In the wake of Wednesday’s Ottawa Parliament shooting, it might be time to show that it’s not just the men who go to extremes, but the women too.
There is a strange phenomenon trending on world news as teenage girls from around the planet swap schoolbooks for semiautomatic weapons and head to Syria to marry terrorist men. It’s a psychotic twist on the classic fairy tale. Step aside White Knight! Now vulnerable girls-cum-terrorista teens pursue violent guys, acting on a major delusion that is crossing global zip codes. This is the weirdest reality show never written!
What drives these young women to abandon their families -- the western world is the hot zone for these runaway wannabe IS brides -- and chase a radicalized fantasy? How much sympathy do these ladies deserve? How bad must it be home-side for them to opt for war and sexual abuse? Or are they simply impressionable teens who are victims of a sly online seduction?
Teens playing truant
Islamic State has crafted recruitment campaigns using social media to persuade western women to join terror cells across Syria and Iraq. They portray the Islamic Caliphate as Utopia, convincing young women to embrace a new life - an exotic alternative to school, mall crawling, and the burden of living within parental curfews.
It’s understandable that a pin-headed teen could fall in with a (virtual!) bad crowd, but do these girls (most described as schoolgirls) not read? How can they be blind to the horrific antics of these baddest of bad boys? And where the %#$@& are their parents and teachers?
But hold on a minute! Maybe IS - (those murderous masters of media!) - has also recruited top beauty pageant promoters along with the videographers, special effects pros and translators that fill their ranks, and - underpinned by their deep pockets of stolen cash - they are simply staging a lavish contest to pick a national icon, the Islamic State feminine ideal? It could prove a perfect storm! Combine terror-fetish teens with top-drawer production talent. Simon Cowell isn’t the only star-maker! Who needs a selfie when you can be crowned Caliphate Queen, the female face of IS.
Here’s a look at some good girls gone bad. We can’t wait for the swimsuit competition.
