Belgian Jihadis

"We have seen young people leaving (to join Islamic State) from virtually every secondary school in my city or from every neighbourhood."
"They are seen in awful video movies and they were successful in recruiting other young people from my city and from the region and from Belgium."
"And so that is the reason why a lot of young people from Belgium followed the first group which were, as you can say, very hardcore militants of (Islamic State)."
"Another 40, including a number of under-age girls, are marked as potential leavers."
"They radicalize and isolate them."
"We are facing a global problem but we have to act locally."
Hans Bonte, mayor, Vilvoorde, Belgium

                                                         Fouad Belkacem, spokesman of Sharia4Belgium

"[Islamic State propagandists] could give master classes on branding and peer-to-peer media marketing. They have even created their own Twitter amplification apps."
"But the real problem here is the monumental gap that we have allowed to transpire between their tech-savvy, 24/7 strategic propaganda machinery on the one hand and our counter efforts on the other."
Sasha Havlicek, head, Institution for Strategic Dialogue, London

Nur ad-Din Abouallal aka Abu Mujahid, Sharia4Belgium’s second man

The United States is hosting a conference, a very special one. The White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism is hearing from quite a few national sources representing various countries whose security has been hugely challenged by the presence in their population of Islamist jihadists; those who remain and present a threat to the stability of the country and those who leave to join the fiercely bloody conflicts abroad.

They have been lectured by another master propagandist, this one a Nobel Laureate; chided lest they express the unfortunate and misguided opinion that the terror stalking the world has anything to do with Islam. Clearly, it does not; what that terror represents is dreadfully misguided individuals who claim that their Islamic heritage inspires them to dread acts of horrible atrocities in their bid to conquer the world for Islam. While heaven forfend, it does no such thing ... ?

So, those in attendance may carry the big stick of fear and experience, but they must speak softly of those who occasion their trepidation and terror. One central topic of discussion is the methodology of recruiting used by Islamic State in persuading young Muslim men and women to set aside all other worldly affairs for the greater responsibility of dedicating themselves to the martyrdom of the pious whose fulfillment can only be accomplished by destroying the lives of non-Muslims. And apostates, of course.

Inexplicably, and to the consternation of the conference attendees, recruits are plentiful and eager to join jihad, the allure of taking part in the gruesome delivery of death by the most painfully excruciating methods possible part of the attraction. Is psychopathy then, so widespread a pathology among the faithful of Islam? Why, perish the thought; there must be a more palatable explanation, only it eludes these fine minds.

Mayor Bonte of the Flemish town of Vilvoorde speaks of his town as a petri dish of jihadist development; the deadly bacteria of hate of the other percolates and spreads its malice. In response, his town has become a "laboratory" to examine how best to develop a method to succeed in stopping young people from their enthusiasm in joining violent extremist groups. Of the 28 youth, mostly male, who have joined the Islamic State in conflict, five are dead, eight returned, two have been imprisoned.

Of the original recruits some are now senior members of the "foreign ministry" of Islamic State; their goal to recruit as many of the faithful to jihad as possible. And how distressing it is that they realize a fair degree of success in their offering to the Muslim youth to make something distinguished and enviable of their lives in becoming one among the many who as 'brothers' in jihad bring pride and honour to Islam.

            Houssein Elouassaki aka Abu Falujah, alleged leader of most Belgian fighters in Syria

Belgium has a population of ten million among whom 380 have left to fight in Syria and Iraq. That represents the highest proportion of citizens to make common cause with Islamic State, out of Europe. Of that total 101 have returned whence they came, to make the security authorities somewhat nervous of their intentions toward the country. Another 50 of those who left have died in combat, leaving 50 less to be concerned about, for the time being.

Mayor Bonte described for those present how he has marshalled the city's law enforcement, education and social services to counter the threats with strategies meant to identify potential recrouts and foil Islamic State recruitment opportunities. Each recruit, he expands, in turn recruits others. Islamic State social media messages tout the special opportunity available to play heroic roles in creating the unifying Caliphate that will one day conquer the world.

Irresistible.