A second American has died fighting for the terrorist organization ISIS, or Islamic State — a group that is so extreme and bloodthirsty that even Al Qaeda leaders have stood against it. The latest American to die is Abdiraaman Muhumed from Minneapolis, who notably left behind nine children to seek paradise in martyrdom as a terrorist.
Muhamed was a Somali-American who appeared to see nothing immoral in abandoning nine children to seek his own salvation by joining a Muslim army that has been beheading nonbelievers, kidnapping women, and engaging in the mass execution of unarmed men. He is believed to be one of as many as 15 Minnesota Somali-Americans who left their homes to join ISIS. They have been reportedly joined by as many as 300 other Americans and thousands of Westerners.
A week earlier, Douglas McAuthur McCain, 33, a U.S. citizen from California, died fighting for the Islamic militants and Muhamed may have died in the same battle. In addition, a U.S. citizen from Florida, Moner Mohammad Abusalha, reportedly killed himself in a suicide bombing against Syrian government troops earlier this year. Moner Mohammad Abusalha posed with a kitten before his death. I suppose to show his more gentle side when he was not blowing people up.
As a father, I was particularly struck by the willingness of Abdiraaman Muhumed to abandon his wife and children (to be supported by others or possibly the state). In addition to murdering people in the name of Islam, he also saw seeking paradise through martyrdom as perfectly moral while leaving his children to fend for themselves. It is part of the twisted morality of these Islamic extremists. By the way, the Islamic State just released another video that proudly showed it marching stripped captured Syrian soldiers into the desert and shooting them. While most of us are repulsed by images of ISIS members displaying severed heads and massacring people, some like Muhumed and Abusalha are drawn by those same images to the Islamic State.
I watched a documentary, some time back, about refugees from, I think, Somalia. They ended up in some eastern, crowded city where smiling social workers (probably from the suburbs, living in 5000 square foot homes) put large families in crowded apartments, windows on one wall only (rents costing as much as the entire income of a minimum wage job), found them low-income jobs, taught them how to use public transportation, where to buy food, how to prepare it in a western kitchen, pretty much how to live in a first-world country when you’re from a third-world country. My impression is that it wasn’t long befor the predators in society started piling on these families, hitting on them for rent late fees, eviction notices, utility disconnects, citations, etc. After 1 or 2 years, I think, when the families were interviewed again, their sentiment was that they were better off back in Somalia, away from the evils of Western culture and consumption, where at least they would have their pride, not the condescension of every member of US society around them.
If I would ever be forced to live in similar circumstances, away from my sparsely-populated community, beautiful views all around me, lots of elbow room, fresh air and uncontaminated well water, ya, in a heartbeat I would join any outfit that would take me, even a church mission, if it meant as much as only slightly improving my miserable existence, however short or long the mission might be.
I think what we’re seeing with these Americans signing on with ISIS and ISIL, is less an indictment against radical Islam, more against Western poverty, consumption and immoral culture. Their own families, knowing the nanny state is there to support them, probably encourages these mercenaries to go to war. So it may not be any case of abandonment.
Didn’t Robin Williams, who must’ve believed that where he was going was better than what he had, just abandon his own family?
Annie,
That article is specific to Palestine, not the movement in general.
Add: Of course, by “Marxist-political” I don’t mean the Marxist ideology – which Islamists reject – but rather the revolutionary system, which is adaptable to a variety of causes.
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/ContentDetails/i/2971
Islamic Fundamentalism began in the late 1970’s according to this article.
Annie: “I do wonder when did the surge in Islamic fundamentalism really begin in earnest”?
In its modern Marxist-political hybrid form? See Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966).
A subject brief with contemporary application:
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/sayyid-qutb%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cmilestones%E2%80%9D-and-its-impact-on-the-arab-spring
“Similar tensions between ideological purists [… and] realists […] in all political and cultural movements. […] Virtually every movement, from animal rights to feminism, will embrace a spectrum ranging from uncompromising radicalism or extremism, to pragmatic accommodationism.”
“Fundamentalism” by Malise Ruthven
The scourge is fundamentalism. Combine fundamentalism amd Islam and this is what results. I do wonder when did the surge in Islamic fundamentalism really begin in earnest?
Sterilize the kids. Same with all of the Tsarboy family including the sister who just got arrested for making a bomb threat. I am trying to be civil. But three generations of imbeciles are enough. Note that I did not use the word retard or idiots. I employed the language of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Justice of the Supreme Court, in Buck v. Bell, 1927. (not the commenter on this blog). We are a civil society. We need to remain civilized. We need to employ deductive reasoning. When that does not work then Cajun seasoning. No mixed metaphors. Nine kids and he flees the country. Should have left after one.
This has been a very civil morning on all threads. Deductive reasoning will explain.
Expect more of this. It isn’t just “2 down, 298 to go” with American kids shipping out to join ISIS, then being killed. It is more about the attraction of being able to kill without penalty that will attract amoral and immoral American urban yutes. Want to be the bad-assest of bad-ass rappers? Get some beheading cred by doing an ISIS tour. Hate the man? ISIS is the place for you. The trappings and indoctrination of a hate and murder filled theology adds to the attraction. Want to beat a ho? Be a jihadi wannabe.
This country has a long and documented history of electing the opposite of the previous president. So, look for the candidate most opposite to Obama and put your $ on him/her.
Eric, The strategy of the WH was “Don’t do stupid shit.” It was to show their derision for you know, that “Stupid W.” Obama is much more stupid, but boy does he have that arrogant swagger down!
Little Mohammad Achievers, and proud of them we are!
Ken,
While the impatient desire by individual American soldiers to fight an intolerable metastatic entity is understandable – especially given that the people being killed, hurt, and terrorized by ISIS are people that American soldiers recently fought alongside and defended with their lives and honor – the President is correct that there needs to be a coherent strategy, even if that strategy is an outline that’s necessarily to-be-determined in areas and adaptive.
The fault is not the need to develop a coherent strategy. The fault is that there wasn’t already a coherent strategy in at least advanced developed given that ISIS’s progress in Syria and larger designs were known for years. The urgency in Iraq was clear since at least January, when ISIS took Fallujah.
Changing gears with a tipping point is one thing, but the Obama administration is acting like it’s caught off guard and had not made any contingent preparation for an eventuality that progressed openly for a long time.
I wonder what attraction the wanton murder and destruction has for many of the ISIS force, vs. some heartfelt ideological religious attainment. Or whether for many of their adherents, wanton murder and destruction is their religion. It would be no reach for me to think that perhaps remains 1% or 2% of the human population has a psyche with a predisposition for this type of violence, and that ISIS and radical Islam is a pathway that allows some subset of those so predisposed to follow this natural inclination.
In wartime, it is no crime or a violation of the Constitution to bar and intern enemy persons. We imprisoned US citizens who were members of the German American Bund and we still remained a relatively free country for whites. I think that some limits need to be set about recruiting for ISIS in this country and those who do that need to be in prison for life.
Ken – military.com is where AY was going when he got totally confused over generals wearing birds and court-marshalls.
FYI, Breaking news 18 minutes ago.
Britain raised the country’s terror threat level from substantial to severe Friday, meaning that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely. ISIS is on the move!
Eric & Mike A.,
Military.com Blogs. I get the emails, and steam is coming out of the ears of NOC’s & Special Forces Operations officers who want to go toe to toe with ISIS. And teach them a lesson! For free, no cost to tax payers.
that’s actually funny, Nick!
Nick, Karen will be along, we are discussing Islam related after all!
He could be a wheelchair bomber.