.... They grew up in a Britain that is filled with Islamophobia, where people seem to constantly speak ill about their faith. Sometimes, the non-stop criticism and offence can make people hang on to their religion more and more stringently, and get so into religion that they fail to differentiate between right and wrong. Instead, they become paranoid and defensive and start listening to Isis’s propaganda department.
.... Could they have gone somewhere else for support? Yes, there are organisations offering support to young people, but would they really understand the situations of these increasingly marginalised women? [769 comments]
[TOP RATED COMMENT 255 votes] "They grew up in a Britain that is filled with Islamophobia"
Yeah, and they've done a fine job of disproving those "Islamophobes" silly delusions. Well done girls.
[2ND 243] "Many wonder why any teenager, who should be focused on education, hanging out with friends and starting relationships, would travel to join Islamic State (Isis)"
Surely that is not the main thing most of us are wondering. What I am wondering is how 3 girls, who will have seen and heard a lowly British Christian taxi driver, went to Syria to help children, ended up being beheaded and yet still they decided to join ISIS. Surely this is the elephant in the room? All the Guardian articles seem to be trying to rationalize it.
[3RD 219] You have chosen to blame British society for the girls' alienation and blame ISIS for their indoctrination. But neither of these explanations are satisfactory.
As to the first, many of these girls seem to come from comfortable middle class homes. They are not all surrounded by poverty. Plus plenty of girls grow up facing sexism, racism, and yes, even actual poverty, without turning to violence. So your explanation is not enough.
You leave out the agency of the girls themselves - 15, 16, 17 is old enough to have an opinion and responsibility for it - and the immediate influences on them that mean they think joining a brutal regime like ISIS is a valid - indeed the best, most morally correct - choice. [Guardian Cif] Read more
