Here again we see the appeal of the concept of the caliphate. Muslims never left their home countries to join al-Qaeda in these numbers. But Western authorities scratch their heads in puzzlement over the Islamic State’s ability to attract Muslims from all over the world. After all, what it does is completely un-Islamic, isn’t it? Isn’t it?
“Report: 300 Chinese Nationals Have Joined ISIS Jihad,” by Jordan Schachtel, Breitbart, December 16, 2014:
Some 300 Chinese nationals are believed to have packed up and joined the jihad in Iraq and Syria on behalf of the Islamic State terror group, according to a report in China’s state-media.
Around 300 Chinese Uyghur nationals from the country’s Xinjiang province have linked up with the local Al Qaeda-affiliated East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and have made their way to Syria through Turkey to link up with the Islamic State, China’s ruling Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, reported. The report stated: “According to information from various sources, including security officers from Iraq’s Kurdish region, Syria and Lebanon, around 300 Chinese extremists are fighting with ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”
Chinese officials estimated in late September that some 100 Uyghurs had left for the Middle East.
The Uyghur people are a 10-million strong ethnic group predominantly based in China. Most Uyghurs identify with the Sunni sect of Islam, and a small minority have been accused of belonging to the Al Qaeda-affiliated East Turkestan Islamic Movement [ETIM]. ETIM has previously been known to work with Al Qaeda and jihadi outfits against the United States and coalition forces in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area.
Over the past year, Chinese authorities have reported multiple Uyghur Islamist terrorist attacks in which many were killed….