The Globe: Europe To Reject Certain ISIS Returnees
Thierry Ehrmann | Flickr Creative Commons
With ISIS losing its last places of refuge in Syria and Iraq, the governments of Europe have to decide what they are going to do about the thousands of people who went off to fight for the terrorist group but now want to come home. Germany has concluded that they will strip any citizen who went off to fight for ISIS of their citizenship, trapping them in the Middle East. The UK rejected one citizens' plea to return to the country she betrayed after she realized life with ISIS is not what she thought it would be, and her current husband wants her to join him in the Netherlands. The concern countries have about accepting these people back is understandable. These people left their home to fight for a terrorist group that sought to topple the world order. European countries do not want to deal with the risk that bringing back radicals brings with it. At the same time, preventing possible disillusioned fighters from returning denies justice to be achieved.
Outside of the Middle East and Maghreb region of North Africa, Western Europe has been one of the largest exporters of fighters to ISIS since the group rose to prominence in 2014. In 2015, it was estimated that over 5,000 people from Western Europe made the trip to Iraq and Syria to fight for the so-called Caliphate that Islamic fundamentalists have been attempting to build for centuries. Out of the thousands of Europeans who joined ISIS, more than one thousand came from Germany. The government in Berlin has created a three-step process in considering whether to denaturalize a member of ISIS: first, they must have citizenship with a second country; second, they must be an adult; and finally, they do fight for ISIS after these rules are established.
In the United Kingdom, there was controversy whether a mother who left to join ISIS and marry a fighter should be remitted to the country. Shamima Begum, a mother of a newborn, was denied entry despite being a citizen, even though other former members of the terrorist group are being readmitted. Now, her Dutch husband who is currently being held by Kurdish forces for fighting for ISIS wants to return to the Netherlands with Begum to start a new life. While Begum’s family is pleading that she is not a threat to anyone, her statements about the terrorist group have left much to be desired for many. In interviews, she has come across as unfazed about the crimes against humanity ISIS has committed, including beheadings, torture, rape, and other atrocities.
The United States has asked that Germany allow the ISIS veterans to be allowed back in so they can be brought to justice for their crimes. Europe’s concern about letting the family of jihadists return to the land they betrayed is a simple one. By allowing members of the terrorist organization come back, governments open itself up to the proliferation of radical beliefs in their communities. Those who went off to fight for ISIS should have known what they were getting themselves into when they decided to make the trek to the Middle East. Furthermore, those who joined the terrorist group should have known that there would be consequences for their actions. Accepting militants back in would also put considerable strain on a state’s judicial system.
On the other hand, if Europe strips people returning from IS of their citizenship, it prevents states from being able to fully de-radicalize and reintegrate them into society. States like Germany and the UK do have programs that are meant to rehabilitate former jihadists and its supporters of their radical beliefs in order to make them functioning members of society. Indeed, out of all of the Western, non-Islamic states, Germany has had the most success with developing and implementing such programs for both Neo-Nazis (EXIT) and for radical Islamists (Hayat). Unfortunately, the field of de-radicalization is among the most complicated of issues for counterterrorism officials as they must contend with varying catalysts for radicalization. No one individual is the same and policy has to reflect that. Other European countries have attempted to formulate their own de-rad programs, but have failed. Without a well-established de-radicalization and disengagement program, states may leave potentially redeemable individuals with no recourse to enter society.
Another issue that has to be addressed is what to do about the children of Europeans who joined ISIS? The children of the militant group do deserve better than what their parents gave them. By being forced to live under the banner of ISIS, these children will face increased stigmatization from their peers and be more susceptible to radicalization from the very same elements that their parents fell to. No child should have to pay for the sins of their father or mother.
Deciding whether to accept the remnants of ISIS back into Europe is a tricky issue. On one hand, they fought for or supported a group that sought to upend the countries they once called home. Supporters of the terrorist organization should know that they will not get off easily. Either they will continue to fight and die in the Middle East, or where ever ISIS operates, or they will be put on trial for siding with the enemy. The countries of Western Europe (and really, any country that saw some of its nationals join ISIS) have to be careful with how they proceed. Accepting the remnants of ISIS back into the fold may allow the terrorist group to spread its ideology in European cities unless properly countered. At the same time, governments have a right to deny entry to anyone who would be a threat to the security of their citizens. Even though ISIS may lose its territory, its ideology will persist. The challenge of fighting ISIS is much like the mythological hydra: cutting off one head results in two more taking its place.