Two teenage sisters, Ayan and Leila Juma, left their family home in Norway in 2013 to join the Islamic State in Syria. Åsne Seierstad uses interviews, digital archives, and private messages to reconstruct their radicalization process within a secular European society. The narrative follows their father, Sadiq, as he travels into the conflict zone to find them, while the girls marry foreign fighters and commit to the caliphate’s ideology. The text documents the specific online networks and local religious circles that influenced their departure, detailing the tension between Somali immigrant traditions and militant extremism.
This book serves researchers and readers interested in the mechanics of radicalization and the failure of integration policies. It provides a case study for sociological analysis of how young citizens reject liberal democracies in favor of religious fundamentalism. Readers gain an understanding of the logistical realities of the Syrian civil war and the psychological distance between immigrant parents and their European-raised children. The account offers a factual look at the domestic security challenges and familial devastation caused by extremist recruitment in the West.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2016
- Language
- EN
