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Emma Smith
Mrs. Pettay
Eng111 2B
20 October 2015

ISIS Recruitment of Americans

Over 250 Americans have joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) this year.
These Americans, among thousands of other recruits from around the world, have traveled into
Syria or Iraq to serve in ISIS in whatever role they must. According to BBC News, ISIS was
created in 2013 and is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was a leader of al-Qaeda. Through
social media and eventually encrypted conversations, ISIS representatives recruit those most
susceptible to change and persuasion and whom pose the greatest propaganda value, the youth.
ISIS is actively recruiting young Americans.
Young Americans, especially young girls, are being targeted for ISIS recruitment.
Journalist Jamie Novogrod quoted the FBI Director James Comey stating that the target age and
gender for the Islamic State is young girls under the age of 18. New York Times article ISIS and
the Lonely Young American, along with the video Flirting with the Islamic State, told the story of
a young girl who was contacted by an ISIS member and later an ISIS supporter. 23 year old Alex
set out to social media to make friends and ended up finding a man named Faisal Mostafa, a
Muslim from England who supported ISIS. According to Carter and Callimachi, the two were
soon speaking regularly, but little did Alex know that he ran the Islamic charity Green Crescent

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that was running a bomb-making factory and raising children in an orphanage to be militants for
the banned militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Chadran provides that the
JMB is a terrorist group that desires to form Islamist regimes similar to ISIS in the countries they
occupy. Faisal could have been recruiting Alex for his charity and thus wanting her to join the
Islamic regime they are attempting to create. Young people like Alex are targeted by ISIS. Her
mothers alcoholism gave her fetal alcohol syndrome, making her slow maturing and giving her
poor judgement. This made her the vulnerable candidate ISIS recruiters want. Alexs
conversations started on twitter, but because they were via social media does not mean they were
not a part of Faisals recruitment tactics.
Conversing with ISIS members or Islamic supporters of ISIS could mean one is in the
process of recruitment, even if it is on social media. In Novogrods article, FBI director James
Comely was quoted stating that dozens and dozens of Americans have been conversing with
ISIS, mostly over social media. But once the group finds a person they deem as a possible
recruit, the conversations shift onto encrypted programs the US government cannot uncover.
Comely also stated that the youth ISIS is targeting are usually isolated, like Alex.
The youth of America are being recruited by ISIS for various reasons. Young girls,
especially those under 18, and any American teens who are isolated are likely targets for ISIS
recruitment. Despite our technological advances, the Department of Homeland Security and the
FBI have had to reach out to the private sector to attempt to find a solution to decode the
encrypted programs ISIS uses to communicate with Americans, according to Novogrod. With the
youth at its core, the number of US citizens who joined ISIS could soon grow past 250 as
recruitment techniques gain effectiveness.

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Bibliography
Callimachi, Rukmini. "ISIS and the Lonely Young American." NY Times, 27 June 2015. Web. 9
Oct. 2015.
Carter, Helen. "British Chemist Faisal Mostafa Arrested After Raid on Orphanage in
Bangladesh." The Guardian, 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
Chadran, Anurag. "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent: Almost Forgotten." Critical Threats, 3
Sept. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
Dienst, Jonathan. "Number of Americans Trying to Join ISIS Doubles in a Year: Department of
Justice." NBC New York, 29 Sept. 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
Flirting With the Islamic State. Dir. Poh Si Teng and Ben Laffin. The ISIS Conflict. NY Times,
27 June 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
Novogrod, Jamie. "FBI Director: Dozens of Americans Secretly Conversing with ISIS."
MSNBC, 8 Oct. 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
Schmitt, Eric, and Somini Sengupta. "Thousands Enter Syria to Join ISIS Despite Global
Efforts." NY Times, 26 Sept. 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
"Syria Iraq: The Islamic State Militant Group - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., 2 Aug. 2014.
Web. 14 Oct. 2015.