Beheading puts spotlight on british jihadists
The distinct English accent of the militant seen beheading US journalist James Foley in a grisly online video has forced Britain once again to confront the question of how it became an exporter of jihadist fighters.
The video has left Britain nervously wondering how many potential jihadists are walking its streets and whether their return will bring the violence home.
Richard Barrett, an ex-official at the MI6, said in June that the number who had gone to fight in Syria and Iraq "could be as high as 500 by now".
Experts say young British men are often driven into the arms of jihadist groups by adolescent feelings of alienation, often resulting from their backgrounds as second- or third-generation immigrant families, as well as poor economic prospects, which they contrast with the perceived glory of bloody martyrdom.
AFP
(China Daily 08/22/2014 page11)
