Earlier this year, an English speaking guide: "A Brief Guide to the Islamic State (2015)" started spreading online — targeting British jihadist circles. But now it seems the extremist organization has its eyes on Italy.
According to Corriere della Sera, the new guide is appearing among jihadist circles in Italy in the hope that the self-styled, so-called Islamic State will appeal to the next generation of engineers, doctors and data analysts.
The initial propaganda brochure was written by a British jihadist who wrote the travel guide to "provide an alternative narrative to life under the Caliphate."
The e-book, written in English, explained how to reach those who are already living in the Caliphate and what to eat and drink once they were there.
La inteligente estrategia de ISIS: @Letras_Libres: Sobre "A Brief Guide to the Islamic State" http://t.co/DmWxxHNrFZ pic.twitter.com/bh4lXITtFW
— Sirena Alada (@Sarel2009) June 4, 2015
Author Abu Rumaysah al-Britani wrote about the "succulent and juicy" kebabs and "fruity cocktails" and how the Caliphate readily accommodates coffee lovers, serving "some of the best lattes and cappuccinos around."
It fails to mention the repression, rape and enslavement of women — but, as Corriere della Sera points out, the updated guide, details "a new disturbing propaganda effort."
Al Baghdadi doesn't want to just attract fighters:
"The country (Islamic State) is a magnet for talent, a cosmopolitan society with scholars."
"Judges, preachers, soldiers, doctors, data analysts, telecommunications experts, economists, mechanics, cooks, teachers and civil engineers," the author writes.
Meanwhile, a new report by European Union border agency Frontex has revealed the unprecedented scale of the refugee crisis.
New figures show scale of EU migrant crisis with record 107,500 crossing EU borders last month http://t.co/uiRZFcDiqp pic.twitter.com/hV20VJhKtg
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) August 18, 2015
More than 100,000 people have traveled by desperate means on irregular routes into Europe during July — the majority of them fleeing Syria and Afghanistan. The number of migrants in Italy alone has passed the 50,000 mark. Many have been forced to leave their professional jobs behind in search for a new life elsewhere.
But the link between the migration crisis in the Mediterranean and the potential infiltration by Islamic State cannot be ignored. Recent comments made in the House of Lords in London by Lord Marlesford suggested that:
"It's hard to believe Islamists and jihadists have not been entering Europe through the Mediterranean route."
Classified documents leaked by WikiLeaks revealed that EU leaders are already aware of the potential risk of terrorist networks infiltrating smugglers' boats and arriving on European shores.
"The threat to the force should be acknowledged, especially during activities such as boarding and when operating on land or in proximity to an unsecured coastline or during interaction with non-seaworthy vessels. The potential presence of hostile forces, extremists, or terrorists such as Da'esh [ISIL] should also be taken into consideration."
Hundreds of thousands of migrants are still desperately hoping to reach countries with a genuine Mediterranean climate — putting their destiny in the hands of people smugglers and their hope in a wooden boat.
