Written by: Yahya Irfan
To increase its membership, ISIS indiscriminately recruits individuals, paying no attention to their religious background or character. Despite outwardly claiming to adhere to the path of “Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah” and striving to present itself as strictly following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
For instance, when appointing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as their leader, he appeared in public using a miswak (tooth stick), to present an image of piety and to invoke scenes from the life of the Prophet ﷺ. However, the true motives of ISIS are far removed from such portrayals.
The group’s primary objectives include accumulating wealth, tarnishing the reputation of Islam, enabling corrupt systems worldwide, fostering a spirit of brutality and oppression, and spreading fear among societies that oppose their agenda.
When recruiting individuals, ISIS follows no specific criteria, welcoming men and women of any religion, sect, political ideology, nationality, or background in an effort to attract as many individuals as possible.
It is evident that due to the lack of recruitment standards, the majority of ISIS’s members come from marginalized sectors of society, including individuals who have been rejected by their communities. Many of these recruits are individuals with a history of criminal behavior, including murderers, thieves, sexual offenders, and those engaged in immoral activities. Seeking acceptance, these individuals turn to ISIS as they find no place within their own societies.
The actions, identity, and intentions of ISIS are now clear to the world. When the group began committing atrocious acts, many of its early members distanced themselves, opting to join other organizations. Consequently, rational and respectable individuals from various societies have chosen to disassociate themselves from ISIS.
Within the ranks of ISIS, individuals of any background or history can find a place. However, the extreme and inhumane actions carried out by ISIS deter most people, leading them to rely on recruiting morally and socially deviant individuals to maintain their membership base.
