R. Green: The Islamic State’s Frantic Response To The Wave Of Refugees Fleeing Syria

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI‘s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

Introduction

In response to the refugee crisis involving the migration to Europe of hundreds of thousands of people from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, the Islamic State (ISIS) has launched a large-scale media campaign urging Muslims not to seek refuge in the West but rather to come to the territories under its control. As part of the campaign, ISIS has released 13 videos and has published numerous articles and pamphlets; additionally, its activists have flooded social media with this message, including with a Twitter campaign under the hashtag “Refugees – to where?”[1]

The massive scale of the media output on this issue shows that ISIS sees the Syrian wave of migration to Europe as an acute challenge. ISIS leaders see this challenge is twofold: It undermines ISIS propaganda that promotes ISIS as a burgeoning state to which Muslims are flocking, and it constitutes an actual demographic problem.

ISIS’s migration campaign has revolved largely around a negative message, namely condemnation of those who choose to flee to the West and an assertion that migration to Europe and the West will only bring the refugees further misfortune. Moreover, ISIS and its supporters stress all Muslims’ obligation to perform hijra (migration) to the Islamic State, and the view that Muslims who live elsewhere are neglecting their religious duties.

The messages in the campaign revolve around comparisons. ISIS propagandists juxtapose the negative aspects of migrating to the West with the positive aspects of life in the Islamic State and migrating to it. Thus, they present the Islamic State as an Islamic utopia, as opposed to Europe, presented as a land of moral depravity. The ISIS territories are presented as lands where Muslims live in peace, security, and prosperity, in contrast to the dangers and perils that await refugees in Europe. Life in the Islamic State, they say, may perhaps be dangerous, but it promises glory and honor through waging jihad, most prominently for the people of Syria – but life in the West will be a life of humiliation and abuse for those who choose to leave battle-torn countries of the Middle East, for they will be targets of Europeans’ conspiracies and European attempts at converting them to Christianity.

Writers quote passages from the Koran and Hadith, and from renowned scholars to emphasize the obligation to live in an Islamic land. They frequently quote ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who has called upon Muslims to migrate to the lands under his rule.

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A tweeted quote by ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi warning Muslims against living among non-Muslims, posted as part of the migration campaign

Several propaganda techniques are noticeable in the campaign: The videos open with scenes of the plight of refugees attempting to reach Europe, including  the images of the drowned toddler Aylan Kurdi, refugees being beaten by police, and so on. The videos feature many fighters who came to Syria from the West providing an inside view of the negative aspects of life in Europe. The videos also include many “man on the street” interviews with supposedly ordinary people speaking out against migration to Europe and in favor of living in ISIS territories.

The following report will review the campaign’s main messages:

Dar Al-Islam vs. Dar Al-Kufr

The most poignant message in ISIS’s set of arguments against migration to Europe is that the territories under ISIS control are considered dar al-Islam (“the abode of Islam”), whereas the West is considered dar al-kufr (“the abode of unbelief”). ISIS territories are presented as lands of the Islamic caliphate. They stress that it is incumbent upon those able to perform hijra to migrate to lands under ISIS control, especially in the core areas in Syria and Iraq.

In a video produced by ISIS’s Salah Al-Din province, an ISIS cleric states: “Those who have left and those who are leaving today [i.e. the migrants to the West] do not know their religion… since it is every Muslim’s duty to emigrate from dar al-kufr to diyar al-Islam [the lands of Islam].” The cleric notes that the only place that implements the shari’a is the Islamic State, and that it is therefore every Muslim’s duty to join it. He adds that even if most Muslims do not live within the borders of the Islamic State, it is still defined as dar al-Islam, and therefore they must leave dar al-kufr and the “lands of idolatry” and immigrate to it.[2]

An ISIS fighter appearing in another video speaks about Muslims’ duty to live in the Islamic State’s territories in Syria and Iraq: “In our times, Allah has bestowed His grace upon the nation of Prophet Muhammad by establishing the Islamic State in Al-Sham and in Iraq, and elsewhere upon the earth. Any Muslim for whom Allah has established dar al-Islam in his country should live in it, and any Muslim living in an infidel country should emigrate to dar al-Islam, as was ordained by Allah and the Prophet Muhammad… If you consider emigrating from the land of Islam to the land of Infidels, leaving your brothers, the mujahideen, behind, to defend the honor of your women and the women of your brothers, and leaving behind your sisters, who are being raped day and night in Damascus, Homs, and elsewhere – you should know that you are committing a grave sin.”[3]

Migration Must Only Be To The Islamic State

Seeing that ISIS sees its territories as the only “land of Islam,” the ISIS campaign stresses that the only form of migration that is permitted is to the Islamic State. A writer who goes by the name of Gharib Al-Surouriyya admonished migrants to Europe: “The basic principle is that the Muslim must migrate, fleeing for his religion, to the lands of Islam. How can one abandon migration to the land in which shari’a law is applied and Allah’s laws are manifest, and migrate to the lands of unbelief… If Allah, exalted be He, does not excuse those who abandon migration from the lands of unbelief to the lands of Islam, what can be said of those who spend their money and energy and risk their lives and families by migrating to the lands of unbelief, as we see today… Oh monotheist Muslim, if you choose to abandon migration to the land of Islam – the Islamic State which made the laws of shari’a master over any human law, and which made the word of Allah supreme – the least you can do is refrain from migrating to the lands of unbelief. Remaining in your land and fighting on the front lines would be better for your religion and for your worldly life than fleeing.”[4]

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Tweeted photo of a Japanese convert to Islam who joined ISIS in Syria, presented as an honorable example of a foreigner who travelled the route that is the opposite of the route of the refugees.

Glory Under ISIS vs. Humiliation In The West

A recurrent theme in the ISIS campaign is the juxtaposition of its territories as a land of glory and honor in light of the jihad being waged there with the West, which is a land of dishonor and humiliation for Muslims who migrate to it.

A writer who goes by Umm Abdallah Al-Jazrawiyya beseeched the refugees: “Return to your lands, for that is where there are slaves for whom Allah is their Lord. He supports them and strengthens them; with his support, they liberate your lands and establish Allah’s law in them. Return to your religion, your jihad, and your glory and retrieve your honor.”[5]

ISIS fighters in a video produced by Raqqa province in Syria expressed similar sentiments. An interviewer asked: “Will the refugees find glory in those countries where they seek refuge?” One fighter, of French origin, responded: “By Allah, in truth I was in France, in Paris, and I saw them, those refugees, sleeping in the streets and in the parks, and the infidels would bring them food and drink every now and then. Whereas here, in the land of the Islamic State, there is the diwan al-zakkat [the bureau of alms] which enables [the needy] to live in glory.” Another fighter replied: “Definitely not. There is glory only in Islam. Definitely, glory is here, in jihad for the sake of Allah. Glory is in the Islamic State, not elsewhere.” A third fighter said: “Those people [who migrated to the West] will be humiliated, Allah willing.”[6]

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French ISIS fighter speaking in video produced by Raqqah province

Gharib Al-Ikhwan admonished those who flee their land due to the danger of war and death, saying: “Some may bring up the pretext of the danger of life in their country due to the war. They should know that protecting the religion is prioritized over protecting the soul. That is why Allah made jihad obligatory, although it entails the loss of the soul… It is but a few years until [the caliphate] will become a lighthouse sought by people from everywhere. So, oh you refugees: ‘Will ye exchange the better for the worse?’ [Koran 2:61]… or do you want for your children unbelief in Europe or death like that of Aylan Kurdi on its shores?”[7]Yamani Wa-Aftakhir Bi-Islami, an ISIS supporter, urged people to join ISIS in its expected victory: “Their argument [for fleeing Syria and Iraq] is the war and death in their countries, as though death is present only in Iraq and Syria and not in the depths of the sea and in the lands of unbelief. There is no escape from death; it will reach you even if you are in fortified towers. Victory for the religion of Islam is coming, undoubtedly. Glory and power are coming everywhere with us or without us, so let us have the honor of being bearers of this religions and trailblazers on this path to glory. We are all on one of Islam’s frontier outposts; do not let it [Islam's victory] pass you by. The first brick of the victory for this religion [was laid] with the return of the Islamic caliphate in the land of Syria and Iraq and its spread to the lands of the  Muslims, and with the effort to liberate them from the tyrants, the tails of the Crusaders…”[8]

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Image accompanying an anti-migration article juxtaposes the humiliation of refugees in Europe with the alleged glory of ISIS, as illustrated by a little boy aiming a pistol.

An ISIS fighter, apparently himself from France, appealed to those considering fleeing Syria for Europe: “Those who emigrate to the lands of unbelief, especially France – we tell you: You will face problems in terms of wearing the niqab and the hijab. You will face difficulties throughout your lives. You will not have honor in these countries, but only humiliation… You have no honor. Honor is only found in jihad and in the land of the caliphate.”[9]

A writer calling himself Abu Abdallah Muhammad Ayoub Al-Qurashi summed up this argument by stating: “Perseverance against hardship in the land of the caliphate is better than a carefree life in a land in which the Lord of Glory is cursed and in which a child is attributed to him [i.e. a Christian land], in which His shari’a is prevented and depravities and abominations are abundant.”[10]

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Tweet by the French Islamist design team LVD. “To give up and flee towards the European mirage or fight the secular bloody dictatorships of the Arab regimes?” Images, left to right: “Flee towards the European paradise”; “Flee towards Allah’s paradise”

The Islamic Utopia Vs. The Impure West

Another prominent feature of ISIS propaganda is touting the contrast between its territories, presented as a utopia where Islamic laws and values dominate, and European countries, ruled by ungodly laws and whose values are incompatible with those of Muslims.

One ISIS supporter tweeted in this vein: “Oh Muslims, the taghout[11] does not for one day want your good. Do not seek refuge with your enemy! Congratulations to the subjects of the commander of the faithful [the caliph, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi]: [they enjoy] safety and faith, happiness and prosperity in the shadow of a glorious Islamic caliphate… How can your heart agree to you living in a land where one of your neighbors might be a polytheist or loyal to the tawaghit or to the rawafid [Shiites]? Will you travel by sea seeking a land where pig is eaten, wine is consumed, and corruption and immorality are spoken of openly?”[12]

In a video, an ISIS cleric from Mosul asked: “Will those who left be secure? Will they be secure in their religion? Will they have sufficient religion and faith that will enable them to defend their religion and faith in the land of unbelief? Will they be able to carry out Allah’s commands as they are fulfilled today in the state of the caliphate? Will they be able to pray the five prayers in the mosques? Will they be able to grow their beards, as the Islamic State ordered men to grow them in compliance with the command of the Prophet? Moreover, will they be able to protect their women? This is a country of prostitution, Allah protect us from it, this a land of immorality and wine, a land of fornication, a land of depravity, may Allah protect us from it. Oh Muslim, how can you protect your honor [i.e. your wife] in this land?”[13]

Dangers And Conspiracies

As part of the intense effort to dissuade Syrians and others from migrating to Europe, ISIS videos also emphasized the physical dangers involved in the journey itself and the dangers to the migrants’ religious beliefs posed by life in Europe. They presented Europe’s welcoming of Muslim migrants as a conspiracy against ISIS and against Muslims in general.

The main speaker in the video titled “The Camp of Desertion,” which was released by ISIS in Al-Khair province (Deir Al-Zour), addressed Christianization of refugees in Europe: “Don’t you see the Christianization campaigns which are spreading around the world, especially in the land of Kufr, whose tyrants have tried and used all means to combat Allah’s religion? They became lands where Muslims are being Christianized and forced out of their religion.”[14]

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Tweet under “Refugees – to where” hashtag: “The Hungarian borders.”

One ISIS fighter, featured in a video produced by Al-Janoub province, which corresponds to southern Iraq, stated: “What is the interest of the infidels, oh reasonable person, when they opened their lands accepting and welcoming you? What is the interest of these infidels when they compete over welcoming and sheltering you in these lands, in which there is no sound of Islam heard nor a scent of it smelled?”

Hailing the migrants who now live in the Islamic State “proud, with their heads lifted,” he asked those fleeing to Europe: “Where do you stand with regards to them, as you leave your lands and your families to seek refuge with the infidels? All they want from you is to disbelieve in the religion of Muhammad.”[15]

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ISIS fighter speaking in video produced by Al-Janoub province

An article titled “the immigration of Muslims to the Land of Kufr (the great Fitna),” by one Abu Rida Al-Sunni, listed what the author saw as the real reasons that Western countries have agreed to accept Muslim refugees – among them “exploiting the plight of the refugees and their condition to influence them to change their religion and convert to Christianity, which actually started with the pope’s approval and his request that religious establishments host some of these refugees.”[16]

An ISIS supporter warned fellow Muslims: “On the way, you will face death and humiliation. For what? To reach the land of infidels? Will you respect their infidel laws? They will look at you like a dog or even worse. You won’t be able to raise your daughter according to shari’a there. Do you know that when your daughter reaches the age of majority you are not able to control her? These are their laws, oh you who are unaware.”[17]

The ISIS member featured in a video produced by Yemen’s Hadramawt province warned migrants to Europe about falling into the hands of human traffickers: “Look at the situation of those who migrated and left the lands of Islam! How they are [in danger of] drowning in the depths of the seas, then thrown on the beaches of the lands of unbelief, a lifeless, motionless body, while others fall into the hands of criminal gangs, prostitution networks, and more, who will turn their families into prostitutes in the lands of the West. Those of them who reach the lands of unbelief will live miserably, wretchedly, and humiliated under the law of the infidels, who will look upon them as wretched and lowly.”[18]

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A writer calling himself Fajr Al-’Anzi wrote in an article titled “Migration to Germany – Dream or Nightmare?”: “Every day  the newspapers expound to us reports of attacks on foreign refugees or arson [attacks] on their shelters. Moreover, to date, Germany has provided no plan to integrate Syrian refugees into the job market, and thus has abandoned them to the German extremists. They see Islam as threatening Europe demographically, and [think that] by getting special housing and jobs, the refugees pose a danger to the entire European entity.”[19]

An Ominous Fate Awaits Migrants To The West

Pro-ISIS writers and speakers warn migrants to the West that they will be punished by God and bring about their own downfall, since God will abandon them and will choose others  to carry His message and earn a place in Paradise.

ISIS supporter Minbar Al-Khilafa began an article by informing migrants to the West of the ominous fate that awaits them: “Praise Allah who said [in Koran 4:97] ‘When angels take the souls of those who die in sin against their souls, they say: ‘In what (plight) were ye?’ They reply: ‘Weak and oppressed were we in the earth.’ They say: ‘Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to move yourselves away (from evil)?’ Such men will find their abode in Hell, What an evil refuge!’ This verse is explicit about the obligation of migration from the lands where Muslims are oppressed and unable to fulfill their religion to the lands of Islam where the Muslim glorifies his religion, and about the punishment for those who do not do this despite being able to. [Their punishment] is eternal hellfire. Why? Since they preferred the life of this world to their religion. Therefore, godly punishment comes upon them. And peace upon the Prophet… who said [in a hadith]: ‘I disavow any Muslim who lives among the polytheists.’”[20]

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Tweet juxtaposing an image of ISIS fighters, illustrating the honor of jihad, with one of miserable refugees. Caption: “They left the lands of glory and sought shelter in the lands of humility and vileness. By Allah, this is the principle of replacement [istibdal – see explanation below].”

A writer who goes by Abu Al-Ahnaf Al-Shibani explains the concept of replacement (istibdal) in this context: “This principle is crystallized in the fall of governments and leaderships and their replacement by others, and in the decline of nations and groups whose position is taken by others. If we see a government or a leadership or a group replaced by another, the meaning of this is that the phenomenon has been brought about due to this principle [of replacement]. This is what we see clearly today in the replacement of peoples in Iraq and Syria. Today we see the Muslim youth, who were graced by Allah with the establishment of the caliphate in their midst, taking themselves and traveling to the lands of the infidels which are ruled by the laws of the jungle on baseless and weak pretenses.”[21] Among these pretenses Al-Shibani lists fear of death and search for livelihood. He also accused the youth that has fled to Europe for evading their duty to wage jihad.

Peace, Security And Prosperity Under ISIS

To convince refugees to remain in ISIS territories or to travel to them rather than to flee to the West, ISIS propaganda stresses that those who live under its control enjoy a secure and peaceful life as well as material comfort. It should be mentioned that the theme of normal, plentiful life is a regular feature of ISIS publications.

In the video titled “The Camp of Desertion,” ISIS members and local residents interviewed spoke positively about their lives in the caliphate. One of them, who claimed that he had lived in Europe in the past, said: “We now [live] under the blessing of Islam. By Allah’s name, we eat, drink, enjoy ourselves, have air conditioning, cars, Internet and cellphones, thanks to Allah. We have the worldly pleasures which they [the refugees] left to acquire.”[22]

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ISIS photos showing the festive ‘Eid Al-Adha atmosphere in Al-Bab, an ISIS-controlled town near Aleppo. The photos were posted under the “Refugees – to where?” hashtag

Gharib Al-Surouriyya wrote: “We have not heard, praise Allah, of any person who died in the Islamic State from hunger, thirst, or oppression, nor have we seen one of its subjects throughout its vast territories migrate to the lands of unbelief, except in rare cases. Those who stay in them are safe with regards to their life, family,and honor, in contrast to those Muslims who abandoned their home and migrated to the lands of unbelief. We have seen how some have died, some have drowned, and those who escaped death are not safe with regard to their religion, nor are they safe from the Christians’ abuse, trading in their weakness and exploiting their circumstances.”[23]

Another writer, “Minbar Al-Khilafa,” noted that Muslims should migrate to the Islamic State, not Europe, and asked: “If you are seeking a peaceful life, why don’t you immigrate to the Islamic State where you will find security, dignity, and stability?” He added “if you are in doubt, the Islamic State media is truthful with its visual materials, which show stability in the Islamic State despite the war which is being waged against it.”[24]

* R. Green is a Research Fellow at MEMRI.