Quora Answer: How Do You Think the Remains of ISIS Should be Dealt With?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How do you think the remains of ISIS should be dealt with?”

There are two elements of consideration.  The first is the actual people, the fighters, the enablers, the sympathisers and the supporters.  The second is the organisational structure, including the weapons stockpiles, literature, funds, and other assets seized.  The actual fighters should be tried for crimes against humanity, and I favour summary executions.  I would extend the severe penalties to the so-called ISIS brides, the people who spread their propaganda, the people who sent funds, and the people who enabled others to enter ISIS territories from all over the world.

In that sense, the Singapore or Israeli model of dealing with extremists, including legal instruments such as detention without trial, and other measures of surveillance, work best in the deradicalisation effort.  These organisations are effectively neutered by destroying their support.  These organisations are run on more than just guns and bombs.  There is a lot of work tracing funds along traditional and non-traditional banking networks, systematically shutting down avenues, and accounts; and seizing assets.

Then, there is the work of cleaning up mosques and Muslim organisations, identifying and eliminating hate preachers, taking down web portals and social media accounts, identifying and banning literature. All of this involves investigating banks, small businesses, and publishing houses.  All that money had to be laundered somewhere to fund the propaganda effort.  We must understand that for every fighter, there are a thousand people who aided, abetted, and funded him.  They put together the literature to inspire them.  They were the people preaching hate on the pulpits.  They are the people who provided travel documentation.  They are the people who sent money.  All of them must be taken down, and made to pay a legal price.  This is the real work of pulling weeds out at the root.