Islamic State: The Dutch Teen Who Maps the Jihadists

Thomas van Linge, 19, monitors the movements of jihadist groups in the Middle East and northern Africa, including the Islamic State, from his home in Amsterdam and creates maps used by news media around the globe: “he already knows better than most people where the Jihadists are heading, which areas they are occupying and where they've been beaten back,” reports Katrin Kuntz for Spiegel Online. “He has never been to Syria, Iraq or Libya, and he learned Arabic on YouTube.” He attended the progressive Free School, which follows the principles of Rudolf Steiner, which motivates students to try their hand at ambitious endeavors. Inspired by the Arab Spring and the quest for freedom, he did a school project on the Syrian civil war and started logging jihadist locations on Google maps. “He established contact with activists and gained their trust,” notes Kuntz. Relying on more than 1,100 sources, he released the map in January 2014 and since provides updates. One need not travel to empathize with others on the other side of the globe. His next goal, though, is to head to the region and do more to help the many displaced. – YaleGlobal