FIGHTING FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S CAUSE: WHAT FAMILIES OF KIRGHIZ MILITANTS IN ISIS SAY- AN EMPIRICAL VIEW

Abstract

This article is about a survey of the opinions of families of Kirgiz militants in ISIS concerning the motivations of their relatives who joined Daesh[1] directly or through Islamic Movement of Kazakhstan, (which pledged allegiance to Islamic State and fought for Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan). It is based on the results of a field work done by the author in January 2015 and also relies on open national and international sources. The main hypothesis is that there is no universal motive concerning the decision of these young people, rather certain empirical factors are identified that impacted the individual decisions of the militants and migrants. Special attention is devoted to the participation of women. Among females, on an individual level, some additional motives could be found such as: sentimental relations, the wish to have a home and family, and the quest for realization of their own Muslim identity as they see and understand it.