Miss Alyssa Moohin

Alyssa Moohin is a student at the University of Melbourne, currently completing her Honours year in the Islamic Studies program. Her focus is on the experiences of Muslims living in the West and how this informed some communities’ engagement with transnational jihadist organisations.

The West's Jihadists

Between 2011 and 2015, tens of thousands of Muslims living in the West answered Islamic State’s call to arms and journeyed to Syria and Iraq to join its caliphate. This raises the question: why did the organisation appeal to Western Muslims from different cultural, historical and linguistic backgrounds? An exploration of the life histories of French and Australian recruits reveals that predominantly alienated second-generation immigrants joined the organisation as a way to gain glory and a higher status. Furthermore, poor economic conditions, as well as certain religious concepts and historical experiences of Muslims, reinforced feelings of alienation.