The Islamic State (ISIS) has taken their use of children to a whole new level by requiring parents to read them bedtime stories about the martyrdom of Islamic jihadists.
According to a report by The Daily Beast, parents are teaching their children about Ali ibn abi Talib, the fourth Caliph of Islam, Usama ibn Zayd's attack against Rome, Tariq ibn Ziyad's assault on Spain as well as Muhammad ibn Qasim and Bakhtiyar Khalji victories against an Indian subcontinent and Bengal at a young age.
Parents are influencing their children to embrace the life of a jihadist probably to minimise their resistance to learning about military training and fitness to eventually become like the people they are hearing about.
The use of children has grown more alarming based on reports from the United Nations, especially with the establishment of the youth wing called Fityan al-Islam, (Boys of Islam) wherein children are being trained and indoctrinated into the group despite their young age.
Based on the report, around 800 to 900 children aged 9-15 have been abducted by the ISIS from Mosul and other cities for the purpose of being trained as spies, preachers, soldiers, executioners and suicide bombers.
From August 2015 to February 2016, there have been 254 reports of children being used in ISIS propaganda with at least 12 children being forced to behead and hold up the heads of ISIS captives to prove that they are ready to wage war against their enemies. One incident even involved a four-year-old British child detonating a car bomb killing four alleged spies who were inside the vehicle.
Children are reportedly being punished severely for "failing" in their duties to ISIS. The Independent reported that the group ordered the killing of 18 children from running away from a fight in Iraq.
"According to a source, the boys left the front without being noticed, but were identified by residents upon their return to Mosul. An ISIS self-appointed court allegedly ordered their killing," the UN report said.
As for the girls and women who have been taken by the group, reports are coming in that they are being raped daily by ISIS fighters and are being used to breed the next generation of ISIS fighters. There are currently 31,000 pregnant women living in ISIS camps.
