LOOKING GLASS PUBLICATIONS

D EDICA TED TO PROVIDI NG THE VIEW S OF OTHE RS

THE RESTING EQUILIBRIUM: A WESTERN HIJRAH AND

EUROPES NEW AMBASSADORS OF ISLAM
By Robin Barnett, Editor in Chief

29 September 2015

Syrian Refugee Crises and ISIS - As the Pendulum Swings

On 09 September 2015, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper stated that the Syrian refugee crises
is a disaster of biblical proportions involving the flow of over four million people out of the Middle East which in
turn provides opportunities for ISIS to disperse fighters on a larger scale. Clapper asserted that while the U.S.
aggressively scrutinises refugees, he was not sure whether the European nations could do the same.
Clappers claim, while striking, is not new and has been substantiated by numerous reports over the past year.
For example, in the January 2015 article titled ISIS Operative: This Is How We Send Jihadis to Europe, an ISIS
operative explained how the group was taking advantage of the worst humanitarian crises in this century with
ISIS fighters being slipped into the chaotic human tide disguised as refugees with destinations such as Italy,
Sweden and Germany, reports Buzzfeed. According to the operative, over 4,000 covert ISIS gunmen were
"ready" across the European Union. Its our dream that there should be a caliphate not only in Syria but in all
the world and we will have it soon, God willing, reports the Express.
On 18 February 2015, the Daily Mail reported that ISIS has threatened to flood Europe with half a million migrants
from Libya in a psychological attack against the West as a psychological weapon in the event Europe
intervened in Libya. According to the Telegraph, the militants intended to cross the Mediterranean disguised as
refugees once victory was achieved, according to letters seen by the anti-terror group Quilliam. UK
Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage warned that when ISIS say they want to flood our continent with
half a million Islamic extremists they mean it, and there is nothing in this document [Common European Asylum
Policy] that will stop them.
To confirm fears, five men posing as refugees were arrested on 29 August 2015 as they attempted to cross the
Bulgarian-Macedonian border with decapitation videos and Islamic State propaganda on their phones, reports
Briebart. Further, UNHCR reports that 72 percent of Mediterranean Sea arrivals are men, while only 13 percent
are women, and 15 percent are children. Moreover, 10 nationalities make up the 88 percent of sea arrivals--only
50 percent of which are Syria suggesting the refugee crises extends much farther than Syria and is likely fuelled
by a need to escape the ISIS advance in the region. According to Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, with
hundreds of thousands seeking asylum in European nations, this has stopped being a refugee crisis and instead
turned into Hijrah, which is essentially migration for the cause of Allah, considered a highly meritorious act in
Islam.

Balance in the Hijra?

The Hijra is a process of transfer to a better situation, according to Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D., and President Islamic
Research Foundation International. It is not meant to find a comfortable place where one would relax and stop

29 September 2015

endeavour (attempt) but is a search for an environment more favourable to continuous and constructive
effort. Hijra is obligatory on Muslims if they are facing serious persecutions of which they are unable to overcome.
The economic emigrants living in the West can, however, transform their Hijrah into an act of `Ibadah (worship)
if they change the intention and dedicate themselves to be ambassadors of Islam in their new home, reports
the Islamic Research Foundation International.
There is no doubt the Syrian refugees and displaced population have endured serious persecutions at the hand
of the government and pro-government militias, government forces, non-state armed groups opposing the
government, or extremist groups such as ISIS or Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qaedas affiliate in Syria, reports Human
Rights Watch. The refugees transformation of Hijrah into an act of worship is a welcome reward particularly when
faced with the dismal choice of either remaining in a civil war torn country or residing within the caliphate.
While Western emotions and opinions continue to swing hard between blessing and burden, a Western Hijrah
may be having a destabilising effect on ISIS as Syrians reject safe haven offered by the group, rather opting for
the dangerous journey to the West, reports NPR. The Soufan Group, a security-consulting think tank based in
New York, translated a dozen recently released ISIS videos, which portrayed a now defensive ISIS pleading for
the refugees to join the caliphate. "The idea that they are not heading to 'ISIS land' is a slap in the face," says
Alberto Fernandez, who ran the State Department's counter-terrorism communications unit before recently
joining the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI. "You can't avoid heart-wrenching pictures of people
going West," he adds. It is an affront to the basic ISIS ideology, for a militant group that believes it is a sin for
Muslims to live in inclusive Western societies.
While the fears of ISIS infiltration within Europe are legitimate, and the fate of the refugees is an excruciating
unknown, perhaps the West can look to the middle and observe a small glimmer of hope resting in the balance.
---This editorial compiled numerous open source news and reporting agencies. Text includes hyperlinks in order to
provide the reader with source attribution and availability for further research if required. The views shared in this
article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent or reflect views or opinions of organisations the
author is associated with, whether present, past or future. LinkedIn publishing provides freelance writers the
opportunity to publish writings with ease, and share thoughts with a broader audience in an effort to raise social
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Looking Glass Publications is an online publication that provides rapidly assembled open source reports on relevant topics.
Compiled from numerous open source news and reporting agencies, Looking Glass Publications aim to provide easy reading on
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29 September 2015