'Monsters not Muslims'

A member loyal to the ISIL waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa. Photo by Reuters.
A member loyal to the ISIL waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa. Photo by Reuters.
British Prime Minister David Cameron says they are monsters not Muslims.

They are widely labelled as murderers and fanatics.

Those who leave the West to fight for the evil Islamic State might be, or have become, all of that.

But what is it that motivates them?

As air strikes step up, failing to halt the brutal IS advance in Syria towards the Turkish border, as United States President Barak Obama speaks to the United Nations, as Britain votes to join the strikes and as an IS affiliate in Algeria slaughters a French tourist, what is it that causes human beings to do such deeds, particularly those from the West flocking to fight behind the black flag?

Although there might be a sprinkling of psychopaths who revel in violence, many if not most of the 3000 or so outsiders are not necessarily that out of the ordinary.

About 100 come from Australia and 500 or so from the United Kingdom, where integration of Muslim minorities is better than in many places.

It is too simplistic to say they began as ''monsters'', even as they go on to take part in monstrous acts.

Some, it seems, are idealistic wanting to help create what they think, in their deluded way, will be a better world.

They believe they can do something special, encouraged by IS' slick and seductive use of social media.

Perhaps they are bored and lack purpose and meaning in life.

A black and white cause provides that.

Some are in it for excitement. It was, in part, this very same motivation which saw young men enlist and leave Dunedin 100 years ago for battle in Europe.

It has also been suggested some have the fervour and the ignorance that comes with finding religion anew.

They feel the passion of faith as if they are ''born again''.

The confusing, disappointing world becomes clear and absolute. They have a purpose.

Then there is the aspect of what has been called ''Jihad Cool'', the chance to puff and strut, to be a rebel and be proud of it, to stand out from your conformist community while being part of a brotherhood, to be respected among your peers and be, or at least feel, attractive to women.

This has similarities to the magnetism of gangs.

The seeds of savagery are close to the surface and, given the fertile ground, flourish.

Witness the horrors of Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia in recent times.

Using ideology, religion, ethnicity or a combination thereof, people perpetrate horrific barbarity.

This time they label themselves Islamic State, while most of those they kill are Muslims.

They operate in the name of the Prophet, yet are an abomination to Islam as, for example, the Klu Klux Klan is to Christianity.

As President Obama said this week: ''No god condones this terror. No grievance justifies these actions. There can be no reasoning - no negotiation - with this brand of evil.''

It might help to tackle social problems and alienation in the cities of Europe, Australia and the United States.

But many of those taking up the cause do not come from among the poorest and most disaffected.

Motivations are such that intensive help from within the Islamic communities will be needed, even as malcontents often reject traditional imams. Campaigns, like Twitter's #Notinmyname, should help.

And it must be clear that IS fighters, rather than being cool, are contemptible and ignorant ''losers''.

But just as containing IS in Iraq and Syria will be drawn out and difficult, so too will be grappling with home-grown terrorists.

Again, real - and at times even heart-wrenching - commitment will be required from within Muslim communities and families so police are informed of suspicions and concerns and extremist preachers are stopped.

Police and intelligence services will have to be alert and smart and a difficult balance maintained between individuals' freedoms and community safety.

Both in Iraq/Syria and in the West itself, the overreaction that characterised post 9/11 must be avoided.

That was counterproductive and played into al Qaeda's hands.

That, once again, is exactly what IS will be hoping to achieve.

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