

Italsocausesasenseofgreatermarginalisationand
isolationamongordinaryMuslimsinEurope,asthey
endureamountingwaveofracismandhatecrimes.

Thishysteriastrengthensthehandsofextremists.
Islamistandjihadistrecruitersareabletopreyonthe
vulnerabilitiesandsenseofalienationfeltbyyoung,
disaffectedMuslimstoradicalisemoreofthem.Italso
weakensandunderminestheroleofsecularand
moderateMuslimsasculturalbridges.

OPINION:AbuOmaralShishanideathofanISIL
commander

FarrightandneoNazihatemongersexploittheactions
ofthefewjihadiststodemonisethemajorityofpeaceful
Muslimsastrategyexploitedbygroupsasdiverseas
theFrontNationalinFrance,JobbikinHungaryand
numerousRepublicanpresidentialcandidatesinthe
UnitedStates,mostvociferouslybyfrontrunnerDonald
Trump.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/isil-myth-european-jihadist-hordes-160314143607169.html

5/13

8/18/2016

ISIL and the myth of the European jihadist hordes - Al Jazeera English
Infact,thefixationonjihadists,Islamicterrorismand
Muslimsisdistractingmuchneededattentionaway
fromtheodiousandtroublingphenomenonoftherise
offarrightwhiteandChristiansupremacismand
extremism,bothinEuropeandtheUS.

Despite
two
major

terrorist
attacks
inFrance

overthe

Live

past
coupleof

News

Programmes

Opinion

years

Investigations

andthegrowingvocalnessofthefarright,thevast
majorityofFrenchpeoplehaveapositiveviewof
Muslims(76percent),accordingtoaPewssurvey.
BritonsandGermansalsoholdsimilarlyfavourable
views.

Thispointstoawayforwardoutofthegrowinghate
andanimositymarkingthepublicdiscourse.

Thesilencedandincreasinglysidelinedsensible
majoritymustseizebackthepodiumfromthe
extremists,whethertheybeIslamistsortheanti
immigrantfarright,andthemediaandpoliticians
mustpaygreaterattentiontous.

KhaledDiabisanawardwinningEgyptianBelgian
journalist,writerandblogger.Heistheauthorof
IntimateEnemies:LivingwithIsraelisandPalestinians
intheHolyLand.Heblogsatwww.chronikler.com.

Theviewsexpressedinthisarticlearetheauthor'sown
anddonotnecessarilyreflectAlJazeera'seditorial
policy.

Source:AlJazeera

Humanitarian crises

War & Conict

Politics

Europe

Middle East
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/isil-myth-european-jihadist-hordes-160314143607169.html

6/13