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In the Skin of a Jihadist: A Young Journalist Enters the ISIS Recruitment Network
The riveting personal story of a young French journalist who goes undercover and gets dangerously close to a key member of ISIS
On Facebook, "Mélodie"—a twenty-year-old convert to Islam living with her mother and sister in Toulouse—meets Bilel, a French-born, high-ranking militant for the Islamic State in Syria. Within days, Bilel falls in love with Mélodie, and Skypes her repeatedly, urging her to come to Syria, marry him, and do jihad.
But "Mélodie" is actually Anna Erelle, a Paris-based journalist investigating the recruitment channels of the Islamic State, whose digital propaganda constitutes one of its most formidable and frightening weapons, successfully mobilizing increasing numbers of young Europeans. In this mesmerizing true story, Erelle chronicles her intense monthlong relationship with Bilel—who turns out to be none other than the right-hand man of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of ISIS. Impatient for Mélodie to join him, Bilel tells her that, according to an imam he has consulted, they are already all but married, and will be officially when she arrives in Syria. As she embarks on the final, most perilous stage of her investigation, Mélodie leaves for Amsterdam to begin her journey to the Middle East. But things go terribly wrong.
A gripping and often harrowing inquiry into the factors that motivate young people to join extremist causes, In the Skin of a Jihadist is a page-turner that helps us better understand the appeal of extremism.
On Facebook, "Mélodie"—a twenty-year-old convert to Islam living with her mother and sister in Toulouse—meets Bilel, a French-born, high-ranking militant for the Islamic State in Syria. Within days, Bilel falls in love with Mélodie, and Skypes her repeatedly, urging her to come to Syria, marry him, and do jihad.
But "Mélodie" is actually Anna Erelle, a Paris-based journalist investigating the recruitment channels of the Islamic State, whose digital propaganda constitutes one of its most formidable and frightening weapons, successfully mobilizing increasing numbers of young Europeans. In this mesmerizing true story, Erelle chronicles her intense monthlong relationship with Bilel—who turns out to be none other than the right-hand man of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of ISIS. Impatient for Mélodie to join him, Bilel tells her that, according to an imam he has consulted, they are already all but married, and will be officially when she arrives in Syria. As she embarks on the final, most perilous stage of her investigation, Mélodie leaves for Amsterdam to begin her journey to the Middle East. But things go terribly wrong.
A gripping and often harrowing inquiry into the factors that motivate young people to join extremist causes, In the Skin of a Jihadist is a page-turner that helps us better understand the appeal of extremism.
240 pages, Paperback
Published May 26, 2015
210 people are currently reading
3612 people want to read
About the author
Anna Erelle
5 books27 followersAnna Erelle is the pseudonym of a thirty-something French journalist who has written for major newspapers and magazines in France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
July 15, 2023
It was eye-opening to read about the recruitment process of young, impressionable youngsters. It just shows how dangerous talking with strangers when feeling isolated and alone can be. What was especially interesting was how even the journalist felt some of the manipulation by the recruiter, and how much it affected her. She really did go over and beyond to get more knowledge.
January 22, 2016
A French journalist creates an online identity to talk to jihadists, but unwittingly attracts the attention of a crazed ISIS fighter? Sign me up! I've stalked those ISIS idiots on Twitter for more years than I care to admit, and non-fiction about crappy countries is totally my thing. This book should be right up my alley! Right?
Sigh. Goddammit.
In the Skin of a Jihadist is just an extended version of Anna Erelle's NY Times/Daily Mail/Guardian articles promoting her book. If you've read any of those--hell, even if you just skimmed a summary on Buzzfeed--voila!, you've got the entire story. You can skip the book, because in 240 pages, there's not one detail that Erelle hasn't already published online.
Well, that's irritating.
But In the Skin of a Jihadist has bigger problems than being a longform version of Erelle's old web articles. The real issue is that despite its intriguing premise, this book is boring. (I survived Critical Theory in grad school, so "boring" isn't a word I toss around lightly). It's so lifeless that it damn near rivals Waiting for Godot/Moby Dick/anything by Jane Austen or Alessandro Manzoni, etc. as the dullest sh!t in print.
A contemporary book so monotonous that it sparks flashbacks of the bad classics?
Yikes. And it gets worse.
I get that Erelle is a journalist who wants to be taken seriously. I also get that she wants her subject matter to be taken seriously. But when you invent a fake identity to pursue a story, there goes my ability to consider you a serious journalist. As for the story itself? Catfishing some waste-of-life pussy ISIS fighter? Meh. I think I saw that on MTV once.
With her dubious professional ethics, near-zero credibility as a journalist, and a flimsy story, Erelle had nothing to lose when she started writing this. She could have written anything. Why she didn't drop the journalism shtick and focus on breathing life into her corpse of a book is beyond me. But no, she stuck to the (not very exciting) facts and called it good.
Lame.
Come on, Anna! Where's your creativity? I've got a couple of ideas to make your book less of a chore to read. See if you can work these in by the time the second edition rolls out:
Tell the real truth: You know what I mean. Spill it. Was the ISIS guy hot? Were you ever attracted to him? Were there any late night phone calls that your boyfriend didn't know about? Speaking of your boyfriend, he sounds hot. Can you tell us more about him, other than the fact that he sits in the corner brooding? Thx.
Embellish: As noted above, your professional integrity went out the window when you created a fake identity. You're no different than those of us who Twitter-stalk these assholes behind a fake avatar image, so we really only half believe you anyway.
Well, run with it! Tell us some sweet little lies and liven up this party!
Say you were toying with the idea of converting to Islam but a new-found love for Scientology stopped you. Say that you actually catfished 5 ISIS fighters, 2 of their wives, 1 of their slaves, and a few of their sheep. Describe your pet unicorn. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Just make something up! If it's interesting, we'll pretend we believe it.
Criticize someone, anyone, anything, for fuck's sake! Why be objective when you can engage readers with your opinions about the situation you created with your ISIS bachelor? There's already a fatwa against you, so why the fear of stirring the pot? Go ahead, tell us why you think Islam sucks -- we can handle it. Or tell us how ISIS fighters think they're tough shit, but compared to the hotties in the Légion Étrangère or the Japanese during the Rape of Nanking, they're really just a bunch of whiny little girls. Better yet, make fun of your terrorist beau for being a fucking moron. Come on, tell us how in the hell a 38 year-old was dumb enough to be fooled by your fake identity, and then mock the hell out of him! I mean, being catfished when you're old enough to remember Prodigy and AOL? HAHAHAH!! DUMBASS!! LOL! (See how easy it is, Anna?) Voice an opinion! Just do something! And make it count.
Add some personality. How about French-ifying the text a little? You know, call the ISIS fucker a tête à claques, drop a few meaningless Foucault and Sartre quotes, and remind us of the superiority of France as you blow smoke in our faces with disdain. (God I love French people). See? I like your book better already.
Revise the "purpose." Yeah, yeah, yeah, your selling point is that your fake identity gave you precious insight into how ISIS manages to lure young European women to Syria. But come on, that's about the lamest attempt of all to legitimize your book.
Yes, it's shocking when seemingly normal girls disappear from their comfortable lives, only to pop up on Twitter in a niqab, married to a hairy stranger, and posing with Kalashnikovs in war-torn Raqqa.
But "How does it happen?" Come on, really? Um. It's called brainwashing, and teenagers are the easiest targets.
It's not complicated: teenagers are vulnerable, they long for a sense of purpose, they romanticize dumb things, and they make stupid decisions. And when their parents give them unfettered access to a device that connects them with the world... Well, gee, what could go wrong? When you're 15 and the hot ISIS fighter you met on Twitter tells you that you're "different" and "special," that means something. When that same stud tells you'll get tofire guns learn self-defense, be a sex slave get married in the lawless totally safe caliphate, and bring up the next generation of Muslims...that sounds rad. And when the hot stranger packages it all as a sacred mission that guarantees a spot in heaven? Holy sense of purpose, Batman! That's way cooler than sitting through 10th grade chemistry!
Something tells me you already knew this, Anna.
Find better material. When it really comes down to it, I don't care about some dumbass jihadist in Iraq. Call me when a bomb falls on his head. Or not. I don't care.
This whole war thing has been going on, ad nauseam, since the beginning of time, and there's absolutely nothing new or noteworthy about ISIS...well, other than their propensity for blowing themselves up in their quest for world domination, but you can't expect a Milennial terrorist to know that "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." But even laughing at ISIS gets old.
If you really want to get my attention, use your fake identity something interesting. Infiltrate a group of young French women planning to move to Syria, and give us the scoop on what hell they're thinking. Or, trick a local imam into dating you and tell us what happens. Better yet, see if you can become 2nd wife to that ass-clown Anjem Choudary and write a salacious tell-all. Or, if Anjem doesn't pan out, become wife #4 to some devout Muslim/secret polygamist living in Paris and let us know how it goes.
See what I'm getting at here?
Save the dry reporting for your articles. You're hardly a journalist in the book, so give us the goddamn goods or go home.
Oh well. At least I didn't hate it.
Meh. Whatever.
Sigh. Goddammit.
In the Skin of a Jihadist is just an extended version of Anna Erelle's NY Times/Daily Mail/Guardian articles promoting her book. If you've read any of those--hell, even if you just skimmed a summary on Buzzfeed--voila!, you've got the entire story. You can skip the book, because in 240 pages, there's not one detail that Erelle hasn't already published online.
Well, that's irritating.
But In the Skin of a Jihadist has bigger problems than being a longform version of Erelle's old web articles. The real issue is that despite its intriguing premise, this book is boring. (I survived Critical Theory in grad school, so "boring" isn't a word I toss around lightly). It's so lifeless that it damn near rivals Waiting for Godot/Moby Dick/anything by Jane Austen or Alessandro Manzoni, etc. as the dullest sh!t in print.
A contemporary book so monotonous that it sparks flashbacks of the bad classics?
Yikes. And it gets worse.
I get that Erelle is a journalist who wants to be taken seriously. I also get that she wants her subject matter to be taken seriously. But when you invent a fake identity to pursue a story, there goes my ability to consider you a serious journalist. As for the story itself? Catfishing some waste-of-life pussy ISIS fighter? Meh. I think I saw that on MTV once.
With her dubious professional ethics, near-zero credibility as a journalist, and a flimsy story, Erelle had nothing to lose when she started writing this. She could have written anything. Why she didn't drop the journalism shtick and focus on breathing life into her corpse of a book is beyond me. But no, she stuck to the (not very exciting) facts and called it good.
Lame.
Come on, Anna! Where's your creativity? I've got a couple of ideas to make your book less of a chore to read. See if you can work these in by the time the second edition rolls out:
Tell the real truth: You know what I mean. Spill it. Was the ISIS guy hot? Were you ever attracted to him? Were there any late night phone calls that your boyfriend didn't know about? Speaking of your boyfriend, he sounds hot. Can you tell us more about him, other than the fact that he sits in the corner brooding? Thx.
Embellish: As noted above, your professional integrity went out the window when you created a fake identity. You're no different than those of us who Twitter-stalk these assholes behind a fake avatar image, so we really only half believe you anyway.
Well, run with it! Tell us some sweet little lies and liven up this party!
Say you were toying with the idea of converting to Islam but a new-found love for Scientology stopped you. Say that you actually catfished 5 ISIS fighters, 2 of their wives, 1 of their slaves, and a few of their sheep. Describe your pet unicorn. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Just make something up! If it's interesting, we'll pretend we believe it.
Criticize someone, anyone, anything, for fuck's sake! Why be objective when you can engage readers with your opinions about the situation you created with your ISIS bachelor? There's already a fatwa against you, so why the fear of stirring the pot? Go ahead, tell us why you think Islam sucks -- we can handle it. Or tell us how ISIS fighters think they're tough shit, but compared to the hotties in the Légion Étrangère or the Japanese during the Rape of Nanking, they're really just a bunch of whiny little girls. Better yet, make fun of your terrorist beau for being a fucking moron. Come on, tell us how in the hell a 38 year-old was dumb enough to be fooled by your fake identity, and then mock the hell out of him! I mean, being catfished when you're old enough to remember Prodigy and AOL? HAHAHAH!! DUMBASS!! LOL! (See how easy it is, Anna?) Voice an opinion! Just do something! And make it count.
Add some personality. How about French-ifying the text a little? You know, call the ISIS fucker a tête à claques, drop a few meaningless Foucault and Sartre quotes, and remind us of the superiority of France as you blow smoke in our faces with disdain. (God I love French people). See? I like your book better already.
Revise the "purpose." Yeah, yeah, yeah, your selling point is that your fake identity gave you precious insight into how ISIS manages to lure young European women to Syria. But come on, that's about the lamest attempt of all to legitimize your book.
Yes, it's shocking when seemingly normal girls disappear from their comfortable lives, only to pop up on Twitter in a niqab, married to a hairy stranger, and posing with Kalashnikovs in war-torn Raqqa.
But "How does it happen?" Come on, really? Um. It's called brainwashing, and teenagers are the easiest targets.
It's not complicated: teenagers are vulnerable, they long for a sense of purpose, they romanticize dumb things, and they make stupid decisions. And when their parents give them unfettered access to a device that connects them with the world... Well, gee, what could go wrong? When you're 15 and the hot ISIS fighter you met on Twitter tells you that you're "different" and "special," that means something. When that same stud tells you'll get to
Something tells me you already knew this, Anna.
Find better material. When it really comes down to it, I don't care about some dumbass jihadist in Iraq. Call me when a bomb falls on his head. Or not. I don't care.
This whole war thing has been going on, ad nauseam, since the beginning of time, and there's absolutely nothing new or noteworthy about ISIS...well, other than their propensity for blowing themselves up in their quest for world domination, but you can't expect a Milennial terrorist to know that "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." But even laughing at ISIS gets old.
If you really want to get my attention, use your fake identity something interesting. Infiltrate a group of young French women planning to move to Syria, and give us the scoop on what hell they're thinking. Or, trick a local imam into dating you and tell us what happens. Better yet, see if you can become 2nd wife to that ass-clown Anjem Choudary and write a salacious tell-all. Or, if Anjem doesn't pan out, become wife #4 to some devout Muslim/secret polygamist living in Paris and let us know how it goes.
See what I'm getting at here?
Save the dry reporting for your articles. You're hardly a journalist in the book, so give us the goddamn goods or go home.
Oh well. At least I didn't hate it.
Meh. Whatever.
Read
November 27, 2015Citesc În pielea unei jihadiste, de Anna Erelle, la o săptămână de la atacurile din Paris, în fața laptopului, cu tab-urile deschise pe știri să văd ce se întâmplă în Bruxelles-ul aflat în stare de urgență, care mai sunt update-urile din Franța, care sunt reacțiile după Mali și cu multe altele unde caut informații și analize sau vorbesc cu prieteni care știu mai multă politică internațională decât mine. Cu sentimentul că am cam trăit într-o bulă, încerc să înțeleg ce se întâmplă și îmi dau seama că niciodată lucrurile nu sunt albe sau negre, că istoria ne arată că soluțiile “clasice” și mediatizate nu sunt neapărat cele bune, că e atât de simplu să dăm vina pe refugiați sau pe religie, fără a lua deloc în calcul contextul care duce la apariția extremismului. Și nu, de obicei nu ne punem întrebări simple gen de unde au bani, de unde au arme, de unde au cunoștințe militare, care sunt problemele de zi cu zi din zonele de conflict, care e istoria, cam cine și când și-a băgat nasul pe acolo și ce-i face pe oameni să se radicalizeze. Și cam care e numărul de victime locale, dincolo de ce vedem la televizor cu atât de trâmbițatul “război împotriva terorismului”.
Cartea Annei Erelle răspunde doar la o parte mică din întrebări. Povestea ei e celebră – ascunsă sub o identitate falsă, de tânără din Franța convertită la Islam, jurnalista intră în contact pe internet cu Abou Bilel, luptător ISIS și unul dintre apropiații lui Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, conducătorul organizației. “Peștele cel mare” (mă rog, aproape cel mare), am putea spune, pentru un jurnalist, căruia i se dă ocazia neașteptată să vadă cum arată procesul de recrutare pe interior. Și arată nasol, profită de emoțiile și slăbiciunile celorlalți, promițând marea cu sarea și oferind un sens.
Citeam zilele trecute mai multe pe net despre fenomenul migrației spre Siria din Europa sau Canada. Mulți tineri, chiar foarte tineri, după o îndoctrinare bine pusă la punct pe internet, iau avionul și zboară la Istanbul de unde, cu autobuzul sau avionul, ajung în Siria.O revoltă adolescentină, probabil, care nu și-a mai găsit refugiul clasic în alcool, muzică și eventual droguri, ci în ceva mult mai periculos. Băieții se antrenează și se înrolează în armată, fetele devin soții ale luptătorilor sau, cum spun gurile rele, sclave sexuale. E celebru, dar deloc singular, cazul celor trei tinere din Anglia, de 14-15-17 ani, eleve foarte bune, care și-au părăsit familiile și au plecat în ISIS – povestea aici.
ISIS e celebră pentru propaganda online exemplară, cu filme “de suspans”, regizate, cu fotografii, centru de presă, revistă, zeci de mii de conturi de twitter și facebook, website-uri de recrutare etc, cu o prezență online attât de puternică încât i-a făcut pe băieții de la Anonymous să pună mână pe tastatură să le dea jos site-urile și să le raporteze conturile.
Cum mai ajung fetele în ISIS? Seduse de luptători, acești alpha males puternici și cu discurs revoluționar și înălțător, cu kalashnikoave la brâu și cu povești și poze despre cum i-au omorât pe infideli în numele păcii și al califatului. Brrr? Foarte brrr dar să ne amintim că nu e singura ideologie criminală seducătoare din lunga și zbuciumata istorie violentă a lumii. Un documentar despre soțiile din ISIS aici și un articol care-ți dă mult de gândit aici.
Revenind la Anna Erelle, jurnalista era cu mult înainte interesată de subiect, scriind despre părinți ai căror copii ajunseseră în ISIS, încercând ca, prin conexiunile ei, să afle mai multe despre ei și, cumva, să ajute să se întoarcă acasă. În același timp, documenta fenomenul radicalizării printre tinerii din suburbiile Parisului sau Bruxelles-ului. Mulți nu se întorc, deși sunt dezamăgiți, de frica repercursiunilor din țara de origine și continuă să-și spună că ce fac e ok. Tocmai pentru a vedea ce se întâmplă în social media fără să atragă atenția, Anna avea un cont fals, sub numele de Melodie, cu care se împrietenise cu alți extremiști. După un share la un video cu Abou Bilel, se trezește contactată de protagonist în persoană. Anna hotărăște să intre în rol și să vadă ce informații poate scoate de la el, în vederea scrierii unui reportaj.
(continuarea cronicii: http://www.bookaholic.ro/in-pielea-un...)
Cartea Annei Erelle răspunde doar la o parte mică din întrebări. Povestea ei e celebră – ascunsă sub o identitate falsă, de tânără din Franța convertită la Islam, jurnalista intră în contact pe internet cu Abou Bilel, luptător ISIS și unul dintre apropiații lui Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, conducătorul organizației. “Peștele cel mare” (mă rog, aproape cel mare), am putea spune, pentru un jurnalist, căruia i se dă ocazia neașteptată să vadă cum arată procesul de recrutare pe interior. Și arată nasol, profită de emoțiile și slăbiciunile celorlalți, promițând marea cu sarea și oferind un sens.
Citeam zilele trecute mai multe pe net despre fenomenul migrației spre Siria din Europa sau Canada. Mulți tineri, chiar foarte tineri, după o îndoctrinare bine pusă la punct pe internet, iau avionul și zboară la Istanbul de unde, cu autobuzul sau avionul, ajung în Siria.O revoltă adolescentină, probabil, care nu și-a mai găsit refugiul clasic în alcool, muzică și eventual droguri, ci în ceva mult mai periculos. Băieții se antrenează și se înrolează în armată, fetele devin soții ale luptătorilor sau, cum spun gurile rele, sclave sexuale. E celebru, dar deloc singular, cazul celor trei tinere din Anglia, de 14-15-17 ani, eleve foarte bune, care și-au părăsit familiile și au plecat în ISIS – povestea aici.
ISIS e celebră pentru propaganda online exemplară, cu filme “de suspans”, regizate, cu fotografii, centru de presă, revistă, zeci de mii de conturi de twitter și facebook, website-uri de recrutare etc, cu o prezență online attât de puternică încât i-a făcut pe băieții de la Anonymous să pună mână pe tastatură să le dea jos site-urile și să le raporteze conturile.
Cum mai ajung fetele în ISIS? Seduse de luptători, acești alpha males puternici și cu discurs revoluționar și înălțător, cu kalashnikoave la brâu și cu povești și poze despre cum i-au omorât pe infideli în numele păcii și al califatului. Brrr? Foarte brrr dar să ne amintim că nu e singura ideologie criminală seducătoare din lunga și zbuciumata istorie violentă a lumii. Un documentar despre soțiile din ISIS aici și un articol care-ți dă mult de gândit aici.
Revenind la Anna Erelle, jurnalista era cu mult înainte interesată de subiect, scriind despre părinți ai căror copii ajunseseră în ISIS, încercând ca, prin conexiunile ei, să afle mai multe despre ei și, cumva, să ajute să se întoarcă acasă. În același timp, documenta fenomenul radicalizării printre tinerii din suburbiile Parisului sau Bruxelles-ului. Mulți nu se întorc, deși sunt dezamăgiți, de frica repercursiunilor din țara de origine și continuă să-și spună că ce fac e ok. Tocmai pentru a vedea ce se întâmplă în social media fără să atragă atenția, Anna avea un cont fals, sub numele de Melodie, cu care se împrietenise cu alți extremiști. După un share la un video cu Abou Bilel, se trezește contactată de protagonist în persoană. Anna hotărăște să intre în rol și să vadă ce informații poate scoate de la el, în vederea scrierii unui reportaj.
(continuarea cronicii: http://www.bookaholic.ro/in-pielea-un...)
September 17, 2015
Anna Erelle (pseudonym) developed an online identity to gather info for free lance articles on ISIS. After several years of presence, her online avatar Melodie catches the eye of, perhaps, an ISIS recruiter. This man, Bilel, is more than a recruiter, he turns out to be a French speaking confidant of ISIS leader, Abu Baker al-Baghdadi.
She Facebooks and Skypes with him and arranges for a photographer document the conversations. Events move quickly and within weeks Bilel proposes and says he has accomplished their marriage. He has arranged for her to join him in Syria.
The text has three main flaws. One is the wordiness. This is most distracting when author’s comments on her “husband’s” quotes. This is unnecessary since his words speak for themselves. The other is imprecision which may be the fault of the translation. I couldn’t tell if Andre was taping or merely shooting stills of the conversations. On p. 165 was Charly’s comment about being recognized a joke, when p. 161 implied that they had met? These are small, but they add up. The third flaw is the lack of analysis. This would not be important if this was a mere reporting of what happened, but it is not.
She writes on what it is like to live with, first, her double identity and, then, with a fatwa on her life.
Having had this experience and with her background in working with families of ISIS recruits, I expected more from Erelle. While the sweet talk mixed with bullying was clearly odious, why are others falling for it? Words wasted on interpreting Bilel’s comments could have been used for more real journalism on Vanessa, the Hamza family, Bilel’s 3 wives, Fatima, etc., and how they fit into the currents of the ISIS brand of jihad.
While this as a book is a 2.5 or a 3; the author’s work is important and she has created a gripping read, so the book is getting a 4.
June 10, 2015
Catfishing in Syria
An amazing story let down by an average translation. It was also very short, considering the topic.
What the book did give me was a clear understanding of the levels manipulation these men go to, to recruit the girls, and why the girls go. Her biography of her character Melodie that she invented was powerful and made me understand the attraction for the lost youth of Europe. It was also terrifying in parts. The fear I felt for this woman was deep and real and I hope she is safe. Her book is important, her work is important. She's one brave person!
An amazing story let down by an average translation. It was also very short, considering the topic.
What the book did give me was a clear understanding of the levels manipulation these men go to, to recruit the girls, and why the girls go. Her biography of her character Melodie that she invented was powerful and made me understand the attraction for the lost youth of Europe. It was also terrifying in parts. The fear I felt for this woman was deep and real and I hope she is safe. Her book is important, her work is important. She's one brave person!
February 25, 2023
I wanted a lot from this book but even my expectations aside I think it underperformed. Let me elaborate.
Erelle started contact with a high-ranked ISIS member via Facebook as the created persona of "Mélodie". She plays along far enough that she pretends to agree to come to Syria and get married to Bilel, the terrorist, and even goes through the first steps of this journey.
So, for me it was a bit disappointing to realize she didn't actually join but was merely in contact with a jihadist. I understand joining is probably a too high risk but would have been naturally more exciting to read and would have provided a lot more direct insights. The other letdown was the writing and how she chose to give us the extended tale. Extended since the story originally was a 10 page article, and this book hardly contains more information. Other than some names and a few terror incidents I hadn't heard about before, the book grants hardly any information on ISIS beyond the plain basics; a missed opportunity.
Additionally, she fails on what makes the book so inviting: shedding light on why someone would join a terrorist organization. Because of my personal disposition, I even have a hard time understanding why people are religious, the idea of joining a cult or an extremist group is beyond fathoming to me and sadly this book is surprisingly light and a bit shallow in that regard. Since Erelle designed the persona she acts out to be submissive and willing to go along, it seems Bilel hardly needs to convince her. What we get from the conversations between the two (which could have been more detailed) is that "Mélodie" is lost and a bit naive (as in stupid at times), without purpose, new to Islam and therefor easy prey. But that can't be the case all the time. What we get to see of Bilel is a bunch of lies and contradictions that even simple "Mélodie" detects, then some wishy-washy descriptions of a Syrian paradise. I am not willing to believe that is what makes 15.000 foreigners join (print date of book), they are not all stupid and lost. I mean, really what makes someone hate so much that they are willing to kill anyone who is not with them? Erelle doesn't provide much more on that account, I would have liked to see more interviews with other people, she does give a little of that yet the book could have used more.
I, too, was missing some more interesting insights into the potentially gray areas of her investigations, whether there were ever moments where she started to lean into what Bilel and maybe other people told her. We are supposed to believe he is mildly brainwashing her but Erelle never seems to waver in her moral uprightness (which I always find hard to believe in non-fiction, when the writer makes sure the readers knows what a good and integer person she is). Alright, maybe that truly never happened since Bilel seems not very convincing from what Erelle is showing us, yet it would have made a more nuanced and memoir to see her struggle a bit with her convictions. The people surrounding her express concern and are disturbed when they see her play "Mélodie" but the interviews were kept so short that I didn't think the disturbing aspects were visible on the page.
The ending is rather devastating though, I was mad to see Erelle making the mistake that lead to her cover being traceable yet I can still empathize with her and how horrible her situation is now, all due to a journalistic investigation.
Erelle started contact with a high-ranked ISIS member via Facebook as the created persona of "Mélodie". She plays along far enough that she pretends to agree to come to Syria and get married to Bilel, the terrorist, and even goes through the first steps of this journey.
So, for me it was a bit disappointing to realize she didn't actually join but was merely in contact with a jihadist. I understand joining is probably a too high risk but would have been naturally more exciting to read and would have provided a lot more direct insights. The other letdown was the writing and how she chose to give us the extended tale. Extended since the story originally was a 10 page article, and this book hardly contains more information. Other than some names and a few terror incidents I hadn't heard about before, the book grants hardly any information on ISIS beyond the plain basics; a missed opportunity.
Additionally, she fails on what makes the book so inviting: shedding light on why someone would join a terrorist organization. Because of my personal disposition, I even have a hard time understanding why people are religious, the idea of joining a cult or an extremist group is beyond fathoming to me and sadly this book is surprisingly light and a bit shallow in that regard. Since Erelle designed the persona she acts out to be submissive and willing to go along, it seems Bilel hardly needs to convince her. What we get from the conversations between the two (which could have been more detailed) is that "Mélodie" is lost and a bit naive (as in stupid at times), without purpose, new to Islam and therefor easy prey. But that can't be the case all the time. What we get to see of Bilel is a bunch of lies and contradictions that even simple "Mélodie" detects, then some wishy-washy descriptions of a Syrian paradise. I am not willing to believe that is what makes 15.000 foreigners join (print date of book), they are not all stupid and lost. I mean, really what makes someone hate so much that they are willing to kill anyone who is not with them? Erelle doesn't provide much more on that account, I would have liked to see more interviews with other people, she does give a little of that yet the book could have used more.
I, too, was missing some more interesting insights into the potentially gray areas of her investigations, whether there were ever moments where she started to lean into what Bilel and maybe other people told her. We are supposed to believe he is mildly brainwashing her but Erelle never seems to waver in her moral uprightness (which I always find hard to believe in non-fiction, when the writer makes sure the readers knows what a good and integer person she is). Alright, maybe that truly never happened since Bilel seems not very convincing from what Erelle is showing us, yet it would have made a more nuanced and memoir to see her struggle a bit with her convictions. The people surrounding her express concern and are disturbed when they see her play "Mélodie" but the interviews were kept so short that I didn't think the disturbing aspects were visible on the page.
The ending is rather devastating though, I was mad to see Erelle making the mistake that lead to her cover being traceable yet I can still empathize with her and how horrible her situation is now, all due to a journalistic investigation.
May 25, 2016
Este libro nos cuenta la historia de una periodista francesa que decide llevar su investigación más allá y establecer una relación con un terrorista con la finalidad de sacarle información.
Lo Bueno:
La premisa me pareció interesante. La historia de ese conflicto siempre me ha llamado la atención, aunque no lo comprendo (ni creo que llegue a entenderlo).
Expone situaciones que desconocía, como el hecho de que Francia es el principal sitio de reclutamiento para captar a los Yijadistas. Eso te presenta una realidad completamente distinta de Francia y pone en contexto los recientes ataques terroristas que sufrieron. Desconocía eso. Eso te pone a pensar en qué puede llevar a una persona que vive en un país del primer mundo a meterse a luchar por esa causa. No tanto la causa, sino LA FORMA. Porque inmolarse ta´ fuerte! Mi mente tercermundista / siempre lista para la búsqueda de la supervivencia, no le cabe eso. Mil preguntas sin responder.
Se sale de mi zona de confort. No lo hubiese elegido. Me inspiró a leer más sobre ese tema.
Lo Malo:
Lo de la investigación que no pasó. Esto trata de una periodista que está realizando una investigación de un tema en el que ella – por cómo se presenta – le ha dedicado una buena parte de su experiencia periodística. Al principio del libro ella se plantea muchas interrogantes que no son contestadas a lo largo del mismo. En ese sentido creo que se quedó corto.
No profundiza en el tema. Hay muchos aspectos que se tocan que no se detallan. Por ejemplo: El perfil que debe tener el reclutador, Perfil del que se recluta; la finalidad de eso, aunque esto puede ser tan amplio, el tema fue tratado muy ampliamente.
Los personajes.
Anna Erelle: La prota. La periodista. La que se hace pasar por una chica de 20 años que está convertida y que conoce a un terrorista y entabla una relación cibernética con él en aras de sacarle información para su reportaje. No sé porque a mí me dio la impresión de que Anna tenía la edad mental de su personaje, Melanie. Por momentos pensé que estaba leyendo una historia de adolescentes. Sus amigos que son su ahhhhhhh…. Plis.
Por un lado te dice que ella tiene experiencia y por el otro, comete errores de principiante. Nótese que es con terrorista que estamos bregando. No es un maíz. Esos errores son garrafales. Cualquiera con una temporada de CSI y algunos recuerdos de Magyver, los puede identificar con facilidad.
Ella me pareció alguien muy NI FU NI FA. No me llamaba la atención. Después que vi la foto del terrorista (y pensé que se veía bien) asumí que ella estaba enamoraíta del tipo. Que si ese le dice como la bachata, “Ven”, lo dejaba todo.
Abu Bakr al-Baghadadí. El supermegaimportantelidersupersoldadoloquemasgustaymassabe. También se enamoró de ella. Fíjense eso! Estaba flirteando todo el tiempo. Este fue otro que me pareció poco creíble (dada la descripción que hago en la primera línea). El tipo más importante en la organización, después del jefe, se va poner a decir donde estaba, que hacía y no sé qué. Vamos a ser más serio. No me dio esa sensación de que era un tipo importante, sin embargo, obtuvo la más alta puntuación en gallo loco.
Es notorio que faltó mucho más por contar.
Lo Bueno:
La premisa me pareció interesante. La historia de ese conflicto siempre me ha llamado la atención, aunque no lo comprendo (ni creo que llegue a entenderlo).
Expone situaciones que desconocía, como el hecho de que Francia es el principal sitio de reclutamiento para captar a los Yijadistas. Eso te presenta una realidad completamente distinta de Francia y pone en contexto los recientes ataques terroristas que sufrieron. Desconocía eso. Eso te pone a pensar en qué puede llevar a una persona que vive en un país del primer mundo a meterse a luchar por esa causa. No tanto la causa, sino LA FORMA. Porque inmolarse ta´ fuerte! Mi mente tercermundista / siempre lista para la búsqueda de la supervivencia, no le cabe eso. Mil preguntas sin responder.
Se sale de mi zona de confort. No lo hubiese elegido. Me inspiró a leer más sobre ese tema.
Lo Malo:
Lo de la investigación que no pasó. Esto trata de una periodista que está realizando una investigación de un tema en el que ella – por cómo se presenta – le ha dedicado una buena parte de su experiencia periodística. Al principio del libro ella se plantea muchas interrogantes que no son contestadas a lo largo del mismo. En ese sentido creo que se quedó corto.
No profundiza en el tema. Hay muchos aspectos que se tocan que no se detallan. Por ejemplo: El perfil que debe tener el reclutador, Perfil del que se recluta; la finalidad de eso, aunque esto puede ser tan amplio, el tema fue tratado muy ampliamente.
Los personajes.
Anna Erelle: La prota. La periodista. La que se hace pasar por una chica de 20 años que está convertida y que conoce a un terrorista y entabla una relación cibernética con él en aras de sacarle información para su reportaje. No sé porque a mí me dio la impresión de que Anna tenía la edad mental de su personaje, Melanie. Por momentos pensé que estaba leyendo una historia de adolescentes. Sus amigos que son su ahhhhhhh…. Plis.
Por un lado te dice que ella tiene experiencia y por el otro, comete errores de principiante. Nótese que es con terrorista que estamos bregando. No es un maíz. Esos errores son garrafales. Cualquiera con una temporada de CSI y algunos recuerdos de Magyver, los puede identificar con facilidad.
Ella me pareció alguien muy NI FU NI FA. No me llamaba la atención. Después que vi la foto del terrorista (y pensé que se veía bien) asumí que ella estaba enamoraíta del tipo. Que si ese le dice como la bachata, “Ven”, lo dejaba todo.
Abu Bakr al-Baghadadí. El supermegaimportantelidersupersoldadoloquemasgustaymassabe. También se enamoró de ella. Fíjense eso! Estaba flirteando todo el tiempo. Este fue otro que me pareció poco creíble (dada la descripción que hago en la primera línea). El tipo más importante en la organización, después del jefe, se va poner a decir donde estaba, que hacía y no sé qué. Vamos a ser más serio. No me dio esa sensación de que era un tipo importante, sin embargo, obtuvo la más alta puntuación en gallo loco.
Es notorio que faltó mucho más por contar.
February 18, 2017
I salute her! Not much to say, you should read it yourself.
October 14, 2015
اول ريفيو للكتاب بالعربي :)
Another first, Dolly :D
الكاتبة بتوضح ان سبب دخلوها التجربة دي هو اهتمامها بموضوع لجوء بعض الشباب الاوروبي لمناطق شديدة الخطورة زي العراق او سوريا مثلاً و ليه بينضمو لمنظمات جهادية زي داعش ؟
“I was interested in understanding what it was that made each individual decide to give up everything and brave death for this cause.”
قد يكون احد الاسباب فعلاً هو فقدان القيمة في حياة الفرد ؛ بمعنى فقدان الحب او الاهتمام ، الاحساس بالضحالة و بإنعدام وجود هدف في الحياة او مثل أعلى ، و دا بتذكره الكاتبة في اول الكتاب من خلال الفقرة دي :
“Mélodie feels loved. She feels useful. She’s been looking for purpose in her life: now she’s found it.”
لكن في افكار مغلوطة عندها زي انها متخيلة انهم بيرجمو المرأة الثيب الزانية حتى الموت لكن الراجل بيغرم غرامة خفيفة و دا في رأي سقطة مش هينة منها ؛ هي بتقدم نفسها انها صحفية مهتمة بالحركات الجهادية الاسلامية و قابلت متطرفين و اتكلمت معاهم ... الخ ، يعني المفروض تكون مُلمة بمعلومة زي دي .
”Adulterous women are stoned to death, while men who cheat on their wives are merely fined”
بعد كدا بتبتدي ترسم حياة تخيلية لميلودي البنت اللي هي متسترة خلفها و ازاي حياتها صعبة و محتاجة حماية و امان هتلاقيهم عند بلال ، عن نفسي انا حبيت شخصية ميلودي البنت البريئة اكتر من الصحفية آنا الف مرة :/
في المجمل معرفش عكس ما توقعت في بداية الكتاب و قبل ما اقراه خالص : انا حسيت ان الموضوع في خِسة شوية ، فيه تلاعب بشكل او آخر او manipulation
اه هو داعشي متطرف و مجرم و دا شئ مُسلَّم به ، بس انا بتكلم على انطباعي الشخصي ؛ يعني هي كانت داخلة التجربة كنوع من استقصاء المعلومات لسبق صحفي يبقا تخليها في هذا السياق ؛ فكرة انها تسخر منه و من الرسايل اللي بيبعتها لها مع اصدقاءها في المجلة كان شئ لا اخلاقي ؛ فكرة السخرية من مشاعر اي شخص مهما كان هذا الشخص هي فكرة دنيئة .
إن فاكت هما الاتنين منتهى الدناءة :)
They both manipulated each other.
دورت على يوتيوب لقيت كذا ريبورتاج عن الموضوع دا اخترت لكم منه ريبورتاج لقناة CBS
لان دا فيه اجزاء من الفيديو شات بين ميلودي و ابو بلال على سكايب
http://youtu.be/Nf9yqOXqYt8
Another first, Dolly :D
الكاتبة بتوضح ان سبب دخلوها التجربة دي هو اهتمامها بموضوع لجوء بعض الشباب الاوروبي لمناطق شديدة الخطورة زي العراق او سوريا مثلاً و ليه بينضمو لمنظمات جهادية زي داعش ؟
“I was interested in understanding what it was that made each individual decide to give up everything and brave death for this cause.”
قد يكون احد الاسباب فعلاً هو فقدان القيمة في حياة الفرد ؛ بمعنى فقدان الحب او الاهتمام ، الاحساس بالضحالة و بإنعدام وجود هدف في الحياة او مثل أعلى ، و دا بتذكره الكاتبة في اول الكتاب من خلال الفقرة دي :
“Mélodie feels loved. She feels useful. She’s been looking for purpose in her life: now she’s found it.”
لكن في افكار مغلوطة عندها زي انها متخيلة انهم بيرجمو المرأة الثيب الزانية حتى الموت لكن الراجل بيغرم غرامة خفيفة و دا في رأي سقطة مش هينة منها ؛ هي بتقدم نفسها انها صحفية مهتمة بالحركات الجهادية الاسلامية و قابلت متطرفين و اتكلمت معاهم ... الخ ، يعني المفروض تكون مُلمة بمعلومة زي دي .
”Adulterous women are stoned to death, while men who cheat on their wives are merely fined”
بعد كدا بتبتدي ترسم حياة تخيلية لميلودي البنت اللي هي متسترة خلفها و ازاي حياتها صعبة و محتاجة حماية و امان هتلاقيهم عند بلال ، عن نفسي انا حبيت شخصية ميلودي البنت البريئة اكتر من الصحفية آنا الف مرة :/
في المجمل معرفش عكس ما توقعت في بداية الكتاب و قبل ما اقراه خالص : انا حسيت ان الموضوع في خِسة شوية ، فيه تلاعب بشكل او آخر او manipulation
اه هو داعشي متطرف و مجرم و دا شئ مُسلَّم به ، بس انا بتكلم على انطباعي الشخصي ؛ يعني هي كانت داخلة التجربة كنوع من استقصاء المعلومات لسبق صحفي يبقا تخليها في هذا السياق ؛ فكرة انها تسخر منه و من الرسايل اللي بيبعتها لها مع اصدقاءها في المجلة كان شئ لا اخلاقي ؛ فكرة السخرية من مشاعر اي شخص مهما كان هذا الشخص هي فكرة دنيئة .
إن فاكت هما الاتنين منتهى الدناءة :)
They both manipulated each other.
دورت على يوتيوب لقيت كذا ريبورتاج عن الموضوع دا اخترت لكم منه ريبورتاج لقناة CBS
لان دا فيه اجزاء من الفيديو شات بين ميلودي و ابو بلال على سكايب
http://youtu.be/Nf9yqOXqYt8
July 5, 2016
2.5
Dincolo de textul de pe coperta patru, mi s-a părut că am pierdut timpul citind +200 de pagini la finalul cărora am aflat exact ceea ce scria și în textul de prezentare: că lucrurile au luat o întorsătură greșită. Acțiunea prea statică pentru gustul meu, m-am plictisit citind niște conversații care puteau fi parafrazate ușor. Cred că, dacă ar fi fost spusă altfel povestea, cartea m-ar fi captivat în mare măsură.
Dincolo de textul de pe coperta patru, mi s-a părut că am pierdut timpul citind +200 de pagini la finalul cărora am aflat exact ceea ce scria și în textul de prezentare: că lucrurile au luat o întorsătură greșită. Acțiunea prea statică pentru gustul meu, m-am plictisit citind niște conversații care puteau fi parafrazate ușor. Cred că, dacă ar fi fost spusă altfel povestea, cartea m-ar fi captivat în mare măsură.
May 8, 2015
Simply, this is pretty chilling. Not only does the author go waaay too down the ISIS rabbit hole for her own good in pursuit of a story. But the numerous other young Syrian-bound women and men who turn up in this account hint at a much bigger problem that we care to acknowledge.
That said, either the writing, editing, or translation could do with a little help.
That said, either the writing, editing, or translation could do with a little help.
April 2, 2015
Je trouve que c'est un livre très intéressant à lire pour comprendre comment les jeunes se font embobiner sur le net pour aller rejoindre la Syrie. Un livre addictif, je n'ai pas pu le lâcher avant de l'avoir terminé. J'y ai passé une partie de la nuit ce qui ne m'arrive jamais. Un livre très flippant, Mélanie et Anna m'ont communiqué leurs angoisses et leurs peurs.
En lisant cette enquête, il apparait clairement que ces djihadistes sont aux antipodes de l'islam et je peine à imaginer comment certain(e)s peuvent croire le contraire tellement c'est aberrant, absurde. Pour ne citer que ça, lorsque Bilel dit qu'il ne faut pas vivre chez les "mécréants" mais dans le même temps ça ne le dérange absolument pas de porter du parfum Dior ! Trouvez l'erreur ...
J'ai énormément de peine pour ces parents qui soufrent par la perte de leurs enfants engouffrés dans les méandre de ces sectes. J'avoue que ce livre m'a marqué, perturbé, m'a donnée la rage de voir des gens mal intentionnés utiliser une si belle religion pour arriver à leurs fins et c'est pour le coup du pain bénit pour les islamophobes.
Comme le disait Nicolas Henin, dans son livre "Jihad Academy" (que je vous recommande au passage, excellent ): "Le djihadisme et l'islamophobie sont les deux faces d'une même médaille. Ils se nourrissent l'un de l'autre"
Pour finir je trouve qu'il faut néanmoins garder un esprit critique et interroger les bonnes personnes pour connaitre certain aspect de la religion musulmane, car j'ai trouvé certaines choses qui peuvent contribuer aux amalgames, à la confusion et à la stigmatisation, ce dont on n'a vraiment pas besoin en ce moment en France. Ne pas tomber dans le piège en véhiculant les fausses définitions. Par exemple, le terme Tawhid qui est présenté comme je cite: " un dogme fondamentaliste de l'islam" ce qui est faux. Le Tawhid c'est tout simplement la science de la croyance dans la religion musulmane.
En lisant cette enquête, il apparait clairement que ces djihadistes sont aux antipodes de l'islam et je peine à imaginer comment certain(e)s peuvent croire le contraire tellement c'est aberrant, absurde. Pour ne citer que ça, lorsque Bilel dit qu'il ne faut pas vivre chez les "mécréants" mais dans le même temps ça ne le dérange absolument pas de porter du parfum Dior ! Trouvez l'erreur ...
J'ai énormément de peine pour ces parents qui soufrent par la perte de leurs enfants engouffrés dans les méandre de ces sectes. J'avoue que ce livre m'a marqué, perturbé, m'a donnée la rage de voir des gens mal intentionnés utiliser une si belle religion pour arriver à leurs fins et c'est pour le coup du pain bénit pour les islamophobes.
Comme le disait Nicolas Henin, dans son livre "Jihad Academy" (que je vous recommande au passage, excellent ): "Le djihadisme et l'islamophobie sont les deux faces d'une même médaille. Ils se nourrissent l'un de l'autre"
Pour finir je trouve qu'il faut néanmoins garder un esprit critique et interroger les bonnes personnes pour connaitre certain aspect de la religion musulmane, car j'ai trouvé certaines choses qui peuvent contribuer aux amalgames, à la confusion et à la stigmatisation, ce dont on n'a vraiment pas besoin en ce moment en France. Ne pas tomber dans le piège en véhiculant les fausses définitions. Par exemple, le terme Tawhid qui est présenté comme je cite: " un dogme fondamentaliste de l'islam" ce qui est faux. Le Tawhid c'est tout simplement la science de la croyance dans la religion musulmane.
May 6, 2016
Este es un libro que trata sobre un tema real del que no estoy muy familiarizada, el reclutamiento de jovenes por el Estado Islamico. Es una problemática muy real, patética, triste y terrible del mundo en que vivimos, de cómo miles de jóvenes les lavan el cerebro en nombre de una religión que nada tiene que ver con las atrocidades de EI.
Siento que el libro se quedó corto, me faltó profundidad. Hay cosas que me resultan difíciles de creer, como que un alto agente de EI esté en labores de reclutamiento. No me creí la angustia o digamos asco que la autora afirma que sentía con las conversaciones que sostenía con Bilel, o sea se supone que tanto ella como sus compañeros estan acostumbrados a lidiar con ese tipo de historias y actitudes, asi que tanta sorpresa por parte de los involucrados me pareció exagerada.
No me creo mucho que Ana Siento que la historia esta inflada, quien sabe si está toda la verdad (o hasta si pasó en realidad).
No sabía que Francia es uno de los principales países de dónde EI recluta "guerreros", ahora tristemente entiendo por qué ha sido victima de ataque terroristas recientemente.
Siento que este libro pudo ser más, adentrase mejor, profundizar más. Aun así, es bien corto y se lee con facilidad. Lo recomiendo.
Siento que el libro se quedó corto, me faltó profundidad. Hay cosas que me resultan difíciles de creer, como que un alto agente de EI esté en labores de reclutamiento. No me creí la angustia o digamos asco que la autora afirma que sentía con las conversaciones que sostenía con Bilel, o sea se supone que tanto ella como sus compañeros estan acostumbrados a lidiar con ese tipo de historias y actitudes, asi que tanta sorpresa por parte de los involucrados me pareció exagerada.
No me creo mucho que Ana Siento que la historia esta inflada, quien sabe si está toda la verdad (o hasta si pasó en realidad).
No sabía que Francia es uno de los principales países de dónde EI recluta "guerreros", ahora tristemente entiendo por qué ha sido victima de ataque terroristas recientemente.
Siento que este libro pudo ser más, adentrase mejor, profundizar más. Aun así, es bien corto y se lee con facilidad. Lo recomiendo.
March 5, 2021
Ich kann es nicht anders sagen: dieses Buch ist heftig. Ich konnte es kaum aus der Hand legen, schwankend zwischen Neugierde und Abscheu ob der extrem spannend beschriebenen, aber auch verstörenden Ereignisse. Diese Reportage liest sich zeitweise wie ein Psychothriller. Manchmal hatte ich auch das Gefühl, einen Fantasy-Roman in Händen zu halten, denn es fällt schwer zu glauben, dass diese Geschichte Wirklichkeit ist. Die Lektüre lässt mich aufgewühlt, nachdenklich und auch wütend zurück und hat mich tief berührt.
April 7, 2016
O carte interesanta pe care o poti termina intr-o zi caci vrei sa afli continuarea, dar si pentru ca e usor de citit. Dezvolta povestea trista despre recrutarea jihadistilor. Poate pe alocuri un pic prea siropoasa pt mine. Genul de carte despre care afli totul din prezentare. Asa ca, nu cititi prezentarea, sau cititi doar prezentarea!?
April 30, 2025
Cartea asta m-a făcut să apreciez norocul de a fi născută în Moldova!
May 16, 2016
This was so interesting to read but holy shit that last page was scary!
October 23, 2015
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!
This book was scary. First of all, I had no idea how widespread the problem of young men and women leaving their home country to wage jihad had become. Anna Erelle was almost effortlessly sucked in to a horrific situation that has actually happened to hundreds of young people from Europe. She demonstrates how easily a young woman, who may be lonely, marginalized, or searching for meaning, could be swept away by a religious fanatic so that she could never return home. Once these young people hit the Syrian border, their passports are taken so that, even if they changed their minds, they couldn't go back. And, the worst part is that it happened so quickly. The events of In the Skin of a Jihadist occur over the course of one month... Reading this as a parent, this book was a nightmare. One minute, your child is home with you- the next they're on a one-way flight to Turkey and they're never coming back.
As compelling as the story was, it suffered from some small translation problems. Why, for example, did Anna get into that fight at the photojournalist party? I know that she was under pressure and had had too much to drink, but, if it had been me, I wouldn't have punched a bouncer because I was upset about how my story was going. When everything soured, I would have packed my bags and taken the first flight home. That probably only shows how she's a more serious journalist than I am, but still. I felt as if I was missing some details about why she was behaving how she was and how the French police used her contacts and information to prosecute terrorists.
Overall though, it was a pretty harrowing read. I learned more about sharia law than I had known before I read this book and also about why people would chose that type of lifestyle- it was all profoundly disturbing. Read In the Skin of a Jihadist if you want to know more about this issue but prepare yourself for some eye-opening revelations.
If you want to learn more about this topic, I'd recommend reading The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim or I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali.
This book was scary. First of all, I had no idea how widespread the problem of young men and women leaving their home country to wage jihad had become. Anna Erelle was almost effortlessly sucked in to a horrific situation that has actually happened to hundreds of young people from Europe. She demonstrates how easily a young woman, who may be lonely, marginalized, or searching for meaning, could be swept away by a religious fanatic so that she could never return home. Once these young people hit the Syrian border, their passports are taken so that, even if they changed their minds, they couldn't go back. And, the worst part is that it happened so quickly. The events of In the Skin of a Jihadist occur over the course of one month... Reading this as a parent, this book was a nightmare. One minute, your child is home with you- the next they're on a one-way flight to Turkey and they're never coming back.
As compelling as the story was, it suffered from some small translation problems. Why, for example, did Anna get into that fight at the photojournalist party? I know that she was under pressure and had had too much to drink, but, if it had been me, I wouldn't have punched a bouncer because I was upset about how my story was going. When everything soured, I would have packed my bags and taken the first flight home. That probably only shows how she's a more serious journalist than I am, but still. I felt as if I was missing some details about why she was behaving how she was and how the French police used her contacts and information to prosecute terrorists.
Overall though, it was a pretty harrowing read. I learned more about sharia law than I had known before I read this book and also about why people would chose that type of lifestyle- it was all profoundly disturbing. Read In the Skin of a Jihadist if you want to know more about this issue but prepare yourself for some eye-opening revelations.
If you want to learn more about this topic, I'd recommend reading The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim or I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali.
October 3, 2015
This was a short, fast, engaging read about a subject on which I was admittedly not well-informed. Anyone with access to media know that ISIS is a serious problem for the world at large, and that their tactics are pretty horrifying. I knew that, for whatever reason, outsiders can be drawn into their cause, so we see Americans and Europeans also committing atrocities for their "cause". But what I didn't know much about was, not only ISIS itself, but also their horrifying recruitment network. Like any other cult, they twist and turn religious texts to suit their purposes, and then use them to manipulate vulnerable people, male and female, to join their cause. Because of the power which ISIS holds over the areas where it rules, quite often once their recruits are inside, they cannot get back out, even if they want to.
If you think I've just spoiled everything this book talks about, though, don't worry. This story is more about our pseudononymous author and her brief but life changing online recruitment experience/ relationship with someone high in ISIS ranks. How someone rational and western can, in the pursuit of knowledge as to why and how young Europeans keep leaving to join ISIS, stumble into a story too good to resist, and end up bringing down upon her own head the fury and (so far just) threats of a high ranking terrorist and by extension his organization.
It was a crazy experience for "Anna", being both herself and Melodie, like being in espionage or deep undercover, but without the prior training and concurrent support that such fields often offer. Fielding questions and conversations with Bilel. Learning more and more about him, his organizations, and the network they used to keep their organization staffed and dangerous. It's scary. the story kept me engrossed, and I finished most of it in a day. I'm not saying that the (translated) writing was genius, but it was effective. It conveyed Anna's feelings. It conveyed the growing danger and terror of her situation. and it taught me a lot about a part of the world I wish I didn't need to know about. I do recommend this book. it's a short read, but worth your time.
If you think I've just spoiled everything this book talks about, though, don't worry. This story is more about our pseudononymous author and her brief but life changing online recruitment experience/ relationship with someone high in ISIS ranks. How someone rational and western can, in the pursuit of knowledge as to why and how young Europeans keep leaving to join ISIS, stumble into a story too good to resist, and end up bringing down upon her own head the fury and (so far just) threats of a high ranking terrorist and by extension his organization.
It was a crazy experience for "Anna", being both herself and Melodie, like being in espionage or deep undercover, but without the prior training and concurrent support that such fields often offer. Fielding questions and conversations with Bilel. Learning more and more about him, his organizations, and the network they used to keep their organization staffed and dangerous. It's scary. the story kept me engrossed, and I finished most of it in a day. I'm not saying that the (translated) writing was genius, but it was effective. It conveyed Anna's feelings. It conveyed the growing danger and terror of her situation. and it taught me a lot about a part of the world I wish I didn't need to know about. I do recommend this book. it's a short read, but worth your time.
June 21, 2015
থ্রিলার পড়ার মতো অনুভূতি কিন্তু শিউরে উঠতে হয় যখন দেখি বাংলাদেশের ব্রেইনওয়াশড ছেলে-মেয়েরাও আইসিসে যোগ দেয়ার জন্য দেশ ছেড়ে পালায়।
পুরো বইটার সামারি পাওয়া যাবে এখানে।
পুরো বইটার সামারি পাওয়া যাবে এখানে।
কান না দিয়া কুশিক্ষায়
মন দিয়া পড় আসল মাদ্রাসায়……
- তারেক মাসুদ, আনুশেহ আনাদিল
August 31, 2015
Um testemunho incrivel de um assunto que parece tão distante no tempo, mas afinal esta tão perto...fiquei arrepiada com muitas partes deste livro. Tinha curiosidade em ler este livro, e realmente fiquei surpreendida!
May 23, 2016
It's more than amazing, everything is perfect in this bokk, i couldn't stop reading it. I felt like i was living all the events. Fantastic ... !!
July 14, 2025
À cause de ce livre, on m’a considérée bizarrement dans ma famille quand ils ont su que j’avais des musc de chez El Nabil pour me parfumer (no fake)
July 25, 2023
Fantastic book! Really opens yours eyes to the horrors that plague areas in the Middle East. About the different terrorist organisations and how they continue to recruit members from across the world for their “noble” cause.
I have always wondered how young girls are often trapped into going to these war stricken areas but this book emphasises how these men give women hope of the perfect ‘romantic’ ending. STOCKHOLM SYNDROME IS SO REAL!!!
I often even find myself thinking if you get me was to be targeted by these people would I have fell for it ???
100% would recommend as a phenomenal read x
I have always wondered how young girls are often trapped into going to these war stricken areas but this book emphasises how these men give women hope of the perfect ‘romantic’ ending. STOCKHOLM SYNDROME IS SO REAL!!!
I often even find myself thinking if you get me was to be targeted by these people would I have fell for it ???
100% would recommend as a phenomenal read x
December 24, 2017
Un trabajo bastante arriesgado, pero así uno se entera lo que es capaz de hacer esta gente por captar más seguidores.
July 26, 2021
Anna, a pseudonym for a French journalist, details how she found research into the ISIS recruitment network for young European women. I enjoyed this book very much- it was detailed, shocking, and definitely a story that will stay in my mind for a while to come.
February 22, 2016
First - I like that this book reminded me that I want more information than just the daily news on what's going on in the world. It inspired a lot of additions to my reading list.
I just want it to be more interesting.
Maybe it's just a rough translation (as other reviewers have suggested), but the story dragged, and it really shouldn't have. This is a story I should have picked up one evening and been tired the whole next day at work because I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Not being able to get into it was disappointing.
Also, she kept saying she was schizophrenic. Again, this could be a translation issue, and if so, this note is for the translator. Unless you have been diagnosed as schizophrenic by a licensed professional, you are not schizophrenic. Stop saying that. It's dismissive and disrespectful of people who actually suffer from the disorder. There are many good rhetorical devices with which to convey the intensity of this experience. A false self-diagnosis is not one of them.
[My apologies if she was actually diagnosed. I admit I'm operating on the presumption that such and extensive assessment and treatment would have been documented as part of the story.]
I'm glad to have read it, but I'm not sure I recommend it.
I just want it to be more interesting.
Maybe it's just a rough translation (as other reviewers have suggested), but the story dragged, and it really shouldn't have. This is a story I should have picked up one evening and been tired the whole next day at work because I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Not being able to get into it was disappointing.
Also, she kept saying she was schizophrenic. Again, this could be a translation issue, and if so, this note is for the translator. Unless you have been diagnosed as schizophrenic by a licensed professional, you are not schizophrenic. Stop saying that. It's dismissive and disrespectful of people who actually suffer from the disorder. There are many good rhetorical devices with which to convey the intensity of this experience. A false self-diagnosis is not one of them.
[My apologies if she was actually diagnosed. I admit I'm operating on the presumption that such and extensive assessment and treatment would have been documented as part of the story.]
I'm glad to have read it, but I'm not sure I recommend it.
December 6, 2019
Aflam din aceasta carte povestea unei jurnaliste care se decide sa aprofundeze problema legata de filierele de recrutare ale Statului Islamic.
Face parte din cartile pe care le citesc cu teama pentru că subiectul nu este tocmai placut, este dur .
Subiectul pe scurt: Anna isi face un cont fals pe retelele de socializare , folosindu-se de numele Melodie; astfel poate urmări mișcările organizațiilor islamice. În momentul în care îi atrage atenția unui terorist se decide să pornească o anchetă pentru a afla ce le așteaptă pe femeile care ajung în Orient după ce sunt contactate pe internet de aceste organizatii.
Această înscenare durează o lună, timp în care Abu Bilel o seduce pe Melodie și o pregătește să vină la el. Când se apropie momentul acesta îi mărturisește că a reușit să aranjeze căsătoria.
Anna are un plan bine stabilit, pleacă în Orient alături de un coleg fotograf, dar lucrurile ajung să scape de sub control.
Toată această anchetă a ajutat-o să afle câteva tehnici de manipulare de la Bilel. Mie mi-a atras atenția tehnica prin care prezentau morții: cei "credincioși" erau fotografiati în așa fel încât să pară că au murit fericiți în timp ce "necredinciosii" erau lăsați să se descompuna ceea ce demonstra că acestia din urma erau pedepsiți și nu ajungeau în Paradis.
Face parte din cartile pe care le citesc cu teama pentru că subiectul nu este tocmai placut, este dur .
Subiectul pe scurt: Anna isi face un cont fals pe retelele de socializare , folosindu-se de numele Melodie; astfel poate urmări mișcările organizațiilor islamice. În momentul în care îi atrage atenția unui terorist se decide să pornească o anchetă pentru a afla ce le așteaptă pe femeile care ajung în Orient după ce sunt contactate pe internet de aceste organizatii.
Această înscenare durează o lună, timp în care Abu Bilel o seduce pe Melodie și o pregătește să vină la el. Când se apropie momentul acesta îi mărturisește că a reușit să aranjeze căsătoria.
Anna are un plan bine stabilit, pleacă în Orient alături de un coleg fotograf, dar lucrurile ajung să scape de sub control.
Toată această anchetă a ajutat-o să afle câteva tehnici de manipulare de la Bilel. Mie mi-a atras atenția tehnica prin care prezentau morții: cei "credincioși" erau fotografiati în așa fel încât să pară că au murit fericiți în timp ce "necredinciosii" erau lăsați să se descompuna ceea ce demonstra că acestia din urma erau pedepsiți și nu ajungeau în Paradis.
April 20, 2019
Shocking. In one word.
I find it hard to believe that someone had the courage to pursue such an undercover mission, and has now lost their identity, living with the consequences of this bold act (may not even be alive anymore).
Everyone chooses their battles. But this? Is something next level. It's what movies are made from.
The book takes a little getting used to, because there are a lot of patches of pure and boring information. Boring to me, and probably to many of us that aren't that psyched about minor details of the terrorist organization controlling Syria. But truly remarkable if you really evaluate the kind of things the journalist was able to uncover.
Nonetheless, this deserves a read because her (Anna) voice made a huge difference.
I find it hard to believe that someone had the courage to pursue such an undercover mission, and has now lost their identity, living with the consequences of this bold act (may not even be alive anymore).
Everyone chooses their battles. But this? Is something next level. It's what movies are made from.
The book takes a little getting used to, because there are a lot of patches of pure and boring information. Boring to me, and probably to many of us that aren't that psyched about minor details of the terrorist organization controlling Syria. But truly remarkable if you really evaluate the kind of things the journalist was able to uncover.
Nonetheless, this deserves a read because her (Anna) voice made a huge difference.
October 1, 2017
The book is poorly written. The character of Melodie was not believable and I just din't like the book...I wanted to get a better understanding of what happens when a person gets radicalized...I wanted to understand if there were common traits and I don't feel I was left with it after reading this book
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