IS recruiters focus on successful students from North-Caucasian higher schools

In the higher educational institutions of Northern Caucasus, recruiters of the "Islamic State" (IS) focus on successful students from wealthy families. This was stated by a Russian Orientalist and economist Evgeny Satanovsky, the President of the independent scientific centre "Institute of the Middle East".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 23, Sergey Melikov, the Russian President's Envoy to the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), stated that members of the IS, recognized on the territory of Russia as a terrorist organization, recruited students of the North-Caucasian higher educational institutions. To combat the recruitment, Sergey Melikov suggested that the administrations should pay attention to "extra-curricular activities of students" and their patriotic education.

According to Evgeny Satanovsky, the IS focuses on selection of qualified specialists in the fields of chemistry, biology, medicine, and IT sphere.

Evgeny Satanovsky believes that potential members of the IS can be recruited from the number of persons standing against the introduction of the "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" to the school curriculum. According to the expert, the Muslims, who do not want to learn other people's religion, express their protest against the subject, and that radicalizes the students.

However, According to Evgeny Satanovsky, the IS more and more often recruits their members not in Europe and Morocco, but in Northern Caucasus and Central Asia. The greatest danger comes from Islamist websites that provide information concerning dating and proposals on education.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.