Interview with an Islamic State Recruiter: “Democracy Is For Infidels”

A few military successes by Islamic State terrorists in chaotic Iraq and Syria attract extremists from around the globe. Hasnain Kazim interviewed one recruiter in Turkey for Spiegel Online. The recruiter claims that the Islamic State can be highly selective, secretly interviewing applicants arriving in Turkey to assess motives and religious beliefs – exactly how far each will go in obeying Islamic State handlers. The Salafist expectation, held by less than 1 percent of the world’s more than 1.2 billion Muslims, is that all abide by a rigid interpretation of the Koran without question. The recruiter, angry and peeved, justifies the Islamic State’s brutality, largely against fellow Muslims, by referring to colonialism, western subjugation of the Middle East and military interventions over oil. Religious texts from more than 13 centuries ago are used to justify war crimes. Kazim points to passages that promote peace and reject compulsory conversion, but fundamentalists are well-practiced at ignoring religious dictates that contradict their evil ways. The recruiter suggests, “It is every Muslim's duty to fight those of a different belief until only Allah is worshipped around the world.” – YaleGlobal