ISIS News: French Teen Shares Story of 'Almost' Entering ISIS Territory
After the grisly Paris attacks, stories of young boys who managed to escape from the hands of the Islamic State went viral online and their tales truly touched the hearts of many.
However, Joanna's story is different not only because she is a girl — a 15-year-old girl — but more so because she initially "wanted" to be in with the terrorists who she thought "loved" and understood her.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Joanna told her bizarre tale and how she first became obsessed with the ISIS way of Islam.
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A huge number of the French populace are Catholics and so is Joanna's family. However, she decided to convert to Islam when she reached her teens. As expected, her family didn't understand the decision she made so she started talking to other people on social media who seemed to feel right at home with her.
She said Islam is her "passion" and something she "can't live without." Since she started getting obsessed with the religion, she found some people who shared her sentiments. The people she talked to made her feel at home and made her feel like they loved her even more than her estranged family did. That is how she became vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy.
"They tell you that your family will reject you, that they will stop loving you; they say that the only ones who love you are your brothers and sisters in Islam," she said.
Fortunately, her mother got help from a counselor, Laura Bouzar, who helped get Joanna out of the lies that the ISIS were planting on her mind before it was too late. Bouzar started sessions with Joanna, explaining to her that she should think for herself instead of allowing the ISIS propaganda to get into her.
Joanna has stopped communicating with the people who were making her believe that ISIS is good and their beliefs are right. She also decided to keep away from cell phones and the Internet — a decision that has so far helped her from getting into any conversations with the radicals.
"I'm afraid that one day I'll feel lonely and I'll fall into the trap again," she explained.
