Doctor Who Joined ISIS Wants Out Because "They're Cruel To Animals"

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Doctor Who Joined ISIS Wants Out Because "They're Cruel To Animals"

Daily Mercury

It's not a headline you'd expect to read, but what really surprises you these days?

According to one member of ISIS, animal cruelty is a no-no, but killing innocent civilians is for a greater cause.

The Islamic terrorist group has been encouraging extremists to join their mission through their online propaganda videos for several years now.

Tareq Kamleh, an Australian pediatrician, went from saving the lives of sick kids to wanting to end the lives of anyone that stood against the terrorist group's mission.

He was considered the poster boy and a recurring figure in these propaganda videos. He was given a home in Syria, and appeared to be living happily.

Then they found his diary, which revealed something strange...

A former British currency trader, who goes by the pseudonym Macer Gifford, found Kamleh's diary while he was fighting with Kurdish militia in Raqqa, Syria.  

"I don't think he was a particularly happy character... He didn't seem to be getting on with people there very much," he told Fairfax. "He was almost completely directionless as a person, wanting to cling to [ISIS] yet writing very openly and clearly how much he despaired at it."

Perhaps the former doctor wished to see more justice, but was left disillusioned.

In his diary, he complained about ISIS fighters beating dogs.

"Of all the things that ISIS has done, brutally murdered people and blown up homes, here was a guy who, it seemed, had had half his brain removed. Half of it was dedicated... but his sense of empathy, right and wrong, was way off," Gifford said.

As of now, it's unclear whether Kamleh is alive or not.

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.