Sweden considering offering benefits, jobs to returning ISIS fighters.

[Dawyn]

What do you all think? A good idea to help them get reintegrated into society, or is it essentially rewarding terrorists for what they have done?

Edit: See Gregor's post for better info.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I'd be happy to share my thoughts on this if I saw it from a source that isn't a far right conspiracy theory website.

 

[Dawyn]

I'd be happy to share my thoughts on this if I saw it from a source that isn't a far right conspiracy theory website.

Oh, is it? Didn't bother checking it, just saw it come up in Google News.

 

[Ser Gregor]

Okay, took me a while to piece together a relatively unbiased picture of what's going on.

There are currently talks in the federal government of creating a federal fund to provide psychological assessment and rehabilitation services to any and all Swedish National Da'esh fighters who return to Sweden. This has already begun at municipal level in the Örebro Municipality in central Sweden, but this town has taken it farther and is providing jobs for their returned fighters.

A soldier, Frederick Brandberg, has challenged the federal government to provide the same level of assistance to the 500 Swedish soldiers currently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sweden, despite being a welfare state, apparently doesn't treat their soldiers well following their discharge/mustering out from service.

The right-wing has latched on to this like flies on shit, naturally, turning it into a cluster**** of misinformation and half-truths to attack the concept of the welfare state.

I personally think this is the only logical thing to do. The percent of foreign-nationals fighting for Da'esh is a huge minority. There hasn't been a conflict since WWII that has attracted so many foreign fighters. While many are non-European there is a considerable number of Europeans in both countries. I feel luring them home and attempting to rehabilitate them is the way to go. If it works and it spreads there's no knowing how hard-hit Da'esh might be. Regardless, however, utilizing rehabilitated Da'esh fighters, who have horrible stories from their time fighting, as anti-Da'esh propaganda would be an effective addition to the current measures being taken to discourage recruitment.

 

[Dawyn]

Thanks for the info Gregor. Do you read Swedish, or did you find another source? I only found that article in English earlier today and after checking what WND actually is, it is fairly biased being a libertarian newspaper and all.

 

[Cainhurst Crow]

The thought of taking these guys and being able to rehabilitate them into normal, or at least non-aggressive, civilians is a good one, in the optimistic sense. But I'm doubtful of them being able to actually pull it off. These people lock people in cages and light them on fire, including children, and then post it on social media to brag about it and spread their messages. How are you supposed to rehabilitate that?

Then again, if any country could do it, its probably sweden. Their entire justice system, to an outsider, seems built for rehabilitation. And if their recidivism rates are truly low enough, then I suppose we can only cross our fingers and hope it works.

 

[Loco]

I'm generally opposed to the idea of rewarding people for rape and murder.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I'm generally opposed to the idea of rewarding people for rape and murder.

That assumes that every person who joined ISIS did either of those things. It also assumes that rapists and murderers are the people that Sweden is targeting with this program.

 

[Loco]

That assumes that every person who joined ISIS did either of those things. It also assumes that rapists and murderers are the people that Sweden is targeting with this program.

For one I wouldn't trust their vetting, since there's no reliable way to do it- any information about what these guys did would pretty much have to be a self admission. They may not target those people, but how do they know that's not what they're getting anyway? And for two, I think anyone travelling half way across the world to join the cheerfully murderous and openly genocidal terrorist group is guilty by association. They're not exactly shy about what they do or what they're about.

 

[Vulpes]

I suppose it makes sense, being Scandinavia and all. From my understanding, they have one of the most 'liberal' prison systems, focusing on rehabilitation rather than isolation as a form of punishment.

I have a question, though. Does this program only apply for Swedish citizens? I know that Northern Europe is a hotspot for migrants, especially from North Africa and the Middle-east. Just wondering, since no one has really posted an article for reading on this thread.

 

[BLADE]

I'm generally opposed to the idea of rewarding people for rape and murder.

Me too. No G.I. Bill for Jihadis.

 

[Livgardist]

I remember reading this in the Swedish newspapers. It kind of got blown out of proportion from what I've read. I haven't read anything on Swedish newspapers that anybody but the Orebro local authorities are considering this, but it might very well be that I've missed that the national government is planning to institute it (and seeing what they've done so far, I wouldn't be surprised............).

My few cents?

We need to take care of our own, honorable Swedish soldiers (and sailors!), before we take care of returning terrorists. I'm not going to mince words - no, not everybody in ISIS are rapers, murderers and war criminals, but Da'esh is a terrorist group, so anyone involved in that organization is by default a terrorist, at least in my book, and until the day they definitely prove to the world around them that they've broken with the group.

There are pros and cons with doing this for them. The propaganda value if they can be returned to sanity and a normal life - not to mention the intelligence that can be gathered from them and shared with Iraq and Peshmerga among others - is massive, and creating a path for them to become part of society once more decreases the risk not only of them returning to Da'esh, but also the risk of other people joining Da'esh. So that's good.

On the other hand, again, we have many brave soldiers who risk their lives trying to make the world a better place for innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now in Mali, among other places. People who don't serve an organization that has made rape and genocide political tools. These people do not get the treatment and the benefits that they deserve and need and until they do, this isn't even worth discussing. Additionally, if you don't thoroughly investigate Da'esh people who return home before giving them access to such programs, you're going to just feed them until their next tour of duty with the nutjobs - heck, you might even be encouraging people to join, for all I know.


So, yeah, I guess what I'm saying is, first, take care of our own. Then, if you have to do this, make absolutely sure that you're only helping people who want to leave that part of their life behind, permanently. Those who return from fighting for Da'esh who have carried out war crimes of any kind, whether it be rape or murder or whatever, and those that have not returned home to abandon their ties with Da'esh, should in my book be charged with treason and flogged through the streets of Stockholm. :18:

 

[Dawyn]

I suppose it makes sense, being Scandinavia and all. From my understanding, they have one of the most 'liberal' prison systems, focusing on rehabilitation rather than isolation as a form of punishment.

I have a question, though. Does this program only apply for Swedish citizens? I know that Northern Europe is a hotspot for migrants, especially from North Africa and the Middle-east. Just wondering, since no one has really posted an article for reading on this thread.

Well, right now the only English-translated sources are exteme right-wing American websites as Brandon pointed out, but Gregor's post sums it up better. But from what I got out of those articles and everyone on here, it's only for Swedish citizens/people who have been granted asylum in Sweden.