Author: Cynthia Wang

The Islamic State (IS) is not merely a regional force; it has permeated borders on a global scale. UN figures state that there have been an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters involved with the IS. Few countries in Africa or Europe are exempt when it comes to supplying foreign jihadists. North Africa, in particular, has played a major role in “exporting” fighters to IS with approximately 6,000 fighters originating from African countries such as Morocco, Libya and Tunisia.

However, North Africa cannot be generalised. While North Africans have been involved in IS, it is to varying degrees depending on the nation. According to a report released by the Small Arms Survey in July, Moroccans stand as the largest share of foreign fighters coming from North Africa. Most of them are known to be experienced and able to serve in senior military roles within IS. Tunisians are seen as less experienced and tend to fill the junior roles, responsible for carrying out risky front-line attacks in order to prove themselves.

So, how and why are these people leaving their homeland to join the fighting in Syria?

There are four main factors that could explain why Africans, in particular, are attracted to IS: religious, political, economic and social.

Islam has a significant presence in North Africa; Pew Research Centre asserts that more than 90% of people in the Middle East-North Africa region are Muslim and this percentage is still growing. A large number of African fighters who travelled to Syria have claimed their motive for doing so is religious; they want to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and the Levant. While some believe religion is a commonly recurring theme in the reasoning for people to join the IS, others believe this is disingenuous.

Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi, a Syrian scholar and Islamic leader, opposed to both the Assad regime and IS, recently said on ABC that “the actions of ISIS contradict the Shariah, their claims to a caliphate are invalid, and fighting against them is a legal obligation for those in the region in order to dismantle their criminal entity.” He goes on to write; “ISIS uses Islam and fanciful notions of jihad to recruit the youth and deceive Muslims around the world who feel oppressed by conjuring dreams of establishing an Islamic State from China to the Atlantic that would protect their interests.”

While many fighters join the Islamic State for a perceived religious purpose, Islamic organisations globally have renounced the Caliphate and its methods and branded its use of Islam as propoganda. From the perspective given by Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi, IS is un-islamic and other factors need to be taken into account when exploring the motivations behind those who join IS.

In Morocco, the politics is highly interlinked with religious factors. Although Morocco is considered as the most stable country in Africa, the divergent interpretations of Islam have caused a rift within the religion itself.

Between 2008 and 2011, the Moroccan government cracked down on Salafists and radical religious leaders. A report by the Small Arms Survey shows that as many as one third of the former political prisoners, who were arrested in the crackdown, have gone on to join IS. The fact that some of them have prominent anti-government reputations may also have attracted many young followers. Many previous detainees also found themselves having difficulties assimilating back into society. On top of that, the Moroccan government has turned a blind eye towards the mobilisation of Moroccan jihadists to IS, since they took advantage of it as a way to reduce instability domestically. Political factors have, thus, undoubtedly pushed people to join the IS.

As for the birthplace of the Arab Spring: Libya and Tunisia, the impacts left from the uprising have driven these countries’ young men and women into another “revolution”. On the PBS Newshour program, correspondent Yasmeen Qureshit visited Tunisia and found out there were many cases where during the Arab Spring, a number of people had lost their family members or their jobs. Social volatility and periods of extreme strife have resulted in a society tha could be more easily manipulated by IS propaganda.

“You have people who are really fed up with their lives in Tunisia, fed up with the economic situation, fed up with the political situation. The propaganda of ISIS portrays the self-proclaimed state of ISIS as paradise on earth, where you get jobs, money, wives.” – Youssef Cherif, Tunisian political analyst

What Youssef said not only reflected the shaky economic and political situation resulting in the growing number of Tunisian jihadists going to Syria, but it is also an indication that what the people really want, is true peace and stability in their lives.

Another point made by the correspondent throughout the program and by the Small Arms Survey was; that while the wide spread use of social media and the Internet has been an effective tool for IS recruitment, a considerable number of African fighters were joining IS through face-to-face or personal contact. Many of these people are introduced by family members or friends who were already fighting in Syria, and so the recruitment started to snowball.

Despite some African fighters returning home due to the fact that IS is gradually losing ground or not meeting their expectations; many are unable to reintegrate back into society. North African countries face the challenge of handling not only the exit, but also the return of jihadists. These governments’ unwillingness to help the returned fighters contributes towards this growing problem.

Currently IS, and the instability in the Middle East is still a source of tension for a number of world powers. Russia, who support the Assad government in Syria, recently initiated bombardments on IS claimed territories in what the former-Soviet state’s Orthodox Christian Church referred to as a “holy war.” While across the Pacific, the US continues to work with “moderate-rebels” to oppose both Assad and IS. The concerns over the growing number of foreign fighters from Africa have, in turn, shed light on continuing unsolved national and regional instability. In order to find a solution to these problems, we must develop a greater understanding of the political and economic situation at the grassroots level. The continuing stream of foreign fighters joining IS can no longer be seen as a mere consequence of a religious call for jihad.