WESTERNERS IN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION(5)

Hoda Muthana is 20 years old. She has USA and Canada citizenship. She was born in Canada, Ontorio. She has an American mother and she has a Canadian father. She attended high school in Hoover, Alabama in USA. Then, she started her university education in University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Muthana was first drawn to ISIS in high school reading Twitter and other social media posts. After a while, she decided to join ISIS.

She went and joined ISIS in 2014. She married with three Islamic State fighters.

WESTERNERS IN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS(4)

Lukas is from Denmark. He was born as a Christian. He was autistic and he had quite a bit of issue with being social. He was Asperger as well.

He started to work at a garage with Muslim employees. And after that, he converted to Islam. In the beginning, he became more aware. But after a while, he started to radicalize because of a man who worked at the garage with Lukas.

After his radicalization, he started not to talk with ladies. Lukas became more extreme and violent. He changed also his name. His new name became Millatu Ibrahim.

In 2014, he went to Syria and in Syria, he joined to ISIS.

WESTERNERS IN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION(3)

Omar Shafik Hammami is an American citizen. He is from Daphne, Alabama. His Jihadist name is Abu Mansoor al-Amriki. His father is from Syria and his mother is from US. His father is a Muslim guy and his mother is a Christian lady.

In his early childhood was the fact that his mother used to take Omar and his sister to Church. So, actually, he grow as a Christian. In his early age, he baptized in the Perdido Baptist Church. When he was child, he would like to be a doctor so he could do missionary work all around the world as a Christian.

During his elementary and secondary school period, he was a talkative and naughty student. He was also a very successful student in his classes. He had a happy childhood.

However, as seen in his autobiography, he is open to new experiences like drugs etc…

But after the holidays in Syria, Omar's life began to change. First he met with Islam in Syria. During this period, he began to pray 5 times a day. After his return to the United States, he continued to pray. However, he was praying at school and he was having some problems with his friends. For example, one day he was praying in his school and one African American guy was laughing to him and Omar just walked over them after finishing his prayer and told them that he is a Muslim and there is nothing strange about praying to God. Actually, in his early age, because of these kind of reactions, Omar started to radicalize a little bit.

During this period of radicalization, he began to enter radical Islamic web sites on the internet. For example, he said that he used to go to the websites of the Mujahidin of Sishan. Then Omar started to read radical Jihadist books and articles. During this period, he would like to go to Jihad but he understood that he need more knowledge before joining Jihad. Likewise, he adopted Salafism in this period.

In 2003, he decided to join the Jihad with the US invasion of Iraq. The news that he saw during the invasion and what he read on the internet was very effective about his decision. Later, he married and moved to Egypt.

In Egypt he began to enter more often Salafist sites on the internet. One of these websites, he met with another American living in Egypt.

Omar and his other American friend went to Somali, and they joined Al-Shabab.

As seen in this case, internet and mass media play an important role in radicalization of people or in the formation of radical knowledge.

WESTERNERS IN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS(2)

Dagestan is located in Russia’s North Caucasus. Dagestan and North Caucasus region became a recruiting ground for so-called Islamic State. At least 1200 Dagestanis have joined to ISIS.

The region has been fighting for independence for long years against Russia. During this armed conflict, most of the fighters became radicalized and extremist. After the end of armed conflict against Russia, most of these fighters have joined radical terrorist organizations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Artur Magomedov’s wife also joined ISIS. They are both Caucasian. Artur Magomedov’s wife took her two daughters and sehe joined ISIS with her two daughters. Artur Magomedov went to Syria and rescued his daughters.

Artur Magomedov said that his daughters still were talking and chating with their mother on internet. Artur also added that his wife is still alive and still a member of ISIS.

WESTERNERS IN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION(1)

Shamima Begum is 19 years old woman from England. She joined ISIS in 2015. Now, she is 9 months pregnant and she would like to return England.

She had lost two children while she was in Syria during her ISIS period. But she said that she did not regret traveling to Syria. She supported the ISIS’s state-building efforts as wives, mother, recrıiters and sometimes online cheerleaders for violence.

Now, she thinks that the Caliphate is over, there was so much oppression and corruption that she does not think ISIS deserved a victory.

In ISIS, an estimated 4000 westerners traveled Iraq and Syria during Syrian civil war and they joined different terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria. More than 550 of them are women and girls.

Chinese New Year in Kaohsiung

What is going on in Venezuela?(2)

Venezuela is a rich country in gold, oil and bauxite. It has the world's largest oil reserves with 316 tons of gold reserves. Venezuela controls the world’s largest proven oil reserves in the world. Despite these natural resources, Venezuelan economy contracted 53% in five years and inflation is at over 1 million per cent. Most of the scholars state that Venezuelan economy did not manage well under Maduro's power. Nowadays, it is possible to buy 54 liters oil with one package of chocolate.

Venezuela has been under the embargo of the United States and many European countries for many years. Due to these embargoes, few airlines fly to Venezuela. Therefore, despite the many tourist attractions, few tourists go to Venezuela.

The country is also experiencing a major economic crisis. Many Venezuelans consider Maduro responsible for this economic crisis. Due to the economic crisis, there have been protests in the country since April 1st. 120 people died and thousands were injured during these protests. In the process, someone tried to assassinate Maduro, but Maduro was not injured or die.

Despite the embargo the United States and western, Turkey, Russia and China support the Maduro. Juan Gualido, the leader of the opposition party in Venezuela, declared himself the new head of state in the previous weeks. First, USA said that USA recognized Gualido as the new head of state. Later, important European countries such as Germany, Spain and England also recognized Guaido as the new head of state.

After the United States recognized Guaido, Maduro kicked US diplomats out of the country. This event has completely ended the political and economic relations between the two countries. 

Maduro states that the US is trying to make a coup in Venezuela. In recent days, the US press reports support Maduro's idea. The US and many western newspapers say the army should support Guaido. Essentially, this openly defends the Venezuelan army to make a coup.

This kind of news shows how the hypocrite of the West. Because for a long time, Western countries show themself as a defender of democracy.