Come home: Mothers whose children joined Isis in Syria and Iraq plead their return in open letter

Members of Mothers for Life called on their sons and daughters to honour their parents and spare them suffering, quoting the Qur’an

Mothers for Life has several Muslims among its dozen members and sought advice from Islamic scholars to challenge the religious arguments put forward by extremists. (Getty)

A group of mothers whose children have joined Isis and other extremists in Syria and Iraq have pleased for their children to return home in an open letter.

In the letter published online, members of Mothers for Life called on their sons and daughters to honour their parents and spare them suffering, quoting the Qur’an.

Mothers for Life has several Muslims among its dozen members and sought advice from Islamic scholars to challenge the religious arguments put forward by extremists. (Reuters)

The group said: “Even if you think death will give you that ‘better’ life, remember that even the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Paradise lies at the feet of your mother’.”

“By leaving us against our will to give up your own life and take those of others, you have put our struggle, pain and honor under your feet and walked over it.”

Thousands of young western men and women have been recruited by Isis in recent years, often by other extremists online.

Mothers for Life, which is run by the German Institute on Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies (GIRDS) in Berlin, said their decision to launch the open letter on social media is part of a conscious effort to publicly challenge those who recruit their children.

“Social media right now seems to be their strength in recruiting our youth,” said Canadian mother Chris Boudreau, whose son was killed in Syria last year. “We’ve got to fight fire with fire,” she told the Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Mothers for Life has several Muslims among its dozen members and sought advice from Islamic scholars to challenge the religious arguments put forward by extremists.