With my son in the heart of IS by Laura Passoni & C. Lorsignol
Of this book, I only found a Dutch and a French version.
The story is one of a personal history, of a young woman. To put it bluntly, she becomes a Muslima at a young age out of conviction, is radicalized, does not know the facts she will be confronted with, repents with her family, returns home under dangerous circumstances and is punished.
The story is not unique. There are more files with the authorities than hers, whether or not comparable (not everyone succeeds in confronting themselves with the lies of IS and deradicalizing). These are all subject to privacy legislation, and therefore not public. That is precisely why this book has such great added value for readers who are looking for first-hand testimonies.
Not everyone can be deradicalized, or reradicalized (see earlier review “Reradicalization”). We have to admit this when we look at the history of the “Syria fighter” phenomenon. But everyone should be given a second chance. But those opportunities have to be created and taken up by both sides. Laura and her parents created their own opportunities together. Her reason is clear: she will not be a womb of ISIS. The goal also became clearer: to give her children and herself a chance at a normal life, far away from diseased conditions.
But there is more than that: Laura also wants to give more opportunities to ‘our’ youth, by transferring insight, by testifying first-hand. She wants to set up a “counter environment” for herself to bring a “counter narrative” to the youth. This book seems to be very suitable as a tool for this, for example in schools.
With my son in the heart of IS is a narrative, revealing, confessional, original and explanatory. It is a way for the youth to learn from their mistakes. She does this with simple language, with testimonies about recognizable feelings and with insight into her situation afterwards. She does this in a way that hopefully others who undergo the same brainwashing from recruiters, recognize themselves and find in it a warning against the danger of IS and gain insight into their own situation that will make them refrain from the journey she has made.
In this way, this testimony is an example for other regrets to break the silence and bear witness to their truth, which can become ours. Whoever saves one, saves a whole world.
In itself, With my son in the heart of IS provides insightful aspects of terror as danger and risk.
Title: Met mijn zoon in het hart van IS, Authors: Laura Passoni and C. Lorsignol, Publisher: Eik, ISBN: 9789082713114