In an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Ali Rostami said about the ISIS threat in Europe as foreign terrorism: It is said that in Afghanistan, the Taliban government and ISIS reached an unwritten understanding about the governance process so that both can continue their activities in this country. ISIS massacred many people among the Hazara tribes, and this caused international and regional reactions. Because of these pressures, they reached a new agreement that ISIS should have nothing to do with internal affairs and only focus on external issues and send dispatch its people out of Afghanistan.

He pointed out that the presence and activity of ISIS in different forms in Europe is not to create an Islamic caliphate according to the principles of Takfiri groups but it is an attempt to create a kind of collective fear. The actions that have been carried out in various European countries, including Spain and some cities in England, and are still ongoing are the result of this approach. The policy of creating fear of ISIS in Europe is similar to the origin of the Taliban. This is despite the fact that there are many European citizens among the people attributed to ISIS, as we witnessed during ISIS activity in Syria. On the other hand, in recent years, many members of these groups have immigrated to European countries as immigrants while still maintaining their principles and beliefs and gaining influence and scoring in various sectors.

Rostami stated that ISIS has created some security cells in Europe that have internal cohesion and are active in various issues, adding: In addition, financially, these small cells are indirectly fed by some groups. America may not support ISIS in Europe, but some groups benefit from the destruction of Europe, and their interests are in creating tension and conflict in Europe; therefore, they also financially support ISIS.

The expert on regional issues stated that the rise of right-wing parties in some European countries has fueled the atmosphere of tension among immigrants with different views from Europeans, and said apart from the terrorist actions and movements that are always going on in Europe and other parts of the world, the

The large number of immigrants from various Asian and African countries has fueled this problem. In recent years, Europe has tried hard to reduce the political, security, cultural, and financial pressure caused by their presence with anti-immigration policies. The reports and analyses about the consequences of the presence of immigrants in Europe try to induce that immigrants come to Europe under their culture and beliefs and are easily influenced by extremist movements.

Rostami emphasized that the concern about the presence of large numbers of immigrants does not only include Europe and America, but this problem exists for all countries accepting immigrants and said: The management of immigrants and border control is an issue that has been put on the agenda in many countries, contrary to the democratic policies and views they sometimes have in Europe, and the issue of deporting immigrants from European countries is one of the main issues today. In recent years, in many incidents and conflicts and attacks with cold and hot weapons in European countries, immigrants have unfortunately been involved, which has made the public opinion of these countries agree to deport them or prevent them from entering this country. This problem can be seen even in Iran. While Iran has been welcoming Afghan immigrants for decades, the recent policies and plans for the widespread acceptance of immigrants have been criticized by public opinion, especially after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Rostami continued: “Unfortunately, it is a fact that ISIS terrorists easily entered these countries through immigration to European countries, and because of democratic laws in Europe and the activities of human rights groups and non-governmental organizations that support immigrants, they have been able to survive in these countries. They create a shelter and also recruit members. It is natural that after several years, the officials of these countries and related institutions will become aware of this danger. Today, these groups’ activities are no longer similar to those they used to take in Syria and Iraq, but they have a significant and important impact on the way of life and social affairs of the people of these countries through minor actions.

He said that European governments have welcomed many of them because of their laws that support immigrants and human rights, and they supported these laws and measures against some opposition, but they cannot ignore the people’s opposition to the presence of immigrants, which has become the basis of security problems. If public opinion does not support the presence of immigrants and sees everyone as ISIS and terrorists, the situation will become very serious, and this is a worrying issue that threatens the future of Europe.

This expert on regional issues emphasized the broad level of opposition to the acceptance of immigrants in Europe: it is not clear how armed ISIS is in Europe and how it is financially supported. But the rise of anti-immigrant governments and their mass deportation from these countries is probably a way to destroy their goals and plans.

He continued: Numerous international reports also confirm that social life in Europe is in danger due to the presence of immigrants. It seems that the easiest way is for Europe to rid itself of the whole issue and deport a large part of the immigrants under the pretext of the danger of ISIS. Some European countries believe that the cost of accepting immigrants is high for the security of their countries, and the majority of people want to expel immigrants. Still, since they cannot directly expel immigrants against the laws and principles of democracy, the easiest way is to do it through a far-right anti-immigrant government.

Rostami emphasized: “Now in European societies, we are witnessing a hidden enmity on the part of native people with the majority of immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, which is harmful and may cause confrontation between people and immigrants.” This is despite the fact that the danger of ISIS and the expansion of their influence separately and also through the arrival of immigrants to European countries is serious.