´In the Skin of a Jihadist´

By using a fake Facebook account, journalist Anna Erelle (for security and safety reasons, a pseudonym) tried the traps of the digital Jihadist propaganda. In the Skin of a Jihadist is her encounter as a pretender Islam convert based in France, a girl called Melodie, as she was flirting online with Bilel, the right hand of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Daesh leader.

The initial aim was trying to understand the roots of digital Jihad, how young, often Western, girls and boys from the West are falling into the traps of the propaganda. How they cannot be horrified by the violent videos shared generously all over the social media channels? The distorted religious interpretations they are fed with do appeal a certain need of respect and balance for a loneliness and lack of belonging. 

´Melodie´ was easily caught into the net of macho pride and religious self-rightneousness. The fighter, who happen to have at least another wife, was at ease sharing information about the latest fights, as well as about the smuggling networks operating at the border between Turkey and Syria. 

What in my opinion, although the book has interesting testimonies about the psychology of the people involved in designing the Islamic state, it lacks details regarding the operations of the Jihad 2.0. Although it is hilarious to be shared details about how such a high profile Daesh fighter was longing for the fine lingerie distributed in the corrupt West, and the naive hurry of getting married online with a woman he hardly knew - despite the complex counter-spionage like teams Daesh used to have - I had the feeling that the author went way too much involved in the so-called romance. She haven´t fell in love, Gd forbid, but there is way too much space dedicated to the story instead of exploring a bit more the modus operandi, the agents and tools.

From the journalistic point of view, the book may also raise questions regarding the use of such methods in order to obtain information. We may be happy to read about such relevant details, but is this the real way to get it? Was it not possible to obtain them any other way?

In the Skin of a Jihadist by Anna Erelle - against whom there is a fatwa decision issued online - despite its shortcomings, is an important source of information about the mix between extreme movements and sophisticated online strategies, compromised by the very human feelings, such as longing for love, belonging and maybe some fine capitalist lingerie.

Book Review: Nazi Billionaires by David de Jong

 

German wealthy elites are discrete, rarely featured in the pages of the glossy local magazines for their outrageous parties and lavish lifestyle. One knows practically nothing about their girlfriends and boyfriends and love affairs. May it be the famous ´protestant ethic´ requiring a humble spirit, a lot of work and humility while trying to pay in this life for the original sin(s)? 

Such a naive view on German elites is shattered into little pieces by the excellent unique research by investigative journalist David de Jong: Nazi billionaires. The Dark History of Germany´s Wealthiest Dynasties. Those billionaires may be actually too ´brown´ to accept being too long under the limelights. 

A couple of ´Made in Germany´ brands, if not the most important, do have in fact, deep and trustworthy connections with the Nazi regime. By the way of family connections - De Quandt family, for instance, Porsche, Dr. Oetker - those rich and very private families hid for decades the truth about their past. A past that not only concerned them as individuals involved in the reproduction and operation of the Nazi regime - through production of weapons and direct financial support - but also by directly using forced labour and taking advantage of the ´Aryanization´ policies - looting properties from Jewish businesses. 

De Jong, who spent four years in Berlin documenting the book, authored the first extensive investigation in the English language. German media who may benefit of some support from one or more from those companies - including through media prizes awarded through foundations bearing the name of documented Nazis - rather prefers to put on hold any questions related to the ´brown heritage´. They knew it already and, as I´ve often heard on topics related to acknowledging the past, ´we rather move on´. 

German industrialists and the German industry as such, became prosperous, among others, following the Korean War and the further involvement in production of landmines used in the conflicts in Africa, among others. Thus, when I watch those days the pathetic discourses defending the German non-involvement in the war in Ukraine I can only feel nauseated by the falsity of this all.

Those ´charming industrialists´ and their second wives and many children, who were eventually cleaned from their crimes for reasons pertaining to the Cold War interests rarely assumed their past or even tried to fashion themselves as victims or resistants. And those deluding themselves into believing that the past should not become the obsession of the present, may want to hear that not few of those companies happen to offer substantial support to far right, neo-Nazi parties and causes.

Beyond the decryption of the current German economic elites, the book also raises serious questions about the possibilities of a transition from dictatorship to democracy depending upon the former elites. Can it be otherwise? Is there any chance of starting anew, without necessarily using the connections and influence of the compromised elites? Probably not at a great scale, but assuming the past can make a difference. Also, having criteria when it comes to accepting back into the ranks of the elites compromised individuals, especially those who in a way or another supported crimes and political corruption.

Nazi Billionaires is a revelation and important contribution to the study of contemporary elites, particularly in post-totalitarian context with a specific focus on Nazi Germany. 

Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert: The Uncaged Sky My 804 days in an Iranian Prison

For two years and 3 months, Australian academic Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was held prisoner in Evin and Gharchak, after being arrested by Iran´s Revolutionary Guards. Convincted by a Kangaroo court for being a spy of the ´Zionist regime´ she was freed through a prisoner swap, in exchange for Guards´ people imprisoned in Thailand for plotting against Israeli interests.

Uncaged Sky, her account of 804 days spent in an Iranian prison is her story of what she went through those years, but also encounters with more or less famous political prisoners in Iran, such as Nasrin Sotoudeh - whom she taught English -, the French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, or the so-called group of the ´environmentalists´: young people aiming to save the badly affected Iranian fauna and flora, sent to prison and accused of being spies. She spotted Ruhollah Zam, the French-based journalist owner of a popular Telegram group, member of a religious family who was lured and kidnapped in Iraq and further executed.

Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was initially condemned to ten years of prison. Her memoir is first and foremost a testimony of carceral literature. Although the veridicity of a memoir based purely on memories who were not written down with pen and paper may be highly problematic, the coping mechanisms with the limitations of life in prison as well as the interactions with her abusers. How one can survive in isolation, in a foreign country, with a limited language knowledge? She improved her Persian, a language that will remain, for the time being a language associated with her time in prison, used to convene her experience about those months. 

There is also another line of thought which results from the memoir: the unhappy meeting between academic research and political oppression. Academics may be suspected and doubted, some of them may play an extra-academic card, some of them may be just naive thinking that the police of mind will accept their arguments of pure academic research. Nothing is free of politics in such countries and academics may be careful to avoid getting involved in such skirmishes because their academic freedom is more important sometimes than the academic curiosity. Moore-Gilbert was lured without results more than once into becoming a spy for the Revolutionary Guards, with guaranteed participation to academic conferences, among others. She repeatedly refused.

On the other hand, I strongly believe that academics, especially those with an invested interest in contemporary politics, need to be aware of the risks involved by their research. Taking freedom abiding risks does not serve the accuracy of the research and puts the academic at risks that may pay off with the freedom of their academic critical thinking as well.