TRAVEL THE DISTANCE

FOREIGN FIGHTERS' CROSSED LINE

SOURCE: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hauge, April 2016
The Soufan Group, December 2015

GOING ROOTS

Foreign fighters are fighters deciding to follow the Jihad – namely "effort" –, a spiritual fight to reach God. They may or may not belong to the countries occupied by ISIS. The struggle for the creation of an Islamic State goes well beyond the natural borders of Syria and Iraq; it concerns the whole world. Foreign fighters consider the dystopian idea of State pursued by ISIS a guideline. The guideline is based on such a strong ideology that it leads the fighters radically to change their lives. It becomes itself the prospect of a new life. The promise of both earthly and eternal well-being are a beacon of hope if compared to the unstable nature of the individual. The idea of a world sharing the same religious law and profession transforms their sense of social marginality into a sense of duty towards society, thus legitimising it. The missing roots of the individual are accordingly found in the idea of a promised land directly leading the individual to God.

FOREIGN FIGHTERS PER COUNTRY

ALBANIAAUSTRIABELGIUMBOSNIA AND HERZ.BULGARIACROATIADENMARKESTONIAFINLANDFRANCEGERMANYIRELANDITALYKOSOVOLATVIALUXEMBOURGMACEDONIAMOLDOVAMONTENEGRONETHERLANDSNORWAYPOLANDPORTUGALROMANIARUSSIASERBIASLOVAKIASLOVENIASPAINSWEDENSWITZERLANDTURKEYUKRAINEUK AFGHANISTANAZERBAIJANBAHRAINCAMBODIACHINAGEORGIAINDIAINDONESIAIRAQISRAELJAPANJORDANKAZAKHSTANKUWAITKYRGYZSTANLEBANONMALAYSIAMALDIVESPAKISTANPHILIPPINESQATARSAUDI ARABIASINGAPORETAJIKISTANTURKMENISTANUAEUZBEKISTANYEMEN ALGERIAEGYPTLIBYAMADAGASCARMOROCCOSOMALIASOUTH AFRICASUDANTUNISIA ARGENTINABRAZILCANADATRINIDAD AND TOBAGOUSA AUSTRALIANEW ZEALAND 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 6 6 8 9 10 12 12 15 23 23 30 30 30 45 50 50 50 50 57 60 70 70 70 70 70 81 87 90 100 100 100 105 110 120 125 130 133 146 150 170 200 220 232 247 300 300 300 300 330 360 386 470 500 600 600 700 760 760 900 1200 1700 2089 2100 2400 2500 6000

SOURCE: The Soufan Group, December 2015


JOURNEY OF THE FIGHTERS

SOURCE: The Soufan Group, December 2015

CONTEXT

FREEDOM OF BELIEF

The main conflict originated in Syria and Iran but has now become a war, expanding to the neighbouring countries and involving the whole international community. Flows of fighters to the conflict areas originate from regional contexts apparently external to the cause of ISIS. Applying the Shari'a in Syria is the shared objective. Implementing a different law cannot be taken into consideration. Religion thus becomes an instrument legitimising the fighters' attacks and actions. The fight in favour of the application of the Shari'a and against the non-believers makes no distinction between religious professions. The Jihad is followed starting from the fighters' home countries. Among the fighters, western Muslims - belonging to the first, second and third generation – as well as the alleged "last-minute converted" are to be found. The latter are individuals committing themselves to the most radical form of Islam, rather than converting to the religion itself. It accordingly becomes a reason for living, they identify themselves in a real fight which they are ready to struggle for with their own lives.


SOURCE: indication of religion as stated in countries' consitution, October 2016
The Soufan Group, December 2015

The ISIS war is the final result of century-long disputes among Muslims. 2013 saw an increase in the number of foreign fighters owing to the Battle of Al-Qusayr, which lead to the worsening of relations between the Shia and the Sunnis and the following incitement of Arab crowds by some Imams and spiritual guides. Belonging to either parties means accepting the relevant rules, habits and norms, which are often applied in an extremist way.

SOURCE: Pew Research Center, 2010

ECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND COUNTRY'S OVERALL POPULATION

Western foreign fighters are first and foremost young Muslim migrants of second or third generation feeling deeply inadequate – often owing to unemployment or difficult social integration. The ISIS war is a chance of personal redemption, which also translates into economic and status improvement within the society. The continuous increase of foreign fighters and jihadist attacks in the Western world requires reflecting upon the root causes of the fighters' difficult integration. The Islamic State is aware and takes advantage of such weaknesses, recruiting members not only in real places of worship. The new terror war is fought through the English language, on the Internet, adopting a precise and professional social media strategy and representing a brand, a brand of terror.

GINI COEFFICIENT: index that measures the inequality in income distribution of a nation’s residents. It is a number between 0 and 1, where 0 corresponds to perfect equality and 1 (or 100%) corresponds to perfect inequality.

SOURCE: The World Bank, 2015 | Pew Research Center, 2010 | The Soufan Group, December 2015

UNCONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

Since 2012, Europe and the Middle East have been randomly hit by violent terrorist attacks on their populations and the non-believers. Terror has spread to all countries, uncertainty has arisen owing to the scale of the attacks perpetrated. The impossibility to know whether, where and when the next attack takes place has generated fear and hatred in the population, who perceive themselves as a direct target, aware of having already been hit.

Source: Global Terrorism Database, 2015

DE - FORM

Foreign fighters are “stranger fighters” because they are strangers inside their own country. The disparities and the marginalisation leads to living on the edge, and to be on the limit could take one to push him/herself too far, beyond physical boundries and those of civilization. The countries withstand the consequences of pressures on their boundries, and they distort, deforming their original shape.The war ground of the Syrian civil war becomes the center of the conflict. The consequences spread into the boundries of the other countries.

SOURCE: Pew Research Center, 2010 | The Soufan Group, December 2015