Who are joining IS(IS) from Turkey, why and how?

23.09.2014 Vatan
Translated by: Turgay BAYINDIR /
Orjinal Metin (tr-9/22/2014)

We know that some of the foreign militants fighting for IS(IS) in Iraq and Syria are from Turkey. In addition, there are also IS(IS) militants from western countries who are originally from Turkey and who generally use Turkey as a transit to Syria. Foreign media have covered this issue a lot. Also, ample information is available on websites or social media accounts that are directly or indirectly connected to IS(IS).

There are contradicting accounts as to how many they are. First of all, it should be said that it is impossible to confirm these numbers, and secondly, beyond a certain point, the exact number is not important. However, the important fact is, a significant number of people are joining IS(IS) from Turkey in order to fight in Iraq and Syria. Another important point is that armed units of YPG and HPG which follow a line similar to PKK, are waging a cutthroat war with IS(IS) and, just as in IS(IS), there are militants in YPG and HPG who are originally from Turkey. This means that people from Turkey are fighting against each other in Syria and Iraq. Then, who is joining IS(IS) why and how? Based on information from open sources, I would like to underline several points to answer these questions.

From Afghanistan to today

Almost all of those who went to fight in Afghanistan in the early 1980s would have deserved the label “Islamist”. To join such a long and arduous adventure required a certain degree of religious and political engagement. Later, with the Chechnya and Bosnia jihads, an “ethnic” dimension was also added and people who had roots in the Caucasus and the Balkans also went to fight in these regions.

Not all of them are Islamist

With the spread of the jihad into the Middle East, joining it became easier. While this led to an increase in the number of recruits, it also contributed to a certain decrease in the quality of the political engagement of the recruits. For example, in Yahya Konuk’s book “The Confidential Story of the Jihad from Bosnia to Afghanistan” we learn that people with criminal histories also joined the jihad. The news coverage about the recruits of IS(IS) also mention former drug addicts. Certainly, not all of the volunteer fighters joining IS(IS) are people who would deserve the label “Islamist”. But, in the process, they are quickly adopting and internalizing the new Salafi interpretations of Islam.

Not the recruits but the recruiters

On the other hand, the ones who persuade young people to join IS(IS) are mostly quite well-equipped in Islam and its interpretations. It was true for al-Qaeda in the past and we can say that it is true for IS(IS) today; these people constitute the core of such networks. Naturally, there are also those who arrange for the safe and untroubled transit of new recruits into the jihad lands. In Turkey, al-Qaeda has long maintained a network of finding new recruits, sending them to jihad lands and providing for them logistically. It can be said that after the fall of Mosul, a large part of this network has shifted to IS(IS).

There are many Kurds

We know that many Kurds from Turkey and Iraq have joined IS(IS). One reason for this is the fact that Islamist ideology is more common among Kurds. Another important reason is that the Kurdish youth especially in Turkey are poor, deprived and hopeless. IS(IS) is particularly attractive to young Kurds who live in the slums of metropolitan areas. This has a political dimension as well: For those Kurds who are not PKK supporters and are, in fact, opposed to it, joining IS(IS) creates the opportunity to defy PKK.

Attractiveness of the “Islamic State”

In Turkey there are still many who find IS(IS)’s declaration of the Islamic State or the caliphate as something to be ridiculed. Yet, these declarations are definitely attractive to some. The biggest handicap of al-Qaeda was that it did not offer its followers any concrete end goals; joining al-Qaeda meant endless fight. However, IS(IS) offers its followers other attractions besides fighting. That is to say, people are going to Syria and Iraq not only for jihad but also to live in the state that has been established by IS(IS). This particularly explains why whole families from western countries have joined IS(IS).

Easy jihad

Going from Turkey to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamic State is easy work. First of all, it is very close. Secondly, IS(IS) and similar organizations are able to establish networks, find recruits and send them to jihad lands without much difficulty. Because Ankara has been engaged beyond measure in the attempt to topple the Assad regime, the political atmosphere in Turkey has been favorable for IS(IS). When talking about easiness, it is also important to emphasize that if IS(IS) recruits from Turkey attempted to do here even a tenth of what they are doing in Syria and Iraq, they would have met with serious reaction from the public, first and foremost from the religious people themselves. In short, jihad, which is hard in Turkey (at least under current conditions) can very well be easy in other lands, and therefore, be attractive.

Destek olmak ister misiniz?
Doğru haber, özgün ve özgür yorum ihtiyacı
Bugün dünyada gazeteciler birer aktivist olmaya zorlanıyor. Bu durum, kutuplaşmanın alabildiğine keskin olduğu Türkiye'de daha fazla karşımıza çıkıyor. Halbuki gazeteci, elinden geldiğince, doğru haber ile özgün ve özgür yorumla toplumun tüm kesimlerine ulaşmaya çalışmalı ve bu yolla, kutuplaşmayı artırma değil azaltmayı kendine hedef edinmeli. Devamı için

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