Islamic State battle: Westerners joining Iraqi Christian militia

[shaayecanaan]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Thousands of foreigners have flocked to Iraq and Syria in the past two years, mostly to join Islamic State, but a handful of idealistic Westerners are enlisting as well, citing frustration their governments are not doing more to combat the ultra-radical Islamists or prevent the suffering of innocents.

The militia they joined is called Dwekh Nawsha – meaning "self-sacrifice" in the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Christ and still used by Assyrian Christians, who consider themselves the indigenous people of Iraq.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/islamic-state-battle-westerners-joining-iraqi-christian-militia-20150216-13fm4i.html

[JackInGreen]

1. Why...

do I have few issues with the thought of a lot of our lovely fellow citizens of a more faithful and...less tolerant or legislatively wise.....demeanor, going over and fighting the 'Good fight'? Why do I also fear few will.....

[shaayecanaan]

2. It used to be a valuable social institution

a kid with too much wildness and too little willingness to walk behind a draught horse and watch it shit for all of his days would be sent off to the Holy Land to fight in the Crusades. He would almost invariably die, which was sort of the point.

The Crusades and Islamic State are not about the religious fanatics, those guys are just the early adapters. They are really about the misfits, the ne'er-do-wells and the dropouts who can't really seem to fit anywhere else in life, so they end up there.

[Roy Rolling]

4. Absolutely

I wish there were more conversations about this. These armies are comprised of mostly disaffected youth with no expectation of a free future.

And though I totally disagree with their methods, it is easy to understand where the craziness starts.

[shaayecanaan]

12. Well, it doesn't really fit into anyone's narrative

either the anti Islamic bent of the right or the male privilege rhetoric of the left. I don't think either of those narratives have a great deal to say to these disaffected young men, hence the reason they keep going.

I don't particularly feel equipped to preach to them much, myself. It must be quite difficult being a young man in this day and age.

[charles d]

3. Oh, THIS Should Work Out Well!

[ck4829]

5. Some of these Westerners are already whining about having to ally with leftists against ISIS

"I want to kill some terrorists, but I don't want to prop up... SOCIALISM."

I'll give those particular ascended wannabe commandos about two weeks.

[Iliyah]

6. Send Chuck Norris, Joan Ernst (sp), Mike Hus-ster, KKKKarl Rover,

especially Dickkk Cheney , Ms. Lindsey, McCain, the whole lot of GOP congress, fake news with cnn, et al.,

[SansACause]

7. Finally, something for the gun nuts to do!

Instead of waiting around for the race war to start in the US, they can travel abroad and kill Muslims. I'm sure they are giddy with excitement.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

8. That is what I was wondering about...

...,too.

"History never repeats, but sometimes it rhymes." Duane Matz, History Professor, Augustana College

[Lucky Luciano]

9. Thought that was s Samuel Clemens quote. nt

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

13. My history Prof had it on the chalk board back in 1982...

... it was never attributed to anyone on the chalk board and I posted as I recalled it. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:History

They always seem to find a way to run the, "economic disadvantaged", off to war to be killed, ie... the farm boys of the Vietnam era, and the lower educated amongst society. Over and over again, since the crusades, as mentioned in another post in this thread.

And then we have the corruption on Wall Street that keeps on coming back in pretty much the same way... insider trading and outright fraud.

But thanks for pointing that out about the quote, it has been around in one form or another, as shown at the link.

[JonLP24]

10. ISIS is far from the sole cause of the suffering of innocents

Already backed the Free Syrian Army (known human rights violations), Kurds (not aware of it, they've often been the receiving end of it from Assad, ISIS, everyone), if they're heading to Syria I'd expect a wake up call.

Perhaps the most bizarre story of Westerners joining this fight is MS-13 have flocked to the side of Assad

Two Los Angeles gang members appear to have joined the flow of foreigners flocking to fight in Syria – in this instance, on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. In a video posted online, the two men boast that they are on the front lines and fire their guns in the direction of what they call "the enemigos."

One of the men identifies himself as Creeper from the Sur-13 or Surenos, a loose affiliation of southern California gangs linked to the Mexican mafia. He rolls up his sleeves to show his gang tattoos and greets fellow gang members Capone-E and Crazy Loco.

The other says he is called Wino, and belongs to a gang called Westside Armenian Power. Members of the Armenian Christian minority in Syria are known to be staunch supporters of Assad.

The two men don't reveal much about what they are doing or why they are fighting for Assad.

"It's Syria, homie, we're in Syria, homie. ... Frontline, homie, frontline, homie," says Wino.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/03/03/two-l-a-gang-members-are-apparently-fighting-for-syrias-assad/

[Lurks Often]

11. Certainly not the first time, probably not the last either

Just off the top of my head, Americans have volunteered to serve under the flags of other countries and for other causes in WWI (England & Canada), the Spanish Civil War and WWII (England & China).