Should we help bring him home.?

No, I think being repudiated by my child in these circumstances, would lead me to take a step back as well.

His family are firmly convinced that he's been misrepresented in the press and insist that he only went for humanitarian reasons. Their conviction and belief in their son's innocence is immeasurable and I wonder whether I would have the same conviction and belief, in my DS, if he had announced to the world that he hated me and that I deserved to die if I didn't convert to his religious beliefs. I'm not sure that I could to be honest.

It has been suggested that he has OCD, but that should not be significant informing his views or his subsequent behaviour

I do wonder if he had /has mental health issues.
I feel sorry for his parents.

My heart goes out to his parents but no, I don't think assistance should be given to bring him home.

What puzzles me is why a young man with his background, white, therefore no cultural issues, intelligent, at a good state school, supportive parents, growing up in a city like Oxford, should hate so much and so intensively.

Young men with his background are usually more likely to join humanitarian and aid groups like Oxfam, or one of the many other mainstream charities taking aid to the middle east, not, supposedly, head off on personal aid missions, if he is to be believed that that is what he was doing.

Two interesting but long links about him and his family can be found on www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3423758/Brainwashing-Jihadi-Jack-parents-respectable-reveal-middle-class-boy-Oxford-recruited-Islamic-fanatics.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/25/jihadi-jack-i-hate-my-parents-but-miss-doughnuts/

Although I boggle at the Mail journalist describing their home as in a dreary suburb of Oxford. It is a highly desirable area of Oxford, close to the town centre and relatively expensive, even by Oxford standards. No change from £500,000

I feel for his parents but can this man be trusted ? He made his choice and was more than happy to side with the terrorists so why should we bail him out now ? A person blown up by an 18 year old is just as dead as on blown up by a 21 year old or a 40 year old.

Depends if he is radicalised. If he is then no. Whether he is white or black, Ill educated or went to Oxford, they all speak from the same sheet if radicalised. Feel for his parents, we love them whatever, whilst not liking what they do. Anyone who has tried to make a teenager do something their minds set against knows that. We encourage them to have their own minds and be independent, but Sometimes, like in this young man what they choose to do horrifies.

I think so too.

He is an educated young man who made his (very bad) choice. I can't imagine what damage he might do if he were allowed home to roam free on our streets, so full of hatred as he is.

Maybe the Australians have got it right Faye .

He has more than likely cause untold misery to people in Syria. If he had dual citizenship in Australia and had been involved in overseas terrorism he would lose his Australian citizenship and not ever be allowed back in the country.

Good post "Chewey" I remember following this story. As a result of his actions, his parents have ended up in court and I often wondered what I would do if faced with the same dilemma. I love my children, but I couldn't condone the actions of a terrorist responsible for the deaths of innocent people.

In a Channel 4 documentary, in July 2016, this young man stated that he hated his parents because they were "non believers". He also said "I oppose so-called Islamic State, but that doesn't mean I am with you, the dirty non-Muslims." He stated that he had no desire or intention to return to the UK. However, by June of this year, he had fled Syria and now says "I hate them (ISIS) more than the Americans hate them".
He seems to be a young man who was filled with hate and rage, both against his parents and the world at large, and now against those he sought to live with. He obviously got himself into far more than his teenage ideologies had ever imagined. But he's not a teenager anymore, he's a man of 24 and he's brought untold misery and anguish to a family who clearly loved him to the point of breaking the law for him and I feel that he must face up to the repercussions of his actions. And, as others have said before me, would we even be considering the question if he wasn't white, well educated & middle class? I suspect not.

I totally agree with you Jalima1108 .

I was listening to R4 in the car today and apparently he is being held in solitary confinement in a Kurdish prison in Syria.

Now - ask yourselves - if it was reported that this had happened to a young British Asian lad who had gone off to join IS would you feel the FO should help or not?
Would your posts still show the same degree of sympathy for his 'plight'?

There is a case in Oxford, an English lad, about 18 converted to Islam, went to Syria several years ago thinking he was going to live in a Caliphate that was the pure muslim message on earth. He soon realised his mistake. There is no evidence that he was involved in the fighting. He seems to be a pacifist, or near it, and risked his life to get out of the ISIS area. He is now in a Kurdish prison and his parents have asked for help getting him home.

I was just about to post the same as you MawBroon, yes surely the young man referred to is the subject of the OP.

Now, British boy goes to Syria to support IS, his parents have been charged with supplying him with money to support terror and are also being charged with eight terror offences themselves and are remanded in custody and we are supposed to feel some sympathy?
Why?

I forgot to mention that he is white, well-educated and from Oxford. Is that supposed to make a difference?
An English lad covers so many young men of different appearance and cultures in this country most of whom are not rushing off to join IS and become terrorists.

That is in fact the case suedonim they say they are unable to offer any consular facilities in Syria.
If I knew the lad or was his mum I would move heaven and earth, but I wonder if his white middle class Oxford background is what is arousing the "sympathy". What if he were a less well educated lad from Leeds of Asian origins?
No consolation to say this, either but IMO his parents must take some of the responsibility for his actions.

No

The FCO doesn't do this kind of thing. They can't get anyone out of prison, all they can do is try to ensure that the person is properly treated. In the case of Syria, they probably have no one on the ground anyway as it's so dangerous.

In a word.... no .

My father signed up for the RAF on his 18th birthday. After training, he became a bomber pilot and miraculously survived. I asked him whether he was ever frightened, given that so many bomber pilots died and he said he didn't think abut it. The important thing was that he did his duty and there was a certain amount of glamour attached to being a pilot. I think my father was ready to die for a cause - as these young men seem to be.

I am
This case which M0nica quotes
There is a case in Oxford, an English lad, about 18 converted to Islam, went to Syria several years ago thinking he was going to live in a Caliphate that was the pure muslim message on earth. He soon realised his mistake. There is no evidence that he was involved in the fighting. He seems to be a pacifist, or near it, and risked his life to get out of the ISIS area. He is now in a Kurdish prison and his parents have asked for help getting him home

is surely the subject of this thread.
It may of course all be academic as I understand nobody has seen or heard anything of him for I think 12 days.
I wonder if this is a case of "right on" libertarian parents allowing him too much freedom of choice without the moral compass he needed to choose his path.
The parents also face prosecution for sending him money "to aid terrorism".
Bring him home? I fear the powers that be are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

Young men then although a rose by any other name etc. Same thing.
I feel for the parents but it's asking a lot for the British government to try to locate him and get him out of there. Its a hard lesson. Its probably a good thing to have this reported in the media as it may at least have a deterrent effect on others.

Yes, and the word 'teenager' hadn't even been invented then.

Yes Jane I really think that 18 year olds were more mature back in 1940.Not the fault of todays teenagers, but they were not cossetted or encouraged to be childish back then, many had been working from age 14.