An Australian mother hopes that the Islamic State will turn down her obese sons who escaped from home to join the notorious terrorist group in Syria.
The family of four Australian brothers from Sydney, Australia, who ran away to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) terror group, is hoping they will be turned away, as two of them are obese, Australia’s 2UE Radio station reports.
The Lebanese-born mother of four Sydney brothers, aged 17 to 28, who are feared to have joined the jihadists in Syria, is said to be distraught. Her sons told her they had won a trip to Thailand, and she even drove them to the airport. Later she received a text message from them which read: “Arrived in Syria, will see you in paradise.”
She did not believe them and contacted police. Authorities tracked them down in Turkey, ostensibly on their way to Syria to join IS. They have since been declared “enemies of Australia.”
Muslim community leader Dr. Jamal Rifi, who knew the brothers, says there were no prior signs indicating that they had any intention of joining the notorious terror group. He described them as simple and ordinary people who lived at their parents’ home.
Rifi expressed his hopes that the brothers would be turned down by IS on account of their obesity. “They are not good foot soldiers. I mean, they are over 140 kg. People who are going to see them are going to realize, ‘What are we going to do with them? You’re going to eat our food and you can’t even run on the field?'”
Rifi also hopes that the upcoming harsh Syrian winter will cause them to return home. He believes that the boys were recruited by a local influence, not only through social media, explaining that face-to-face persuasion would have been necessary to “tip them over” and get them to join IS. Only someone who knew them and their circumstances closely could have been able to get to them, he said.
ISIS Teen Crisis
The Islamic State has been the drawing point for Western youngsters from around the globe who have left their comfortable lives behind to join them.
IS has developed a sophisticated propaganda machine which they operate through social media. By depicting a perfect world that can be obtained through Jihad, IS lures these youngsters who are in search of a place they can call their own.
One good example of this phenomenon is the “Ginger Jihadist,” a boy from Australia who is now the star of IS’s YouTube propaganda clips (see below). Clad in bullet belts, toting an AK-47 and hanging out with his Muslim “brothers,” the Ginger Jihadist portrays an image of cool defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, openly challenging the West to send their armies against IS.
The number of recruits is still comparatively low, and yet it appears that these ripples may become a tidal wave. What can the West do to stop this worrisome phenomenon?
Author: United with Israel Staff
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