Op-ed by Geneive Abdo in the National Interest on ISIS

A private, elite school in Khartoum tells the story of the appeal of ISIS—a story that defies years of mythologies in the West about the lure of Muslim youth to extremism.

In June, twelve students of the prestigious University of Medical Sciences and Technology left their studies and crossed into Turkey to become fighters for the so-called Caliphate in Syria. They are from wealthy families, are citizens of the UK, United States and Canada, hold foreign passports, barely know Arabic or much about Islam, and had much to look forward to in life.

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