Illegal expats could be new Daesh recruits

JEDDAH: Runaway and illegal workers are in danger of being exploited by terrorist groups, according to experts.
These workers, especially women, are the most vulnerable to exploitation by terrorist groups such as Daesh, according to the government’s security agencies, a local publication reported.
The Ministry of Labor’s annual report recently stated that 86,549 domestic workers have absconded from their employers, with women making up 60 percent of this number.
Brig. Saad Al-Shahrani, dean of admissions and registration at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, said many of these workers are illiterate or have basic education, which make them ideal targets for terrorists because they can be manipulated into taking up arms and carrying out attacks.
He said many workers run away from their sponsors because they are lured by better money and jobs. They are often assisted by compatriots. “Foreign women workers on the run are more easily exploited by these terrorist groups.
“Women also move easily between cities because they are subjected to fewer security checks. This is probably why we need to employ women at check points to deal with this weakness in our system,” he said.
Sultan Al-Anqari, former director general for crime research at the Ministry of Interior, said it was important to clarify the nature and objectives of these terrorist organizations. “Daesh and other terrorist groups are in fact all mercenary militias consisting of foreigners working for money, with the support of foreign states aiming to destabilize the Arab world.”
Al-Anqari added: “They are only using religion as camouflage so that they can attract simple-minded people and use them as tools to achieve their plans in the Middle East. They have tried and failed to implement other plans in the region.”
He said illegal workers are easy to recruit, especially women, who often need a safe place to stay and work. These women are then used to sell drugs, sell themselves and forced to beg, all activities that can be used to fund terrorist organizations.
He said Daesh members are unlikely to recruit Saudi women because they fear they may be reported to the authorities.