Guest Lecture: Mother of a Foreign Fighter
On Monday 28 March, Salina Ben Ali visited our University to tell her emotional story. She told about how her 19 year old son was recruited by IS, left for Syria and died there 'as a martyr'.
During the Q&A, she discussed how she fights for the formal victim status of her son: instead of being a terrorist, he himself became a victim to IS recruiters.
In order to prevent more young people from falling into the same trap, she has established S.A.V.E. Belgium, which fights to thwart the recruitment efforts of Muslim extremists. Furthermore, the documentary “The Empty Room” about her story is featured in the Movies That Matter festival. You can watch the trailer below:
