As more Syrians migrate to European countries, the jihadist Islamic State group has used the shocking image of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi to warn refugees against trying to flee to the West, calling it a “major sin”. Three-year-old Aylan’s body was photographed lying in the sand in Bodrum, Turkey after he drowned in a boat accident while his family tried to reach Greece- an image that helped to focus international attention on the plight of refugees.
IS published the boy’s image under the headline: “The danger of Abandoning Darul-Islam,” or the land of Islam, including the group’s self-declared “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq in the latest issue of its English-language magazine Dabiq “Sadly some Syrians and Libyans are willing to risk the lives and souls of those whom they are responsible to raise… sacrificing many of them during the dangerous trip to the lands of the war-waging crusaders,” it said. The article said Muslims were committing a “dangerous major sin” by bringing children to the West, where “they are under the constant threat of fornication, sodomy, drugs and alcohol”.
IS seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq last year, imposing a brutal rule of mass killings, torture, institutionalised slavery and widespread rape. Four million Syrians have fled a four-year-old civil war, which has seen Bashar al-Assad’s government – backed by Iran and Russia, bombard rebels and civilians alike.
The group claims to be instituting Islamic rule but has been denounced by mainstream Muslims as perverting religion.
Meanwhile, according to several top officials, nations from Europe to Australasia are paving the way for increased military involvement in “Operation Inherent Resolve,” which aims to degrade and destroy Islamic State jihadists, “The present situation is not acceptable,” said one senior European diplomat. “I detect a growing feeling that we’re not winning this at the moment and we need to redouble our efforts collectively.” Western governments are under fierce pressure to tackle a humanitarian crisis that has seen 380,000 migrants and refugees, voyage across the Mediterranean already this year.
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