Uncle Osama Wants You

Like any master salesman, Karim Bourti knows how to tailor his pitch to the audience at hand. The product he's selling is Islamist terrorism, and Bourti — a self-described Paris-based recruiter for international jihad — calls his technique takiya, a two-faced approach that conceals his true beliefs from the uninitiated. When he's talking to a militant "brother," Bourti, 35, a heavy-set French-Algerian man with shoulder-length hair, speaks boldly of his desire to die in the struggle. When his audience is a potential convert still wary of Bourti's violent message, he softens his words. But Bourti may be at his most effective...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!