BEIRUT // Western Muslims fighting in Syria are emerging from the shadows and using social media to share their experiences of the conflict and encourage others to join them.
On sites including Twitter, blogging platform Tumblr and the question-and-answer site Ask.fm, the young men are providing an unusual insight into one aspect of the brutal war.
They describe what they miss about home and what they ate for lunch, and extol the virtues of fighting with groups that Western governments deem “terrorist” organisations.
Their very public accounts come as the West warns about the potential dangers posed by the flow of young Muslims to the fight in Syria.
Britain, France and Holland each estimate that hundreds of their citizens are in Syria, and fear they could later launch attacks at home.
Ifthekar Jaman, 23, is from the British city of Portsmouth.
He was an active user of social media before he left Britain, maintaining several Twitter accounts, posting short videos on Keek.com and answering questions at Ask.fm.
He openly discussed his desire to leave Britain for Syria, and on May 14 tweeted he had made “touch down” in Turkey, before crossing the border.
He identifies himself publicly as fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a group that emerged from Al Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate, but rejects descriptions of the group as extremist.
“A man leaves the comfort of his home and everything else behind so that he can help an oppressed people. Sounds heroic, until you add in ‘Muslim man.’ Then he’s a terrorist/extremist,” he tweeted in November.
Much of Mr Jaman’s online activity is devoted to documenting everyday life in the conflict.
“Puppies are actually so cute, there was like three of them walking near by me,” he tweeted alongside a picture of him petting a dog in November.
“Just to make it even better, there are two kittens living with us, subhanallah (praise God), so cute,” he added in another tweet.
On Ask.fm, he encourages interested followers to submit their questions about his life, his motivation and the possibility of joining the fight.
He tells women they can come to Syria to help the opposition, though not in combat, and he reports meeting fighters from France, United States, Canada, Australia and Finland.
“I knew only a tiny bit of Arabic,” he assured one questioner worried about not speaking the language.
“There are many like you and you will fit in.”
Other fighters offer similar assurances.
“For those worried about leaving the snacks behind,” one fighter by the name of Abu Layth tweeted with a picture of bags full of junk food.
“Those of you that are staying behind are missing out. Absolutely,” he added.
Such public online activity is a relatively new development, according to Charles Lister, an analyst at IHS Janes’ Terrorism and Insurgency Centre.
Earlier this year, there “were certainly Western foreign fighters in Syria but they were practically invisible”, he said.
“Literally over the last few months or so, that’s started to be ... increasingly visible.”
“It’s remarkably open. They don’t seem to be keeping very much to themselves,” he added.
“I think that’s particularly unusual in comparison to other conflicts.”
One fighter, writing under the name Chechclear, told questioners on Ask.fm he was not worried about the consequences of his public postings.
“I never came here with the intention of ever going back home,” he wrote in a chat that included questions in English, Dutch and Turkish.
He compared his training to that he said he received as a Nato soldier.
Many of the fighters sharing their experiences acknowledge that they hope to sway others to join them, like Twitter user Abu Fulan Al Muhajir.
He began tweeting back in Denmark, sharing his dreams of going to Syria, and in August announced that he had arrived.
“The only reason I’m tweeting about my trip is to encourage other people to do the same. Everybody should do it,” he wrote.
He tweets photos from battlefields, including a prison in Aleppo, described eating horsemeat from Russia for breakfast, and shared his disappointment at missing out on a battle.
Chechclear, who has had his accounts on Twitter and the photo-sharing site Instagram suspended, recently began blogging on Tumblr, and made clear he understands the value of his online activity.
On November 26, he shared a photo of a knife, a handgun and a Samsung smartphone.
“Half of jihad is media,” he wrote underneath.
Agence France-Presse
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)
Saturday
Brescia v Torino (6pm)
Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)
Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sunday
Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)
Udinese v SPAL (6pm)
Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)
Lazio v Lecce (6pm)
Parma v Roma (9pm)
Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
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SPECS
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