When I report on the young mujahideen who travel from Germany to Syria to fight in the jihad against the Assad regime, I normally refer to them as “Germans”. I add the quote marks to emphasize the fact that — although they were probably born in Germany, and have German citizenship, and maybe even speak German as their native language — they are not German in any meaningful sense. They retain the values and mindset of Turkey, Morocco, Iraq, or whatever other place their forefathers migrated from. Their focus is directed at those places, and their loyalty lies with the Ummah.
The young men described in the video below were, however, German. There’s no need for quote marks around the word; they were Germans. Yet they converted to Islam, heard the siren call of the jihad, and traveled to Syria to become shahids.
Many thanks to Oz-Rita for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:
Transcript:
00:08 | There are youngsters in Germany who instead of finishing school | |
00:12 | prefer to learn how to become a Jihadist. No need to be a prophet to know | |
00:16 | this is the wrong way. And no need to be a clairvoyant | |
00:20 | to guess it will not rain virgins when eventually | |
00:24 | they die as martyrs. Yet two German converts | |
00:28 | still went this way, from their provincial hometown direct | |
00:32 | into the Syrian combat zone. Peter Hell and Roman Lehberger | |
00:37 | on the lives and deaths of David and Robert: | |
00:41 | Terminus of a voyage into the “holy” war | |
00:45 | a video made a few weeks ago documents the burial of fallen | |
00:49 | Al Qaeda fighters on a Syrian battle field. Among the dead, | |
00:53 | the 19-year-old German convert David G. from | |
00:57 | Kempten i. Allg. His fighting name: Abu Dawud. | |
01:01 | The apprentice electrician joined the terror group to | |
01:05 | fight against the dictator Assad. On social networks he represented himself | |
01:09 | quite offensively as Salafist and Jihadist. Last | |
01:13 | autumn he left Germany travelling overland via | |
01:17 | Turkey to the Syrian border, | |
01:22 | where he crossed into Syria. For years | |
01:26 | a bloody civil war has raged in Syria. For a while | |
01:30 | it has not been about the dictator, but radical rebel groups | |
01:34 | are fighting each other. David G. fought with them. | |
01:38 | But what attracts a young man from the Bavarian province to the “holy” | |
01:42 | war in Syria? Why is he willing to die in the fight? | |
01:46 | Looking for reasons in Kempten, the tranquil hometown of David. | |
01:50 | Until two years ago he seemed a normal boy, | |
01:55 | but then his family noticed a spiritual crisis. | |
01:59 | Brother-in-law: “He decided to look for a God | |
02:03 | and he scanned the internet for it | |
02:07 | he evaluated the different things | |
02:11 | he found there | |
02:15 | and thought about them and said | |
02:19 | that’s how he found Allah”. David converts to Islam. | |
02:23 | In his boxing club they notice the change. The enthusiastic | |
02:27 | sportsman turns into a radical Islamist. Old friendships | |
02:31 | are ended; his new life is dedicated to religion. | |
02:35 | Paradox: the future jihadist finds boxing too brutal. | |
02:40 | After his last fight in December 2012 | |
02:44 | he came to me, returned his gloves and said, | |
02:48 | “I cannot continue to box.” | |
02:52 | I asked why? “It’s against my faith” | |
02:56 | As often as possible, David visits | |
03:00 | the Hicret Mosque in Kempten. Here too | |
03:04 | the convert stands out with his radical opinions. | |
03:08 | The chairman of the mosque and his son Mehmet | |
03:12 | ban him from their house and inform the police. | |
03:16 | David started to praise Al Qaeda and said | |
03:20 | Osama Bin Laden was right to attack the twin towers, | |
03:25 | that Jews kill Muslims, and that we | |
03:29 | must kill them too. David G. becomes | |
03:33 | Abdullah Dawud and his Facebook page | |
03:37 | becomes a portal for jihadists. He poses openly in an Al Qaeda shirt. | |
03:41 | Most of his favorite pages are about a radical | |
03:45 | Islamist world order. At home he acts conspiratorially. | |
03:49 | He burnt some notes and | |
03:53 | he liked to borrow | |
03:57 | old mobiles or make calls | |
04:01 | on his sister’s mobile. | |
04:05 | He would borrow his sister’s laptop | |
04:10 | to go online. This was a little suspect, he did not say why. | |
04:14 | In July David G. resigns from his post as apprentice electrician | |
04:18 | without giving a reason. He prefers to fight and plans a trip to | |
04:22 | Syria. He seeks support in Westphalia, | |
04:26 | keeps internet contact with a group of Salafists. | |
04:30 | Repeatedly he visits the cell from where | |
04:34 | several members have meanwhile gone to Syria | |
04:39 | ||
05:15 | In the Arrahma mosque the “brothers” meet for prayers. | |
05:19 | They argue with the imam who is too ‘moderate’ for the Salafists. | |
05:23 | “This one I know.” | |
05:27 | You know him? Yes he was here during Ramadan. I discussed with him | |
05:31 | we spoke about general themes… | |
05:35 | like Islam, he was a little… extreme. | |
05:40 | The ideological basis for G’s participation in jihad is | |
05:44 | delivered by others. Salafist preachers such as Ibrahim Abou Nagie, | |
05:48 | for years a figure on the German Islamist scene. | |
05:52 | At “charity” events he openly solicits help for fighters | |
05:56 | in Syria. “All our brothers and sisters | |
06:00 | in Syria are mujahideen. | |
06:04 | Each one of you who donates here | |
06:08 | equips a mujahid”. Per performance | |
06:12 | about 10,000 euros flow into the war chest for Syrian fighters. | |
06:16 | Presently the theme “Syria” | |
06:20 | is one that unites all Salafist preachers. | |
06:24 | They promote the theme by repeatedly publicising the need to do | |
06:28 | something for Syria, saying “if you don’t go to Syria, | |
06:32 | then at least donate,” so that Syria is in the conscience of many | |
06:37 | young Muslims, and they also procure | |
06:41 | contacts by inviting recruiters to preaching- | |
06:45 | and “charity” events where you will meet | |
06:49 | them. Looking for answers from | |
06:53 | the preacher Abou Nagie on Friday in Cologne. | |
06:57 | “I am not responsible for the people. | |
07:01 | Here is freedom of speech, democracy and freedom of religion. | |
07:05 | I cannot force any one to do something | |
07:09 | he does not believe in.” Another fervent follower | |
07:13 | of Abou Nagie was Robert Baum, a convert from Solingen. The aims of the fanatics are | |
07:17 | the creation of an Islamic theocracy and the introduction | |
07:21 | of sharia globally. | |
07:26 | After serving a jail sentence in England for planning a bombing, | |
07:30 | Baum disappears during autumn 2012. He travels to Syria | |
07:34 | as one of the 270 fighters who have so far gone from Germany | |
07:38 | to the combat zone. Here, Baum recently died, | |
07:42 | according to security services. | |
07:46 | In September, David G. from Kempten also reaches Syria. | |
07:50 | He had sold his belongings on E-bay. | |
07:54 | A notice of farewell. He poses for a photo as | |
07:59 | “holy warrior with Kalashnikov”, and in December | |
08:03 | he emails a last sign of life to his sister. | |
08:07 | “I won’t appear for a while. I just drank a tasty banana cocktail and maybe | |
08:11 | I’ll soon move into a mansion the like you have never seen. | |
08:15 | Tell mum not to worry. See you.” Probably in | |
08:19 | mid January, David dies in a battle between Al Qaeda and enemy | |
08:23 | rebels. Among some “brothers” at home, | |
08:27 | the fallen German is now a martyr. | |
08:31 | “David has often been here and has prayed here? | |
08:36 | “Did you notice his radicalisation? “ | |
08:40 | “He was not radicalised”. “Really? So why did he go to Syria?” | |
08:44 | “You have to as a Muslim. | |
08:48 | One must fight for god, he died for his brothers. | |
08:52 | I would die for god also and fight for my brothers | |
08:56 | If I had no family here, I would do as he did. | |
09:00 | Every Muslim would do this.” Last report from the front: | |
09:04 | A few days ago another German fighter was killed in Syria. | |
09:08 | (name?) He will not be the last one. | |
09:12 | www.spiegeltv | |
09:16 | Authors: Peter Hell, Roman Lehberger. |
Can’t help but notice the snarky grin on the vile faces – see 03:08-03:16 as one ‘chairman of mosque’ attempts to conceal his pleasure as he sips tea while his son dishes taqqiyya on the gullible reporter, or @ 4:58 as Said Chengate dishes a ton of his own brand of b.s./taqiyya the same snarky grin – of those who enabled and encouraged (and continue to encourage/enable) the repulsive reversion of gullible/vulnerable young Germans who foolishly become willing collateral carnage for the foreign cause of the eternal satanic warlord allah . . . so that less inclined to self-shaheed invaders could proceed uninterrupted in their demographic, financial and influence jihad on German soil against these young catastrophically gullible boys real kin and homeland.
The muslims are so well embedded and supported by ignorant enducated dhimmis of the useful idiot type they they can now focus on infrastructure, organization, arms and counter culture. The islamonazi outcome must look more achievable now that western governments are seen to unashamedly support the al queda halal butchers – everywhere. Cult of peace my ankles.
Vulnerable young Germans exactly that brainwashed to be subservient, conditioned into puerile victimhood never to attain the surefootedness of manhood.
No surprise they buy out of a feminised society that criminalises them, did they fall or were they pushed?
Boxing was too cruel. So he could not continue. In the west many “learned” people frowned at the Bible because it was too “bloody” to be taught to “civilized” westerners. The new motto was: Don’t pervert children’s minds with the Christian dogmas. “They will be scarred for life. But let them grow up FREE and let them choose whatever religion or no religion at all.”
Now when they grow up none chooses Christianity because it is boring and hates Muslims ( a horrible crime because Muslims don’t hate anyone). Instead they chose drugs and alcohol. And now they are choosing something more wonderful. Something that was hidden from Europe and those cruel Christians prevented the “right-minded” westerners from embracing it. Islam is fierce and people like something fierce although they claim otherwise.
Murad: Jolin Rouge, above, is unhappy with the “feminisation” of our society, something you also touch on; then you call the Bible “too bloody” for modern sensibilities.
Well, some of the Old Testament is, but successive generations of rabbis modified these teachings- part of the reason why Mohammed disliked Jews. And Christ’s new message of peace and forgiveness was “feminine” by your standards, as I understand them.
As an atheist, may I play devil’s advocate and assume that I’m wrong: there is a divine creator who cares for us, and he sent his son to atone for our sins (I won’t trouble you here with why I find this odd, to say the least). He’s playing a long game here (well, he has eternity), and by the
eighteenth century decided we’d grown up sufficiently to decide things for ourselves, permitting the Enlightenment to occur, initially in Europe. After all, there’s no merit in being virtuous if religious or other authorities make it difficult or dangerous to behave otherwise.
We’re only 250 years into this new era- a blink of an eye to the divinity- and already, thanks to our new freedom, we’ve made major advances in the reduction- not yet elimination- of slavery, and of suppression of women, racist attitudes etc- I’m sure you get my drift.
But it is a work in progress; I remember a joke from the 1970s: a Chinese Communist leader is asked what he thinks are the consequences of the French Revolution (a child of the Enlightenment, like the US Constitution, albeit gone awry in the French case); he replies “It’s far too early to tell”. Perhaps the battle against religious extremism- especially, but not only, Islamist- is part of God’s plan to liberate ourselves from dogma and be truly responsible for our own actions, so that he can properly judge us when the time comes?
Mark H, I know exactly where murad is coming from. The whole Western view of society has been inverted so that the hero is now the heroine and women take up their posts on the front lines in combat zones while tackling the hardened criminals as front line police in our towns and cities.
The Western male’s role has been thoroughly thwarted, subverted, ridiculed and feminized to the point that even the inalienable right to defend himself against the school bully has been taken from him.
He no longer has male role models in schools or generally in other areas where male role models should be mandatory for our ‘troubled’ male adolescents, who because of lack of suitable role models or mentors, go on to become criminals and usually violent criminals at that.
Islam is just another form of criminality in a male dominant cult that is legitimized by becoming Muslim – that is why young Western men join up.
When working as a police officer it became very apparent to me that many young Aussie male offenders came from single parent (mother) homes and attended schooling where male teachers were scarce on the ground. Many ‘Counsellors’ to the young troubled teens of today are women, in fact, I would estimate that the majority of Counselling positions are filled by women. I once had a conversation with a female Counsellor who was sent by the Children’s Court to ‘counsel’ a particularly violent young offender whom I considered to be almost a lost cause. I expressed my concern to her that what the offender needed was a male Counsellor and role model as he had shown absolutely no respect for any females that he had come into contact with, including his own mother.
She took my criticism in her stride while agreeing with my observations – but was still determined to fulfil her occupational obligation to her then new ‘customer’. Needless to say, I had that young person back in custody just over fortnight later!
Young males need fathers, and if a father is unavailable, then a male role model who can guide him through, what to many young males, must be a very bleak view of what life is all about.
Thanks, Nemesis- it hadn’t occurred to me that Murad had that aspect of feminisation in mind; I’d assumed gentleness and compassion, which ought to be male virtues when appropriate.
“Islam is just another form of criminality in a male dominant cult that is legitimized by becoming Muslim … “
Could it be that Islam is a male dominant “feminisation” cult and that the feminising and weakening of the male role in Western societies is a stepping stone towards islamification.
Yes Mark, once upon a time it was most boys determination to grow up a gentleman and to treat others with respect.
Jolie Rouge, that thought is indeed food for thought!
Or something else fierce…
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2014/02/on-getting-punked-and-what-matters.html
“Maybe we need an European Mohammed, who unifies us and imposes a law on the Arabs stating that European men can have Arab wives, but not the other way around.”
It sounds awful, but the Russian in me thinks 2 dead fascists.
Russian? I didn’t know that. You seem like the consummate New Yorker. I gotta go read your blog.
New York concentrates the foreign born. When I arrived in the US, the immigrants wanted to be Americans and we all learned the English and did our best to incorporate into the existing culture. Although I was a kid, I learned to speak English within 6 months, and in my manners and pronunciation I could pass for a local at one year after arriving. Things are very different now.
Initially your first sentence seemed to read New York consecrates the foreign born. Read that way, it sounds like the opening line of a poem. The Russian mind often creates poetic meters out of English.
In the Baron’s opinion Russian-born Nabokov was the best writer of English in the 20th century. Others claim Joseph Conrad was, though he was also Russian, born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski. Conrad considered himself a Pole.
Conrad is wonderful. He has no illusions about his fellow-humans, but still seems to like us.
For the SF fans, the ship in the film “Alien”, carrying and processing ore, is called “Nostromo”, after Conrad’s novel about (among other things) mining in South America.
The West needs to realize that Muslims are not merely refractory and unassimilable for “cultural” reasons; it is part of their theological blueprint (and again, the West needs to realize that in Islam, theology embraces everything in life — religion, laws, politics, society, family, sex, hygiene, food production and consumption, etc. etc.) to cultivate what we would call “civic duty” in allegiance only to the Umma (the Body of All Believers) — a uniquely trans-national concept and entity in Islam. This allegiance is both positive and negative: it is positively cultivated along with a sense of belonging and pride and self-identification for each Muslim, and negatively in relation to any non-Islamic society and polity, where only two possible postures are permissible:
1) belligerent hostility with an eye to a long-range goal of a jihad of conquest,
and
2) feigned dissimulation to cloak #1 whenever Muslims perceive themselves as being too weak to be frank about such hostility.
An important, and oft-overlooked, wrinkle to the above formula is that part of the strategy of #2 (otherwise known as “Stealth Jihad”) not only is not monolithic and uniform among Muslims, but can — and often does — avail itself of a kind of parallel tactic of Violent Jihad operating in tandem with the Stealth Jihad — the latter actually benefiting from this cooperation: indeed, a cooperation of Openly Dangerous Muslims with Deceptively Moderate Muslims which only remains effective to the extent that Westerners continue to be so stupid with regard to all the aspects of this formula.
For those relatively few Westerners, on the other hand, who have been slowly advancing on the LCPOI (the Learning Curve of the Problem of Islam), the implications of this vitally include our exigent need to redefine all Muslim citizens in the West as being, in fact, non-citizens — since that is only their self-definition; a self-definition that is directly related to why they want to kill us, and why they have already been killing us, and why it is eminently reasonable for us to suppose they are planning to kill us in several more terror attacks in the future so horrific they will make 911 seem like a 4th of July picnic.
“…the implications of this vitally include our exigent need to redefine all Muslim citizens in the West as being, in fact, non-citizens….”
Just as Muslims already define and treat ALL non-Muslims as non-citizens….
Even when Muslim countries import foreign workers, non-Muslim workers have NO human rights and NO ability to become either 1) citizens at all, or 2) citizens with equal human rights to Muslims.
Indeed, tit-for-tat.