Muhammad Zahab (died 2018) was an Australian math teacher who recruited many of his relatives, friends and acquaintances to join him in Daesh occupied Syria.[1] The Australian Broadcasting Corporation public affairs show Four Corners reported he recruited his wife, parents, his two brothers, his sister, three cousins, four in-laws, and their children.[2]
Muhammad Zahab | |
|---|---|
| Died | 2018 Daesh |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | mathematics teacher, jihadi fighter |
| Known for | Rose to a leadership role in Daesh |
Four Corners reported that Zahab rose to a leadership role in Daesh.[2] Australian security officials considered him the most senior member of the Daesh leadership from Australia.[3]
Zahab married his first wife Mariam Raad, in Australia.[2] He married a second wife, Zahra Ahmad, after he arrived in Syria.[4] Ahmad, came from another family which traveled to Daesh territory.
He was killed by an Iraqi air strike in 2018.[4]
References edit
- ^
Livia Albeck-Ripka (2019-10-21). "Desperate Pleas to Free Women and Children From ISIS Camps in Syria". The New York Times. p. A8. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
While many women from around the world joined the terrorist group of their own accord, the families of all the Australian women in Al-Hol say they were coerced by husbands and other family members. Many say they are related by blood or marriage to Muhammad Zahab, a Sydney teacher turned Islamic State fighter, who they say delivered them to Syria.
- ^ a b c
Dylan Welch; Suzanne Dredge; Naomi Selvaratnam (2019-09-30). "Married to Islamic State: The untold stories of the women Australia doesn't want back". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
Mariam Dabboussy is risking her safety to reveal how her brother-in-law Muhammad Zahab delivered her and her baby into the grip of the Islamic State (IS) group.
- ^
Giovanni Torre (2020-02-29). "'They told me she was coerced': says Australian dad fighting to bring his daughter home from ISIS". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 2020-07-23.
Today, Mariam is one of 19 Australian women and 47 children being held in Al Hol camp in northern Syria. Eleven of them are believed to be related to Muhammad Zahab by blood or marriage.
- ^ a b
Nino Bucci; Suzanne Dredge (2019-10-19). "How 12 Australian family members ended up detained in Syria after the fall of Islamic State". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
Among these men is notorious Islamic State recruiter Muhammad Zahab, who took the couple's eldest daughter Zahra as a second wife.