1. GIS: Easy Young Targets for ISIS to Recruit
Lamiya Khandaker ‘17
Professor Sufia Uddin
Survey Data
Observations
Among the 22% of males who indicated that they
were either confused/questioned their religious
identity:
• None read religious texts for answers
• Most go online/videos for answers
• Most do not talk about religion with
family/friends
• Most pressing concern is school and grades
As opposed to the 70% of males who felt confident
with their religious identity, all had indicated that
they get their answers from one or more of the
following in addition to online/videos:
• Local Community
• Friends/Family
• Religious Texts
In comparison, the 15% of females who indicated
that they were either confused/questioned their
identity seek a variety of sources for answers:
• All of them go online for answers
• Most watch videos as well
• None go to the local community
• About half discuss with friends/family/read
religious text
 Approx. 13,000 foreigners are believed
to have fled to join ISIS, about 3,400
of them Westerners. (Council on
Foreign Relations)
 Experts say most Western recruits are
teenagers; most have no connection to
Syria. (IBTimes)
 “Westerners are involved, especially in
the recruitment and social media
dissemination of the whole ISIS
brand.” (Former Taliban recruiter
Mubin Shaikh)
 “There’s a strong correlation between
risky online practices and psychosocial
problems, family issues, drug and
alcohol abuse, and trouble in
school…social media creates a new
site where risky behaviors are made
visible and troubled youth engage in
new types of problematic activity.”
(Boyd, pg 13)
 The top three usage purposes of
teenage online activity consists of:
1. Communication
2. Information Seeking
3. Creating Content (Mazzarella, 213)
Background Information
Tactics to Appeal
Thesis
ISIS’s successful recruitment of young
adults from the west is more based off of
specific methodology as opposed to
ideology. Tactical use of social media
targets youth identity: specifically those
who face identity crises, self-esteem
issues, or are reliant upon social media
and the internet for information.
This data only represents a small sample size of NYC high school students
affiliated with their school’s Muslim Student Association. A total of 51 surveys
were taken into account. Demographics consisted of diverse backgrounds, but
mostly first and second generation South Asian students.
How ISIS Appeals to Males:
Males (particularly in the west) are drawn
to socially constructed identities of
“masculinity.” The crafting of
romanticized Hollywood-esque action
“films” of ISIS physical training and
violence, often entice young males. When
promising a romanticized life of action, in
addition to martyrdom for God, social and
financial well-being, young (confused and
emotionally developing) males develop a
sense of confidence and purpose.
How ISIS Appeals to Females:
While both males and females suffer from
self-esteem issues, ISIS often recruits young
women by appealing to their emotions, as
opposed to their tactic of appealing to the
male’s sense of self. Almost every young
female who joined ISIS had met a militant
online and married them. Both, however, are
romanticized—be a hero and fight for a cause
where you will be rewarded both in the
Islamic State and the hereafter; or be the
heroine, the love of the hero in battle.
Romanticism works best on youth.
 High-tech Videos & Special
Effects
 Internet Propaganda
 Use of “Eye-Candy” Members
 Use of popular online culture
(e.g hashtags) to direct to ISIS
site
 Social Media sites to advertise
(Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook)
 Creation of new social media
site—khelafabook