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| Europe |
| Why would white Frenchmen seek martyrdom / jihad in Syria? |
| 2013-08-21 |
| [BBC] What makes a young middle-class man turn to Islam and want to risk "martyrdom" in Syria? A French father, who has just been bereaved, tells the BBC's Christian Fraser what happened to his sons. The jihadist video is familiar in both style and content. In front of the black flag proclaiming allegiance to Allah, is a man who calls himself Abu Abd Al-Rahman. "I am French," he says. "My parents are atheists; they do not subscribe to any religion." In fact his parents were baptised Catholic - as was he - and they know him as Nicolas. He is a 30-year-old convert. He comes from a middle-class background in Toulouse. His mother works for the army... The two men were regular visitors to the Izards, a notorious crime-ridden estate in the northern outskirts of the city. Nicolas had been convicted for selling hashish. His family says he was mixing with the wrong sort. But then he found his new faith. He was more observant, stricter, in his adherence to the religion than many of his Muslim friends. And he tried to convert everyone in his family. In 2011 he succeeded in converting his brother. His mother was so concerned by his developing behaviour she called the French intelligence service. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes that reason is 'stupidity'. |
| Posted by:Anguper Hupomosing9418 |
| #5 They need a purpose in life |
| Posted by: Paul D 2013-08-21 19:49 |
| #4 Some folks need to be filled with purpose. In the past it was patriotism and Christianity but the left has smeared those left and right for the past few decades. Not a surprise. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2013-08-21 14:36 |
| #3 The reason new converts are more fanatical is that the more fanatical followers don't live to become old converts. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2013-08-21 08:59 |
| #2 g(r)om, and new converts are always more fanatical. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2013-08-21 08:09 |
| #1 Empty people would take up anything that fills them? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-08-21 03:15 |