Basic Instincts !

Anne Aly, Associate Professor at Curtin University has drawn flak with her remark that Tony Abbott may be helping fuel radicalization by "targeting Muslims ".   This deradicalization expert then went on to say there "might be something nice about ISIS that these people are attracted to. " !

That depends on what sort of image "nice  " conjours up in the minds of those streaming into the Middle East and flocking to join IS.  There seems no doubt that the leaders of the various Jihadist regimes that have set out to create a Muslim caliphate and wage war on the west are cluey people who are following a recruitment plan that is as old as time itself.

In the minds of many impressionable young men, Jihad is inextricably linked to that greatest of all motivational factors - sex !   Whether it is IS in Syria or Boko Haram in Africa this Jihad makes a point of illustrating the fate of countless young women swept up as they conquer new territories.  They make no bones about their plans for the disposition of such women.  The prettier ones will be distributed to their fighters as "wives " - and their laws are lax on how many wives a fighter may collect and how easily they can be discarded when the novelty wears off.

We in the west claim to be more civilized than our Middle Eastern neighbours, but deep in the hearts of many young people there remains an urge to dominate women. That manifests itself in the violence that mars many relationships and the sense of  "ownership" that comes to the fore when relationships come apart.

The news briefs coming from IS are carefully constructed with recruitment in mind.   They exult in the careless manner in which they treat captured women and their cameramen are careful to select appealing subjects to parade before their lens - and lure recruits with that "this can be yours  " motif. No doubt the mix of adventure and the sense of power of waving a gun at cowed people has appeal but sex is such a huge motivating factor in everything from selling cars to the choice of foods we eat that it is fast becoming the driving force behind Jihad recruitment.

Sheer brutality appeals to the minds of those thuggish young men who drink to excess and assault strangers at random.  They see giving up the booze amply compensated by the power to decapitate complete strangers - because they choose to do so.  Converting to Islam is seen as a temporary inconvenience to enable them to seek treasure, indulge their domination of others - and of course - freely subjugate women and demand sex as their lawful right.

Rushing overseas to join IS has become a stampede because IS is seen as winning the battle - and nothing excites support like the illusion of victory.  When the Iraqi army fled before a numerically smaller attacking force it not only delivered a huge swag of military equipment, it cemented IS as "unstoppable  " in the minds of the impressionable.   That flow of recruits waxes and wanes in direct contrast to the news flowing from the Middle East and Africa.

Of course, fighting a Jihad is risky business.  Some Jihadists get killed, but immature minds always  conclude that only happens to other people - and not to them.    There is every chance that the deluge of IS support flooding Facebook and Twitter originates  from a hard core of Australian based supporters who have no intention of risky their necks in any sort of battle and have been specially tasked with keeping lurid stories flowing to maintain the volunteer stream.

That is almost impossible to stop.  The clever people behind IS have a well oiled media department working in their favour and they are flooding receptive western audiences with propaganda.  We would be well advised to reply in kind.  Many of these volunteers are now disillusioned and desperately want to return to Australia - and that can earn them a death sentence from their IS masters.   Perhaps we should be a little less squeamish about showing the rotting bodies of  volunteers who were given degrading and unpleasant tasks - and not provided with an unending supply of slave women - and who faced summary execution when their enthusiasm faded.

The compulsion to join IS will be directly linked to their success on the battlefield.   When the glory diminishes - so will the flow of those joining their ranks !