I think I'm going to get flamed for this, but it needs to be said.
This kid is full of bravado, and if his head is as stuffed full of Muslim ideology, as my head was once stuffed full of Christian ideology, he probably believes that Allah (the other face of Yahweh) wants him to do it, and that if he dies in the effort, he will be rewarded in paradise.
Before I post his story, please consider that the ideology of martyrdom, has both a Christian face and a Muslim face. Ignatius, the second bishop of Antioch, wanted to die for Jesus, just as the young man in the following story, likely imagines that he is willing to die for Allah.
OK, that's out of the way, so here's the story:
Bankstown boy threatens Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Islamic State recruitment video
- Date: October 21, 2014
David Wroe and Natalie O'Brien
A Sydney teenager has emerged as a poster boy for the Islamic State, appearing in a chilling recruitment video threatening Prime Minister Tony Abbott and vowing the militant group will fight until it conquers the West.
Abdullah Elmir, 17, stars in a video posted on the internet overnight on Monday under the nom de guerre "Abu Khaled from Australia". He is dressed in military gear and holding an assault rifle, surrounded by several dozen heavily armed fellow jihadists.
The teenager ran away from his Bankstown family home just four months ago, taking his parents by surprise and raising questions as to how he had been radicalised and who had organised his travel.
The video comes as RAAF Super Hornets continue to fly combat missions over Iraq and a day after the Abbott government announced it had agreed with Baghdad to send Australian special forces to help in the fight against the Islamic State.
Abdullah baits Australia, the US and Britain to throw everything they have against the Islamic State and appears to threaten "tyrant" Western leaders such as Mr Abbott with beheading.
"To the leaders, to Obama, to Tony Abbott, I say this: these weapons that we have, these soldiers, we will not stop fighting," he says.
"We will not put down our weapons until we reach your lands, until we take the head of every tyrant and until the black flag is flying high in every single land, until we put the black flag on top of Buckingham Palace, until we put the black flag on top of the White House."
It is the first time the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, has specifically mentioned the Prime Minister in one of its major propaganda videos. It is also the most prominent role so far given to an Australian jihadist.
A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott said the video "again highlights the threat posed by ISIL".
"As the Prime Minister has said on many occasions, ISIL is a threat that reaches out to Australia and our allies and partners," she said.
The video is the fourth in a series called "Message of the Mujahid" which features foreign fighters, with previous releases showing British, French and Moroccan jihadists.
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, urged Muslims to reject calls from abroad to commit violence against Australia and said it was "utterly deplorable for violent extremists to use Islam as a cover for their crimes and atrocities".
In a joint statement, the nation's peak Muslim organisations expressed "profound concerns and sadness" over Abdullah's appearance in the Islamic State video and said there was an "urgent need" to examine how and why the teenager felt the need to leave the country and fight with a terrorist organisation.
The family has previously expressed concerns that Abdullah was under surveillance by federal authorities while in Australia but allowed to leave the country.
Greg Barton, a terrorism expert at Monash University, said the video was "primarily a recruitment video", showing a youthful recent arrival to the Middle East in the spotlight among older, more seasoned-looking fighters.
"If you're trying to impress young recruits, it targets the fact that he's centre stage and conveys the message that you get straight into the action," he said.
Abdullah ran away from his Bankstown home in June shortly after his 17th birthday, accompanied by a 16-year-old friend known only as Feiz.
He told his mother he was going on a fishing trip before he disappeared. His family discovered that he had left the country only after he sent a text message to another family member asking them to tell his mother he had "gone".
The pair caught flights to Perth then Malaysia, Thailand and finally on to Turkey.
From there, they contacted family and said they were going over the border. Abdullah's family presumed he meant he was going to Syria or Iraq to fight. They have been calling on authorities to help bring him home.
Feiz was intercepted by his father while he was en route to Iraq and taken to Lebanon. Feiz returned to Sydney quietly last month.
Abdullah's family have said they are shocked and devastated. They believe he has been "brainwashed" and they want to know who paid for his air ticket and encouraged him to go.
They have described him as academically bright and caring.
