Memri on the Refugee Crisis and the Islamic State's Embarrassment . . .

Memri Logo

In Memri's Inquiry and Analysis Series Report No. 1187, "The Islamic State's Frantic Response To The Wave Of Refugees Fleeing Syria" (September 28, 2015), Research Fellow R. Green notes the Islamic State's embarrassment:

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?"

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 as 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.

For R. Green's analysis in more concrete detail, go to the report, where you'll find confirmation of what I wrote earlier, much to a certain troll's dismay.

But the Islamic State's embarrassment notwithstanding, the refugee crisis poses potential problems. The families should be cared for, but young single men should, by and large, be stopped. I've read enough reports to make me distrust them. They throw rocks and excrement in protest, cry out "Allahu Akbar when angered and fighting, and openly speak in Arabic about robbing the infidels and raping infidel women. Europe doesn't need more young men like that.

Another problematic group are the estimated 30 percent of the refugees from states other than Syria, some of them from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. These groups were previously headed for Australia, but the Aussies put a stop to that, so they've headed west . . . and West. My understanding is that many of these are economic 'refugees.'

Moreover, even many of the Syrian refugees generally were already safe in Jordan and Turkey, places where they should, by international law, remain.

Not everybody can be let in, or borders mean nothing.