Take the Islamic State Prospective Militant Questionnaire

Newly released Islamic State documents include a questionnaire for prospective militants.

India ISIS Flag
India ISIS Flag

Applying to be a militant with the Islamic State is a lot like applying for a job pretty much anywhere. One of the only differences: The section of the application to be left blank for the employer to fill out later includes date and place of death.

Applying to be a militant with the Islamic State is a lot like applying for a job pretty much anywhere. One of the only differences: The section of the application to be left blank for the employer to fill out later includes date and place of death.

The questionnaire, which includes 23 questions ranging from education level to blood type and knowledge of sharia law, is one of above 22,000 documents included in a trove of Islamic State paperwork made public this week. At least some of it was reportedly provided by a defector who collected it in 2013 and later provided it to Britain’s Sky News, who shared it with European intelligence agencies.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière confirmed the documents’ authenticity and said they help authorities understand “the underlying structures of this terrorist organisation.”

Sky News claimed the documents included a list of thousands of names of ISIS militants provided by the same defector. It was not immediately clear whether a recruiter filled out the forms after interviewing a prospective militant, or whether the militant personally completed them.

See the list of questions below:

  1. Name
  2. Fighter name
  3. Mother’s maiden name
  4. Blood type
  5. DOB and nationality
  6. Marriage status
  7. Address and place of residence
  8. Level of education
  9. Level of sharia understanding
  10. Previous job
  11. Countries traveled through
  12. Area entered from
  13. Who recommended
  14. Date of entry
  15. Have they fought before
  16. What role will they take
  17. Any special skills
  18. Current place of work
  19. Security deposit
  20. Level of obedience
  21. Contact numbers
  22. Date and place of death
  23. Notes

Image Credit: Getty Images 

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.