More IS defectors speaking out, report says

A growing number of defectors from the so-called Islamic State are speaking publicly about their decision to leave, according to a new report. The defectors risk reprisals by members of the militant group and imprisonment by their home nations, the report says, leading most to go into hiding. But researchers at King’s College London found […]

A growing number of defectors from the so-called Islamic State are speaking publicly about their decision to leave, according to a new report.
The defectors risk reprisals by members of the militant group and imprisonment by their home nations, the report says, leading most to go into hiding.
But researchers at King’s College London found 58 defectors had spoken out, two-thirds of them this year.
The report suggests their testimonies could help to discourage new members.
The International Centre for the Study for Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College, which published the report, estimates that hundreds have now defected or attempted to defect.
Dozens are thought to have made it out via Turkey while others have reportedly been caught and executed. The ICSR claims that the 58 cases in their study are “likely only a fraction of those disillusioned, ready to defect and/or willing to go public”.
The researchers identify several key narratives among the reasons for leaving IS. Most defectors said they were concerned with brutality against fellow Muslims and perceived “un-Islamic” behaviour among members, including corruption.
Some admitted they were disappointed with the quality of life under IS. “They were typically among the ones who had joined the group for material and ‘selfish’ reasons, and quickly realised that none of the luxury goods and cars that they had been promised would materialise,” the report says.