by Kim D.

In an article only worthy of Tiger Beat, the Associate Press has hit an all-time low in the recent article, "ISIS fighters get marriage bonuses and honeymoons." This is the first paragraph:

The honeymoon was a brief moment for love, away from the front lines of Syria’s war. In the capital of the Islamic State group’s self-proclaimed “caliphate,” Syrian fighter Abu Bilal al-Homsi was united with his Tunisian bride for the first time after months chatting online. They married, then passed the days dining on grilled meats in Raqqa’s restaurants, strolling along the Euphrates River and eating ice cream.

Sound rather romantic, doesn't it? The article continues:

It was all made possible by the marriage bonus he received from the Islamic State group: $1,500 for him and his wife to get started on a new home, a family — and a honeymoon.

To be fair, the article does paint a brief alternative viewpoint of Ragga:

“It has everything one would want for a wedding,” al-Homsi said of Raqqa — a riverside provincial capital that in the 18 months since IS took control has seen militants beheading opponents and stoning accused adulteresses in its main square.

Gunmen at checkpoints in the city scrutinize passers-by for signs of anything they see as a violation of Shariah, or Islamic law, as slight as a hint of hair gel or an improperly kept beard. In the homes of some of the IS commanders in the city are women and girls from the Yazidi religious sect, abducted in Iraq and now kept as sex slaves.

At issue is that this article skirts over the rather unpleasant aspects of living among ISIS jihadis and the harsh reality of Shariah law. The focus is on the fact that ISIS encourages its fighters to marry as it strives to build a new civilization which appears to be based on a welfare system:

The couple is now expecting a new baby and hoping for a new cash injection with the childbirth, as the group can pay up to $400 as a bonus for each child.

For now the group provides him with a stipend of $50 a month and a similar amount for his wife, which he said are mainly for “entertainment.” Everything else is paid for: He gets an allowance for his uniform and clothes, some household cleaning supplies, and monthly food baskets worth $65.