Islamic State jihadists have worked hard to establish the image of murderous extremists who slaughter innocent people and destroy ancient religious temples and shrines. However, various newspapers are reporting, the group appears to be eager to show on social media that they are also domesticated as well as hip in recruiting new followers. Appearing across social media are images of Islam Yaken, a young Egyptian law student who left his affluent family in Cairo to become a soldier for Islamic State with signature sword and slaughterous slogans. At the same time, the ladies of Islamic State are recruiting Western and European women to come and hook up with jihadi in a bizarre version of eHarmony or JDate. JihadDate is a bit different. It promises that, if lucky, you can watch your loved one martyr himself — I kid you not.
Yaken is a product of the best schools in Egypt and lived what seems a Westernized life, which makes his emergence as an extremist all the more unnerving. The “hipster jihadi” was educated at the French Lycée in Heliopolis and speaks English and French as well as Arabic. He then went on to the prestigious Ain Shams University to study law. He was then obsessed with his body and, while a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, seemed largely secular in his outlook. After graduating law school, he appears to have taken a turn that none of his friends now understand. The student who once loved Western music and posting about how many calories are consumed by kissing is now trumping the “Caliphate” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and posting gory pictures that Islamic State seems to relish of its victims. In one posting, Yakin showed two heads in a basket and jokingly compared to the heads of sheep that can be ordered for the table in some Egyptian restaurants.
He has been trying to convince his family to come to Raqqa, a city in Syria that the Islamic State has controlled and cleansed according to its view of Islam. When he told her that she could stay in this flat on the Euphrates and eat and drink and study,” he says she responded: “My son, what would happen if the owners of the flat came back? What will you do then?” Yaken then told her “not to worry – they are dead and gone.” A real hunkocidal catch.
Mothers are not the only people being recruited. Islamic State women are trying to recruit Western and European women and girls — apparently at the request of Islamic State men. Notably, these social websites targeting women do not show the signature gore of the Islamic State of hacked off body parts and corpses. That apparently is a turn-off for JihadDate. Instead it describes the paradise for women to be married to Jihadi and to be part of the community of “sisters” within Islamic State. They are told that they are not excepted to be martyrs but mothers. The “Bird of Jannah” explains: “Women are not equal to men. It can never be. Men are the leaders & women are [so] special that Allah has given them entire chapter in the Qur’an.”
One supposed English woman named Umm Layth gushes with delight about how “I will never be able to do justice with words as to how this place makes me feel.” She adds “Allahu Akbar, there’s no way to describe the feeling of sitting with the Akhawat [sisters] waiting on news of whose Husband has attained Shahadah [martyrdom].” The pitches have succeeded. Two teenage girls, 15 and 16, from Austria have gone to Syria for Jihadi marriages as did two 16-year-old British twins.
Just as a tip, girls, homicidal hunks like Yaken appear to prefer decapitating swords as gifts and their favorite subject is the Caliphate followed closely by the slaughtering of non-believers. As for the standard “likes”: beheadings, Shrine desecrations, and martyrdom. As for standard “dislikes”: Shia, human rights, and most art and music. Under the Islamic State’s view of Islam, you very incompatibility with with modern world makes you compatible — if not ideal — for a Mujahideen match up.
Replies on this blog 90% spinny or light hearted, but this is really sick.
So, I wonder which is more important to our Neocon warmongers: humanitarian concerns or those oil fields under Exxon control.
Hmmm….
http://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/screen-shot-2013-01-28-at-2-34-31-pm.png?w=621&h=477
Still doesn’t make ISIS in any way a “ruling party”; nor does it indicate even a basic understanding of the players. Even the non sequitur of “relevance” doesn’t do that.
And by “Christians,” I take it you mean the Yazdi, the majority of the people “cornered.” Yazdis, of course, believe in a combination of elements from Zoroastorianism, Christianity, and Islam. It is, however, a non-Abrahamic religion mostly due to their worship of The Peacock Angel who, like Satan, fell from Heaven. Of course, Islamic fundamentalists hate them as Devil worshipers – pretty much like Christian fundamentalists do as well.
Not that it matters to me. I’m kinda radical that way. A Christian life is worth no more or less than a Muslim or even an Atheist life. Heck, I’d even put a Samaritan’s life on the same level.
But other folks who wouldn’t bother to rescue a kitten from a tree will immediately make it their highest priority if someone says it is a Christian kitten and we get to go to war with the tree.
So I thank you for volunteering to go fight yourself, for volunteering your children to go fight, and for donating your savings and your paychecks to the Yazdi cause.
Just leave my country out of it this time. We’ve died and killed enough for Neocon lies and profit.
Karen, There is a pending genocide in the mountains of Northern Iraq and the MSM seems to care less.
Nick Spinelli
fiver, The BIGGEST mistake we made in Iraq was disbanding the army. Incredibly stupid.
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“We” warned “we” not to.
Annie – if you weren’t telling me to lighten up about the plight of 40,000 women and children, then why did you say that after I remarked about their situation? You seem to keep making statements that you later retract, like the “war on women” loop.
Fiver: ISIS controls the area. ISIS posted threats to Christians to convert or die. And it is ISIS who has cornered them. So, yes, I do think they are relevant.
Maxcat – you are confusing sarcasm with lightheartedness. Someone sarcastically declared that women are only allowed to praise their men, and that men are trying to control them is not light hearted banter. It’s just typical making fun of people who disagree with them.
So many Christians have died in the Muslim Expansion recently. It’s sad. I can’t understand why anyone would bring it up, and then criticize someone else for declaring it’s a catastrophe that requires action.
“Gun loving family.” Until recently, most families had guns. They are simply tools. I have firearms, but I don’t love them any more than I would love a chef’s knife or an ax. The tiresome trend is for Liberals to imply that owning firearms makes someone suddenly homicidal. I drive a truck every day. It could easily be a weapon of mass murder. I have never once felt the desire to harm anyone deliberately with it. When I pick up a firearm, I do not suddenly have homicidal tendencies. When we shot a rattler at my house a few days ago that I almost stepped on, we were careful of any ricochets. So a children’s story about a “bad” family preaching the merits of the 2nd Amendment, and then experiencing an accidental tragic shooting sounds like the message is that they got what they deserved. If a child drowns in a pool, did the family get what they deserved for owning a pool? If a child cuts himself with a knife, did they get what they deserved for owning knives? There appears to be extremist hatred for anyone who owns a firearm.
It’s sad, it’s false logic, and it continually pits people against each other in a typical “demonize your opponent so as to avoid discussing the pros and cons” mentality.
fiver, The BIGGEST mistake we made in Iraq was disbanding the army. Incredibly stupid.
Paul S,
Now we have to go back to General David Petraeus who was going to be nominated as CIA Director. And those women, Paula Broadwell and Jill Kelley, a Lebanese American socialite.
FYI, this thread could hit 1000 posts before sunrise!
Paul, Iraq armies were only effective killing unarmed citizens under Saddam. ISIS are psychotic killing machines. Iraq army are Barney Fife’s. You’re correct, it is no contest. Anything we can do to help arm the Kurds, and help get the Christians to sanctuary should be done, or there will be a genocide.
My planet obsrvation group is having a discussion about how many wars the U.S. has been involved in since WWII. Can someone list them for us?
Mike Appleton,
Good point. Those 2 Iraq army divisions could have destroyed ISIS, 30 to 1 in a fight.
But they turned yellow belly and ran. What’s the next step, nation building, keep out, not my job?
Israel pummeled Hamas in Gaza and Obama, the UN and NATO are scratching their heads.
If the two Iraqi army divisions were yellow to begin with, there is no way they were going to destroy ISIS.
What commenters here hate the US? Who do you mean? What proof have you got that these commenters hate America? Don’t be shy, who are you referring to Nick? Got more stories?
MikeA I have written here many times about Iraqi Christians and their plight under Saddam. I have gotten to know some of these great people in San Diego. They own virtually all the convenience and liquor stores. Hard working, gregarious folks. They hated Saddam and LOVE the US, much more than some folks here do. I have learned much of their history. We can’t save the world. The reality is no one is going to save the Christians in Northern Iraq. They are expendable, like so many people are in that sadistic region of the world. I was not blaming Obama. I am not obtuse when I do. I was drawing a difference between the Christians, w/ no militia and few numbers, w/ the Kurds, who are stronger and not a lost cause like the Christians. The best that can be hoped for the Christians are they find safe exile before they are all murdered. They could use a little love from the MSM, don’t you think? Maybe just a little bit can be diverted from Gaza.
I have hardly been reserved in my criticism of Pres. Obama. However, those who are now rushing to convict him of the slaughter of thousands of Christians in Iraq are grossly ignorant of recent history. The truth is that the invasion of Iraq effectively carved a cross in the forehead of every Christian in that country.
Yes Maxcat. Yes indeed, there are the same old bad actors who continuously poison the atmosphere here.
I recently read an article about a children’s book that told a story of a family of three and how they loved their guns and spread the ‘good news’ about guns to all they met, in the store, at church, etc. I recall reading a funny comment that was obviously satire (some stupid people don’t understand satire, sadly) about a stormy night when he gun loving father came home and his daughter who was taught to shoot and had a pink sparkly gun shot her father in the forehead. Now that would be a horror story presented to children, yet some think writin a story about a gun lovin family appropriate. I doubt seriously that the person who wrote that satirical comment was fantasizing about shooting her father. To actually suggest such a thing displays a sick twisted mind of someone who should NEVER EVER be allowed to testify under oath, as he LIES more than he tells the truth. That must be something he learned from HIS father.
Karen, I suggest you click onto maxcat’s blog. It will give you perspective on his “advice” to you. ‘Nuff said.
Annie, you have fortitude, I can say that, I’ve just about decided to stop posting here, and possibly stop reading, because everything turns into armed camps. You mentioned how far afield this thread got, and it’s the same for all of them. Then, you tried to be lighthearted, and you see where that got you.
Karen S, just one quick point. In the same way as Hitler comparisons aren’t helpful, so too for Holocaust ones. Yes, there are 40,000 people trapped. My religion was about wiped out in the camps. False equivalences are slippery slopes.