Kids play as Islamic State hypes its utopia

THE Islamic State runs a highly sophisticated online publicity campaign to lure new recruits into its ranks.

The group reached out to supporters in South Africa over the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr in a slick video produced last year by its public relations arm, the al-Hayat Media Centre.

The 21-minute video — entitled “Eid greetings from the land of khilafah” — depicted smiling men, women and children celebrating life in the self-declared “caliphate”, territory controlled by the group in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Abu Shuaib al-Afriki, a bearded man wearing dark glasses, declares in the video that he is from South Africa. Cradling a little girl wearing a dress, he says: “As you can see there is a big party going on. My strong wish is that I can see you all here and celebrate Eid.

“There is no place in the world at the moment where you will have such safety . . . Brothers and sisters, I don’t have the words. I don’t have the words to express myself about the happiness to be here. This was the wish of all sincere Muslims, to be in the khilafah.”

He is one of several adult fighters, most wearing ammunition belts and carrying automatic weapons, who hail from countries around the world, including the US and the UK.

The professionally shot and edited video featuring English subtitles shows children playing in the streets with toy guns and shrieking with delight on rides at an amusement park. Men with machine guns slung over their shoulders push giggling little girls on swings. Children run with arms outstretched towards an SUV where a man is handing out new toys — brightly coloured plastic guns.

The atmosphere is warm, fuzzy and friendly. It is carefully choreographed propaganda, without a hint of the brutality associated with IS that is depicted on television news channels.

Abu Abdurahman al-Trinidadi, a US fighter originally from Trinidad, says, “Please will all believers come, who can make it, come . . . Look at all the little children. They are having fun.” He is joined by fighters from Tunisia, Indonesia, Morocco, Belgium and Finland.

“We are living here wonderfully in great happiness. We actually can wish for nothing more,” says Abu Hanifah al-Belgi Ki from Belgium.

“All praise is due to Allah,” he says in a heavy accent. The video ends with a smiling boy, waving goodbye to the camera and the words, “I wish you were here.”