Why are all these Britons joining ISIS?


British Prime Minister David Cameron is in Turkey on a two-day trip to help clean up the mess that has been created in Iraq and Syria, with the emphasis on the religious extremists who are joining fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS).Both Turkey and Britain agree that ISIS is a menace that has to be dealt with.The fact that around 500 Britons have joined ISIS, with some of them already back in Britain, is creating security jitters in London, which has suffered its fair share at the hands of the religious extremists of al-Qaida. ISIS is more cunning and more vicious than al-Qaida, as it has proved in the last year, and many Britons are rightfully concerned that such people are on the loose in their country, ready to strike at any time.The British, like people in many other western countries, are concerned that individuals from their lands, recruited by ISIS, are transiting Turkey and entering Syria. Western countries, including Britain, want Turkey to monitor these people and prevent them from joining the ranks of the extremists. This is easier said than done.Western countries are doing very little to share any intelligence with Turkey that might help to track down potential ISIS recruits. Turkey cannot know if a Briton entering its land is here for a trip to one of our many tourist locations, or whether they are headed for Syria. British intelligence has to monitor and warn Turkey.Turkey is strongly opposed to ISIS, as well as all entities that use the good name of Islam for their twisted purposes. Turkey feels this is a great injustice to Islam and the Islamic civilization that promotes peace, compassion, mercy and goodwill.Turkey is explaining to Prime Minister Cameron that it feels that Western countries in general, and Britain in particular, can do more to eliminate the prejudices against their Muslim populations. Many western leaders have to ask themselves why their Muslims citizens are joining the ranks of ISIS. How can these people fall for the warped ideology promoted by ISIS?Isn't it a fact that growing xenophobia, which has turned into Islamophobia, is alienating many Muslims in Britain and elsewhere? Some Muslims have lost the feeling that they belong to British society, and are thus seeking some form of salvation.Even the Pope, who visited Ankara recently, was reluctant to speak against the Islamophobia that is rampant in Europe.So Western countries have to see reality and start treating their Muslims as a part of society, and not as potential terrorists. These Muslims should feel that they are part of society, and this means a sincere effort to make them feel at home.Turkey, as a modern Muslim country, is well-equipped to struggle against the crooked ideologies of ISIS, but it needs assistance and encouragement from its Western allies. This cannot be done when Turkey is left alone to tend to more than 1.8 million refugees from Syria, spending $5 billion of Turkish taxpayers' money, when no-one in the West makes any serious effort to help.Turkey has also been left on its own to deal with a tyrant like Assad while everyone concentrates on finishing off ISIS with aerial bombardment, a laughable tactic. These are some of the issues Prime Minister Cameron and his entourage can ponder on.