Unresolved jihad targets Europe

The second repatriation of women and children of Islamic State (ISIS) to Belgium provokes a lot of criticism. There is a lack of understanding, mistrust and a fear of new attacks. The return is stirring up public opinion on social media, as shown by data retrieved by CrossOver.

Read the full paper (in Dutch)

Social media monitoring on CrossOver’s dashboards in mid-May showed the high popularity of the Dutch term ‘’IS-vrouwen’’ (women of ISIS) on Twitter. When the Belgian government announced on May 16 that a second repatriation of ISIS mothers and their children from Syria was imminent, ‘IS-vrouwen’ became a popular topic in no time. 

The tone adopted is one of incomprehension and distrust. And also one of fear of a new wave of terror. Is the fear legitimate? How likely is a terrorist attack? “The general threat is increasing,” says jihad expert Pieter Van Ostaeyen, researcher at KU Leuven university. “Partly because of a new player in the jihadi landscape, who emerged in February this year. Specifically, Hurras Al-Tawheed, a group that calls for new attacks in Europe and seeks to unify al-Qaeda and Islamic State.”

Africa to Afghanistan

Hurras Al-Tawheed called in the English-language magazine Mujahedeen in the West (Fighters in the West) to attack embassies and courts, among other things. An alliance between Islamic State and al-Qaeda could mean a combined strength. In the latest magazine Al Naba, ISIS made another warm recommendation to perform the hijra, Islamic migration, to Africa. It is an appeal to a jihadist journey long unmade since ISIS lost territory in Iraq and Syria. 

Still, Van Ostaeyen considers the likelihood of Western fighters leaving for Africa small. “Crossing the border into Syria via Turkey is a lot easier than crossing Africa. Moreover, no whites or Arabs are to be found in ISIS propaganda material in Africa. Although some caution is still required. After all, about 120 Belgian foreign terrorist fighters are still missing. You can be sure that some of them are fighting in Africa. In addition, there is also an imminent threat from ISIS in Afghanistan, a magnet for Western jihadis in the nineties.”

Finally, says Van Ostaeyen, we should also keep an eye on the Syrian fighters captured here who will soon be released. ’’Some of them are still not showing a sense of guilt. Nor do they have any intentions to rehabilitate themselves. On the contrary, behind bars their radicalization has only intensified. The recently returned women are also a focus of attention. Some of them were for example active at the top of ISIS. They are not wimps.’’

This article was originally published by Hind Fraihi on Apache, journalistic partner in the CrossOver project.