The increased radicalisation of British jihadis, bolstered by an assured caliphate, has given the militant group global ambitions
YouTube video grab showing Islamic State fighters who claim to be British. ‘Romantic notions of saving oppressed civilians from a government intent on killing them has given way to casual brutality and callousness.’ Photograph: YouTube/PA
For those of who have followed the conflict in Syria and Iraq closely, it came as no surprise – shocking though it was – to discover that a seemingly British jihadist had beheaded the American journalist James Foley. Over the past year jihadists from this country have participated in suicide bombings, tortured detainees in their care, and executed prisoners of war.
It is true that not every British fighter who has travelled to Syria engages in these types of acts. Indeed, many of the early fighters who went did so for humanitarian reasons. Through numerous interviews it is clear to me that their motivations and ambitions were materially different from those who followed them.
Over time, however, it is also clear that attitudes have hardened. Romantic notions of saving oppressed civilians from a government intent on killing them has given way to a culture of casual brutality and callousness.
That nonchalance was epitomised by a British fighter I used to speak with regularly. When he was first in Syria he complained about the brutality of the Islamic State (Isis) and condemned its strategy of kidnapping journalists and aid workers. Months later he published a picture of three captured men with the caption: “Will be killed tomorrow, can’t wait for that feeling when you just killed someone.” Days later he posted a picture of his bloodied hand. “My first time,” he said. What is perhaps more disturbing is that he is an intelligent man who attended Queen Mary University.
A long list of similar incidents could be reproduced here. Indeed, a number of British fighters have celebrated Foley’s murder, often joking in macabre fashion about wanting to “play football”. A man from Manchester using the pseudonym Abu Qaqa tweeted: “Beheaded by a British brother! What an honour! What a beautiful message to America.” Qaqa has himself posted pictures of beheaded opponents on his Twitter account.
Messages like that are ones that Isis seems increasingly keen to direct towards the west. Another British fighter warned of terrorist attacks back home. “To the people of the UK, because of the actions of your government, it will be you who pay the price. Blame them & not us,” he wrote. The most recent Briton to have been killed in Syria, Muhammad Hamidur Rahman, also spoke of his desire to see a repeat of the 9/11 attacks shortly before his death.
It has repeatedly been suggested that foreign fighters today are no different to those who participated in the Spanish civil war. Proponents of such a view argue that George Orwell and Laurie Lee would now be treated as terrorists. To persist in this belief is to allow the owl of Minerva to spread its wings at dusk, because it ignores the changed and changing nature of both our society and the global jihad movement.
Britain is today a diverse and multicultural nation. Look to any conflict, anywhere in the world, and you will find a community in this country who could participate in it (often with some justification). But the modern state simply cannot allow itself to become a launch pad for every foreign conflict, and so it is proscribed.
Similarly, the global jihad movement cannot be compared to the International Brigades. Isis is a movement that has proved itself too extreme for even al-Qaida (with which it was once aligned, but later broke away). It adopts an aggressive and confrontational approach towards the west. That is precisely why Foley met his tragic fate.
The brazenness of foreign fighters – among them many Britons – has grown like a hydra ever since the proclamation of the caliphate by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis and self-proclaimed caliph. His fighters now seem more confident, cocky and assured.
It makes perfect sense. Isis has made huge and dramatic gains. It has swept through Syria and Iraq, terrifies its opponents, and controls more territory than the Lebanese or Israeli governments.
Isis has also declared that its new nation will not have borders – only frontiers. Baldly put, this means constantly advancing its sphere of control by annexing new territories through military force. It is a doctrine of perpetual jihad that beleaguered minorities like the Yazidis or Kurds know only too well.
All of this poses a significant challenge for the west. Its ultimate desire to dismantle and destroy Isis will not be easily achieved; it will require a long and committed campaign over many years. Yet, while the troubled legacy of our recent misadventures in Iraq linger over the public consciousness like the ghost of Banquo there will be no mandate for any such agenda.
It is perfectly understandable that many want to avoid what they regard as involvement in yet another Arabian quagmire. But as many of the British fighters have made quite clear, there is simply no avoiding Isis: it is expansive, expanding, and has global ambitions.
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