Syrian academic disowned by her family for IS link

Dammam: A Syrian female academic, who joined the Islamic State (IS) terror group after quitting her job at Dammam University, has been disowned by her family. According to recent reports in local media, Eiman Al-Bogha’s sister, Hanan, posted a tweet rejecting her support of the IS.“Eiman’s position doesn’t represent the family’s views or that of our father Mustafa Al-Bogha,” wrote Hanan. 

According to reports, Eiman has supported the IS for a while. She announced her beliefs in a book published before leaving the university. Several of her students claimed that she encouraged them to read the biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) stories of his companions and Muslim battles. Eiman’s decision has been a hot topic on social media, with Saudi academics calling for education institutions to be more careful during recruitment.

Bothaina Al-Yusuf, an academic, said: “This tells us that there is imminent danger (at our institutions). We should take greater care when employing new staff because we are entrusting our children to them.” She added: “The matter is connected to the fact that she is a Syrian national. However, there are many extremist Saudis who instill wrong ideas in the minds of our children about jihad and how to fight corrupt people.”