Wish you were here...?

07.08.2015 09:30

In need of some sun, sea and... jihad? ISIS has published a bizarre online 'tourist' brochure in a bid rebrand the Islamic State as a holiday destination.

Away from the beaheadings and pushing homosexuals to their death, the extremists want people reaching for their sun cream and suitcases to have some downtime in the caliphate.

The ISIS travel guide features tranquil shots of jihadis enjoying a swim in an Olympic-sized pool in Mosul, Iraq, bucolic scenes of a jihadi beekeeper at work and a busy sheep farmers' market.

The impression is one of normality - far from the reality of fearsome religious police, public floggings, sexual slavery and frontline fighting.

There is even an attempt to portray the terror stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria as a tourist attraction with sunset views across the Euphrates River which flows through the bomb-damaged city.

In Fallujah, Iraq, men are pictured indulging in a spot of evening fishing on the river and there are shots of jihadis diving from a cliff-top into the Tigris River.

The media arm of the terror group has optimistically created a mobile phone app to help people download the pictures.

But a closer inspection of the 'brochure' reveals the depressing reality of life inside the Islamic State.

ISIS rules plastered on the side of the pool warn swimmers to expect harsh punishments if they don't wear long shorts and T-shirts, or are heard swearing or praying in the water.

There is also a strict prohibition on women entering the water.

Swimming pools have not always been used by the ISIS for such innocent leisure pursuits.

Earlier this year, militants drowned a group of prisoners by putting them in a cage and lowering them into the water.

Despite the swimming pools, beehives and rivers, it is already known that jihadis like to go elsewhere on their holidays.

(dailymail.co.uk)