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European Foreign Fighters in Syria and Virtual Radicalization Tuncay Kardaş & Ömer Behram Özdemir

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European Foreign Fighters in Syria and Virtual Radicalization Tuncay Kardaş & Ömer Behram Özdemir SAMECSAMEC PERSPECTIVE SERIES JULY 2014 NO: 4 PERSPECTIVE SERIES ORMER SAMEC JULY 2014, NO: 4 EUROPEAN FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN SYRIA AND VIRTUAL RADICALIZATION TUNCAY KARDAŞ & ÖMER BEHRAM ÖZDEMIR he Syrian crisis continues to be a of jihadists in Syria is the most signif- Assoc. Prof. Sakarya hotbed of international politics icant phase in comparison to ‘every University Center for T Middle Eastern Studies and a matter of national security in other instance of foreign fighter mo- and Department of Europe ever since the emergence of bilizations since the Afghanistan war International Relations. He received his BA thousands of European fighters who in the 1980s’. The matter is also a hot and MA degrees from joined Syria’s civil war. The European topic for the European media which Bilkent University; governments are particularly fran- MsEcon (Security regularly pumps fear with the stories Studies) and PhD from tic about the prospects of return of of “European suicide bombers” in the the Department of their “radical-extremist” rebel citi- ranks of Syrian rebels. International Politics at Aberystwyth University zens. Such fears are not unwarranted It is not just the media that airs these in 2006. He is the co- as many British citizens have already fears, senior officials and top politi- editor of “The Borders of Islam: Exploring Samuel returned home from the Syrian war cians share and spread such fears. Huntington’s Faultlines, theatre3. Their alarming return back For example, British Prime Minister from Al-Andalus to Virtual Ummah”, from the battlefield to European David Cameron has said those British (New York: Columbia home countries is sending shivers, citizens and other nationals fighting University Press, 2009). igniting debate and indignation all alongside Islamist insurgents such Research Assistant, across the European establishments. as ISIS in Iraq and Syria ‘posed the Sakarya University Center for Middle The London-based ‘International biggest threat to Britain’s national Eastern Studies. Centre for the Study of Radicalisation’ security’ claiming that ‘the number holds that the current mobilization of foreign fighters in that area, the EUROPEAN FOREIGN FIGHERS IN SYRIA AND VIRTUAL RADICALIZATION number of foreign fighters includ- continent, these fighters are truly It is crucial not to ing those from the UK who could try global and their reach stretch from generalize all the to return to the UK is a real threat Britain to China. For example, it available figures 4 to our country’ . Foreign Secretary emerged in March 2013 that Bo Wang under some cliché William Hague has warned that ‘ji- (Yusuf al-Sini) a Han Chinese con- typologies. It is hadists who had become experienced vert to Islam was featured in a rebel unhelpful to use “in weapons and explosives” in war- YouTube video released by Jaysh al- terms like “pro al- torn Syria could return to Europe to Muhajirin wal-Ansar, while in anoth- Qaeda”, “jihadist”, carry out terror attacks.’5 The British er example, the Uighur-led ‘Turkistan “Islamist” all Home Office’s annual report titled Islamic Party’ explained why it was interchangeably to ‘The United Kingdom’s Strategy for involved in the Syrian conflict in its portray European rebel fighters in Countering Terrorism’ claims that magazine ‘Islamic Turkistan’ by as- Syria. ‘There are now hundreds of foreign serting that “If China has the right to fighters from Europe in Syria. And support al-Assad in Syria, we have the when UK residents return here there right to support our Muslim Syrians.”9 is risk that they may carry out attacks It is better to start with a definition: using the skills that they have devel- the European foreign fighters here oped overseas.6 Growing numbers of are taken as violent private volunteers young European men who joins espe- taking part in wars or civil insurgen- cially ISIS7 or Jabhat al-Nusra8 means cies in which they have otherwise no a possible homeland security threat pre-given proclivity based on mate- for European governments. rial interest, organizational or civic There are a number of important affiliation. These contingents dis- questions that analysts, academics seminate a form of ‘populist pan-Is- and state officials are trying to answer. lamism’ rather than generic Islamism. Who are these young men joining ji- They can hardly gather under such had in Syria? What are their motiva- umbrella terms as ‘jihadists’ or ‘salafi tions? What is the role of social media jihadists’ since theirs is a ‘discrete ac- A research foreign in their radicalization and recruit- tor category distinct from insurgents fighters finds that ment? What are the possible threats and terrorists’.10 potential recruits for European governments? This brief Why do they join in? ‘have an unfulfilled discusses these questions in the order need to define of questions posed here. A research on 2032 foreign fighters themselves’, which finds that potential recruits ‘have an Who are they? help them turn to unfulfilled need to define themselves’, violence because It is crucial not to generalize all the which help them turn to violence be- of what they have available figures under some cli- cause of what they have been seeking: been seeking: ché typologies. It is unhelpful to use revenge seekers, status seekers, iden- revenge seekers, terms like “pro al-Qaeda”, “jihadist”, tity seekers.11 These are partly what status seekers, “Islamist” all interchangeably to por- fighting in Syria offers: for ‘revenge identity seekers. tray European rebel fighters in Syria. seekers’ it is an outlet for venting frus- Although we focus on the European trations regarding the oppression of 2 2 SAMEC PERSPECTIVE SERIES JULY 2014 NO: 4 Muslims at the hands of their rulers. officials to find out the motivations of Experts such For ‘status seekers’ it provides repu- foreign fighters. as Thomas tation and prestige both in the Syrian What are the threats? Hegghammer, war theatre and European homelands thinks that Western through duplicating the images of Do the European fighters present a fighters mostly war fighting in the Internet. For ‘iden- homeland security threat? According prefer to fight far tity seekers’ it provides recognition to an ICSR study, the flow of west away from home in and beyond local community. For European fighters into Syria has in- and that they do not ‘thrill seekers’ it fulfills an appetite for creased particularly since April 2013 18 have a tendency to adventure in distant places instead of from 590 fighters to 1937 fighters. fight in the West. the monotonous and dry daily rou- According to UK officials nearly 250 tine of European life.12 British returned from Syria and MI5 The first case of suicide attack by a is now working to deal with pos- 19 British citizen in Syria took place in sible threats. A possible extremist Aleppo in February 2014 according spillover onto Europe has become a to the UK officials. Abdul Waheed nightmare for the European powers. Majid (nom de guerre Abu Suleiman Except the possible new 9/11 enthu- al-Britani) committed a suicide attack siasts it should be stressed that not against the Assad forces in a joint op- all the foreign fighters in Syria want eration by Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic or plan to attack their home countries Front to free Aleppo Central Prison.13 upon their return. It would, therefore, He was not the first to shock the be inaccurate to presume all the fight- British public by getting himself killed ers would necessarily turn against the in action. British citizens Mohammed authorities of their home countries. al-Araj (23), Ibrahim al-Mazwagi Some of them clearly feel the UK is (21),14 Ifthekar Jaman (23)15 and Anil their home and that the idea of jihad 20 Khalil Raoufi (20) a.k.a. Abu Layth in UK is surreal. And experts such al-Khurasani16 were all killed in Syria as Thomas Hegghammer, thinks that in the last six months. Furthermore, Western fighters mostly prefer to fight two French citizens Nicolas Bons and far away from home and that they do However, events his brother Jean-Daniel Bons recently not have a tendency to fight in the such as the died fighting in Syria on the frontlines West21. However, events such as the shooting attack at of ISIS.17 Unlike the British examples shooting attack at Jewish Museum in Jewish Museum above, Bons brothers were raised Brussels did spread fears of potential in Brussels did in a Catholic family and had ethnic “native” radical terrorism again be- spread fears of French parents. Furthermore, they cause the attacker had spent over a potential “native” were Christian Frenchmen who con- year in Syria with radicals, carrying radical terrorism verted to Islam and travelled to Syria an ISIS flag when he was arrested.22 again because the to fight for one of the most extremist According to the Financial Times attacker had spent Jihadist groups. It is the incidents like European intelligence agencies have over a year in Syria the Bons brothers or British suicide handed a list which includes 5000 with radicals. bombers that further push European European citizens who may become 3 EUROPEAN FOREIGN FIGHERS IN SYRIA AND VIRTUAL RADICALIZATION potential radical rebel recruitments. it.27 Experiences on the battleground With its 911 km border with Syria surely shape minds of the fighters. In Turkey becomes a particularly con- other words, a fighter who just wants venient route for foreign insurgents to help rebels may turn into a radi- and collaboration with Ankara on cal fighter having other goals during counterterrorism becomes a top issue fighting. Both being exposed to ‘dis- between European governments and proportionate military force against Turkey. 23 civilians’ and the radical ideology of some of the rebels constitute two What are their powerful sources of radicalization.28 motivations? Similarly, self-identification with and Free floating gruesome images of the re-authentication of da’wa through civilian casualties from Syrian civil the Internet that proliferates jihadi- Experiences on the war, merciless massacres by the Assad battleground surely Salafist lexicon such as ‘jahiliyya’ regime and the lack of contrition or ‘martyrdom’, ‘ jihad’ and ideological shape minds of the empathy by western and Muslim fighters.
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