A Birmingham City University criminologist is urging young muslim “thrillseekers" to ignore the escapist vision offered by Islamic State.
The warning follows the conviction of 20-year-old Zakariya Ashiq, who was this week found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism and trying to join Islamic State in November.
Imran Awan, a senior lecturer in Criminology who is researching how Islamic State is targeting people in the West Midlands, said: “Young people are going to Syria because they’re seeking a sense of identity and belonging. I’d call them thrillseekers. They’re going for an external reward and thinking that they’ll get some kind of paradise when they get there.
“Many of them may be leading mundane and ordinary lives and they’re looking for an adrenaline rush. Isis portrays a very cool image of extremism and it’s tapping in to young impressionable people.”
Earlier this year, police revealed that at least 22 young women and girls as young as 15 have travelled to join Isis in Syria in the last 12 months.
