Dabiq: Drowned Syrian Toddler Proves Flight from ISIS a ‘Major Sin’

Those who attempt to escape deserve their death and destruction, the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) argues in the latest issue of their magazine Dabiq, using a photo of drowned toddler Aylan Kurdi to emphasize their point.

“The repeated events of Syrians and Libyans dying on the shores of Turkey, Libya, and Italy, or even on the highways of Austria, is one that should awaken the heart into reflecting upon the issue of hijrah,” states the article, which is titled “The Danger of Abandoning Dārul-Islām.”

The author, who is not identified, tells the readers that Muslims often make mistakes when “choosing their destination for ‘hijrah,’” which is an important pilgrimage for Muslims since they “choose the lands of the Christians for their destination.” Traveling to these lands and escaping the caliphate is a “major sin that can reach the level of apostasy.”

“Sadly, some Syrians and Libyans are willing to risk the lives and souls of those whom they are responsible to raise upon the Sharī’ah – their children – sacrificing many of them during the dangerous trip to the lands of war-waging crusaders ruled by laws of atheism and indecency,” writes the author.

Officials discovered Kurdi’s small body on a Turkish beach next to the resort town of Bodrum. He was one of 12 Syrians who drowned in an attempt to reach the island of Kos, Greece. The picture of the dead boy sparked international outrage and brought attention to the thousands of people fleeing ISIS. His father Abdullah said the family wanted to move to Canada after they left Syrian Kurdish town Kobani.

Refugees from Syria, Libya, and Africa spend their life savings to smugglers to escape groups like ISIS and poverty for Europe. Many pile into boats not meant for human cargo to cross the choppy Mediterranean Sea. Stories of horrific deaths and capsized boats saturated the media the last 16 months.

“Therefore, it should be known that voluntarily leaving Dārul-Islām for dārul-kufr is a dangerous major sin, as it is a passage towards kufr and a gate towards one’s children and grandchildren abandoning Islam for Christianity, atheism, or liberalism,” says the author, adding:

If one’s children or grandchildren don’t fall into kufr, they are under the constant threat of fornication, sodomy, drugs, and alcohol. If they don’t fall into sin, they will forget the language of the Qur’ān – Arabic – which they were surrounded by in Shām, Iraq. Libya, and everywhere, making the return to the religion and its teachings more difficult.

Aylan, his brother Galip, and his mother Rehan all died on their journey to Greece. Abdullah returned to Kobani to bury his lost family. He vowed to remain there to fight against ISIS.

“I have no future any more,” he said at the funeral. “My future is gone.”