Why do people join ISIS?



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New York man Samuel Topaz was arrested in June under terrorist charges.  He pleaded guilty to pledging allegiance to join the Islamic State. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November and will face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. His lawyer, Ian Hirsch, describes his client as a naive man who grew up with lots of hardships. His father caused a lot of that hardship. David Topaz, his father, was charged with transporting stolen prescription medication back in 2009 his absence took a remarkable toll on young Topaz.

The negative influence of his father is evidence that we first shape our ideas of power, authority, and rights within the context of our family.  How much should environment factor into the punishment for a crime?

“He was influenced by the wrong people,” Mr. Hirsch said. “There’s a good side of Islam and a bad side. I think he got introduced to the bad side. I think he understands that now.”

It’s common for members from the ISIS to try and recruit people with insecurities like they did here with Topaz. No one in their right mind would want to be associated with an organization like this. The ultimate goal of the ISIS is to establish their form of radical Islamic rule throughout the Middle East.  Some say ISIS will improve US and Iranian relations by uniting both nations against common enemies, but the cost improved Iranian and Western relations is the violent destruction and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Syrian citizens.

This video below is just another example of the ISIS brainwashing people to join their clan. Some core democratic values that relate to this story would be  the use of POWER without AUTHORITY because they are using the power of online social media to form lies and propaganda that victims accept as truth and a way to what they think is greater liberty.