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The Children of Islamic State

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The Children of Islamic State The Children of Islamic State By Noman Benotman & Nikita Malik Foreword by Dr Shelly Whitman, Executive Director, The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative The Children of Islamic State Quilliam is a counter-extremism think tank based in London focusing on Islamist radicalisation, extremism, terrorism, and how to counter these phenomena. Our work combines research, outreach, and advocacy to fulfil our mission of challenging the narratives that perpetuate extremism of all kinds, as well as the ideologies that underpin these narratives. The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative is a global partnership that is committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers worldwide. It strives towards this goal by researching practical solutions, advocating for policy change, and conducting comprehensive, prevention-orientated training for security sector actors. Noman Benotman is Quilliam’s President. He leads Quilliam’s work on de-radicalisation processes in the UK and abroad, raising international awareness of jihadist recantations, co-ordinating Quilliam’ s outreach to current and former extremists, and using Quilliam as a platform from which to share his inside knowledge of al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups with a wider audience. Nikita Malik is a Senior Researcher at Quilliam. Her work focuses on women and extremism, terrorism in South Asia and child soldiers of the Islamic State. She has co-authored the reports ‘South Asian Terrorist Groups and Global Jihad in 2015’, and ‘Caliphettes: Women and the Appeal of the Islamic State.’ Dr. Shelly Whitman is the Executive Director of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. She has published widely on topics from sexual violence as a weapon of war, to small arms and light weapons, the international criminal court, and various perspectives on preventing the use of children in armed conflict. The research and production of this report was made possible by the generous inputs of Haras Rafiq, Rachel Bryson, Shreya Das, Tala Knight, Laura Hoffman and Alexandra Bissoondath. The authors are also grateful for the support of researchers and representatives within the United Nations (UN) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. We would also like to thank Professor Mark Brennan, UNESCO. Front cover pictures: Umm Summayah al-Muhajirah, ‘A Jihad Without Fighting’, Dabiq, 9th August 2015, The Clarion Project. For further information contact Quilliam: Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)207 182 7280 www.quilliamfoundation.org The Children of Islamic State, March 2016 © Quilliam 2016 – All rights reserved ISBN number – 978-1-906603-21-2 2 Quilliam Table of Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 7 Glossary of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 7 Glossary of Key Terms ............................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Defining a Child ................................................................................................................................. 10 Legal Framework for Prohibiting Child Soldiers ................................................................................ 12 Literature Review .................................................................................................................................. 14 ‘The Caliphate’ .................................................................................................................................. 15 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Child Soldiers Through the Ages ........................................................................................................... 21 Historical Basis for Islamic State’s Use of Children ........................................................................... 23 The Ottomans ............................................................................................................................... 24 Saddam’s Lion Cubs ....................................................................................................................... 25 The Insurgency .............................................................................................................................. 25 The Legacy ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Why Children Are Recruited ................................................................................................................. 27 How Children Are Recruited ................................................................................................................. 29 Education .......................................................................................................................................... 29 Coercion ............................................................................................................................................ 33 Co-Option .......................................................................................................................................... 34 Circumstance................................................................................................................................. 34 Ideology ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Socialisation .................................................................................................................................. 35 How Children Are Trained ..................................................................................................................... 37 Children’s Roles in the ‘Caliphate’ ........................................................................................................ 41 Spies .................................................................................................................................................. 41 Preachers .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Soldiers .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Executioners ...................................................................................................................................... 42 Suicide Bombers................................................................................................................................ 44 Girls ................................................................................................................................................... 44 Impact on Children ................................................................................................................................ 46 The Effects of War Exposure on Children ......................................................................................... 46 3 The Children of Islamic State The Impact of Child Soldiering .......................................................................................................... 47 Children in Islamic State ................................................................................................................ 49 Rehabilitating Child Soldiers ................................................................................................................. 51 Idea of Statehood.............................................................................................................................. 52 DDR(R) ............................................................................................................................................... 53 Beyond DDR(R) .................................................................................................................................. 54 Collective Trauma ............................................................................................................................. 55 Case Study: Afghanistan ................................................................................................................ 57 Case Study: Pakistan ..................................................................................................................... 59 Case Study: Iraq ............................................................................................................................ 61 Case Study: Islamic State .............................................................................................................. 61 Policy Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 63 (1) Assessment .................................................................................................................................
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