Making of a jihadi: Facebook profile traces how Kalyan youth was drawn to IS

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on 1 September. Following the return of Areeb Majid, this account of his radicalisation is being republished. The radicalisation of Areeb Majeed, the boy from Kalyan who allegedly joined the Iraqi terrorist group ISIL, can be seen on his Facebook profile, according to a report in the Indian Express. Majeed’s family recently received a phone call informing them of their son's death. His family has stated that police records mentioning his name as Arif are incorrect and that their son was named Areeb, adds the IE report. The name Arif was also used by jihadi group Ansar ul-Tawhid in an online tribute to the man. The Indian Express report has looked at the Facebook profile of Majeed that offers some insight into how he was gradually radicalised, and how he began as a fan of ISIL and reportedly went on to marry a Palestinian girl named Tahira in July. There’s also a separate Facebook page under his alleged ‘war name’ Abu Ali Al Hindi, but this page hasn’t been verified till now. [caption id=“attachment_1685151” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] As to his relationship with Tahira, the report notes that the profile indicates that they got engaged on 1 April, and married on 31 July. There are no details of how they met, but Facebook friends of Areeb on his original profile are also friends with his wife, adds the report. The Facebook profile reveals that Areeb was radicalised in mid-2013. He soon posted pictures asking the Muslim community to rise against “injustices”. According to the report, one post on his page read, “Ummah Bleeding Ummah Sleeping.” Another spoke about the need for a Caliphate.  The report also noted that Areeb advised one friend “to overcome his sexual desires by keeping his mind occupied, praying” and said that his classmates should marry early to avoid “sinful thought”. One of his friends reportedly told IE that Areeb’s radicalisation was surprising. Areeb and three others were suspected to have joined the terror group in Iraq after they left their homes one day and then disappeared, CNN-IBN reported. The four are said to have left notes begging forgiveness from their families and insisting that they had to join the cause of jihad. Where the radicalisation of Indian Muslim youth is concerned, a recent report by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) has said that more than 300 Indian youth have been recruited by Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban and this group has joined hands with ISIL in Iraq. As Firstpost columnist Debobrat Ghose had noted while quoting an intelligence source, “Whether more than 300 youth were recruited on Indian soil for ISIS or its allied outfits is yet to be confirmed, but it can be said with certainty that Islamic terror outfits have gradually made inroads in the non-Hindi states, especially southern and western states, for recruiting young Muslims to fight in Afghanistan, Syria etc. in the name of Jihad.” Ghose pointed out that Majeed’s case has punctured the commonly held belief that it’s only the impoverished, illiterate, socially marginalized Muslim youth who join terror outfits or become easy prey to their recruiters. With Majeed’s Facebook profile now revealing a distinct support for ISIL, it appears to confirm the view that radicalisation has indeed moved to the online space and is likely more widespread that previously thought.