The psychology of Western jihadis

Our attention this week turns, once again, to the Islamic State and the ongoing fighting in the Middle East. Recent videos from the militant group have featured people not from the West fighting for ISIS' cause. To that point, videos depicting the beheading of American journalists and a British aid worker have highlighted a British person who describes what ISIS is fighting for before he executes the group's captives. But what makes someone who was born in the West and was educated in the West decide to fight for a group that wants to destroy the West? This week, we look at the phenomenon of jihadis from the West, and what motivates their decisions to fight.

Our guests:

• Humera Khan, the executive director of Muflehun, a think tank combating extremism
• Wassim Nasr, a journalist for France 24 who has covered foreign jihadis