A notorious British jihadi who fled London to join Isis last September has penned a candid guide to all aspects of life in the terror group's caliphate in a bid to attract western jihadis to Iraq and Syria.
The 46-page PDF is written by British jihadi Abu Rumaysah al Britani, otherwise known as Siddhartha Dhar. The surreal guide breaks down life in the caliphate under Isis rule into sections, detailing the food, weather, transport, technology, people and education.
The front cover shows a convoy of the terror group's militants overlooking the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, with a helicopter being shot out of the sky.
The e-book, a recruitment tool for potential English-speaking fighters, lauds the terror group's "pulling power" to its "transnational empire", claiming to have recruited people from all professions "crucial for state building". Britani claims that social order is maintained by the Quran and therefore he "cannot see a Baltimore riot springing up here anytime soon".
"If you thought London or New York was cosmopolitan then wait until you step foot in the Islamic State, because it screams diversity," the e-book reads, comparing the caliphate to a "plush holiday resort".
As the propagandistic PDF continues, it lists a number of halal and sweet dishes served in the caliphate which he claims beat "stale bread and septic water" or "anything from your local Tescos or Walmart".
He lists dishes such as "succulent" shawarmas, sheesh kebabs, falafel sandwiches, "very popular" fruit cocktails, "creamy" lattes and cappuccinos and ice cream. Britani claims that he can even see "curries and chow meins" on the streets of Raqqa and Mosul in the "near future".
Regarding transport in the caliphate, Britani speaks of a good network but only boasts of yellow taxis and buses. He admits that the transport network for the caliphate needs more development and innovation to incorporate all of those within the territory it controls.
"The natural progression for the transport network in the Islamic State has to be trains then ships and aeroplanes, but everything is on the table: zeppelins, hovercrafts, trams, microlites, cable cars or perhaps a new creation invented by some witty entrepreneur," Britani says.
As with any piece of Isis propaganda, this guide to the caliphate carries with it threats to the western world. Speaking of his surprise at the creation of an Islamic caliphate, Britani says he is "working hard to see it in Rome and beyond" and says that "violence thrashed out" by America and her allies has been worse than that of "Saddam Hussein and the Assad gang".
"When we descend on the streets of London, Paris and Washington the taste will be far bitterer, because not only will we spill your blood, but we will also demolish your statues, erase your history and, most painfully, convert your children," he threatens at the end of the guide.
Benjamin Decker, senior intelligence analyst at the Tel Aviv-based Levantine Group, says that the guide attempts to attract those who are cautious about leaving a western life to join the terror group in their Iraqi-Syrian caliphate.
"What's crazy about it, and it really demonstrates a major shift in their recruiting efforts, is how basic it is about the Middle East, even explaining what shawarma and falafel are," says Decker. "It creates this false sense of cosmopolitanism. Ironically, the lack of that urban cosmopolitan society in Isis territory, is by-and-large one of the most significant reasons why Isis recruits attempt to go back home."
"We've seen a lot recently of new Isis recruits actually smuggling in Burger King and other fast food into areas of northern Syria," he adds. "It really demonstrates that these people can not really divorce themselves from western society and so this guide really tries to bridge the gap between the two."
Britani, believed to be 31 year old, skipped bail in Britain and left London with his wife and four children to join the ranks of Isis last September.
He is a known supporter of the radical British cleric and supporter of the group, Anjem Choudary. Before his escape to Syria, the jihadi frequently appeared on British news channels to talk about his support for the group and how he wished to live under Sharia law.
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