Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims

by Yasmine Mohammed

Ah, the Caliphate. Always about the Caliphate. Every Friday khutba (sermon) there was the declaration that Muslims will succeed in turning the whole planet Islamic. Every Friday, we chant “Ameen” as the Imam makes a dua, plea to Allah, that the Caliphate rises soon and that we eradicate nonbelievers. Then there will be peace. It is why when ISIS rose in Iraq and Syria so many people from around the world- inexplicable people like university students from affluent families in Western countries-decided to join ISIS then burn their passports. The response from pundits was to assume that these people were all recruited online. That’s some pretty quick recruiting! The reason why all those young men and women so quickly joined ISIS was because, just like me, they were raised hearing about how it was their duty to join the ummah against the nonbelievers. They were taught that it was their duty to join the Caliphate when it rises.