'There is no life without jihad' -- See the tweet and picture that will haunt and horrify the world for a generation to come

More sickening photos from the Islamic State have made their way onto social media and once again, they are made much worse by the involvement of kids.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A picture shared on social media by an Australian jihadist shows two kids dressed as jihadists and posing with assault rifles. The image was shared by Mounir Raad, from Melbourne Australia. Raad is believed to be fighting for the Islamic State in Syria.

The image demonstrates that the Islamic State is recruiting, preparing, and possibly even using children as fighters in their quest to carve out an Islamic caliphate and terrorist haven in the Middle East.

Let us pray for these children, taught to war against all reason.

The image tweeted by Raad is just one of several which have infamously emerged in the months since the Islamic State began its bloody rampage last summer. Images of kids in full military regalia, or with mock-suicide vests on, all turn the stomachs of people in the western world.

How can anyone teach a child so much hate? How can a civilized person teach a child to make war?

Children's lives should be filled with child's play and joy, learning and growth. Instead, all this is removed to prepare them to become the next generation of monsters to terrorize their neighbors.

There can be no doubt that these parents also love their children, their tweets and posts also suggest they care about their kids, but they care more about jihad than their children. They see death as a glorious end for their own lives and those of their children.

The caption of Raad's tweet was "There is no life without jihad."

This last summer, children across Syria were sent to jihadist training camps in Islamic State controlled territory. We know because many people across the region, who do not support the Islamic State, complained about their children being pressured to attend and participate.

Across the Islamic State, children have been exposed to incredible violence. Children commonly view beheadings and other forms of public execution. This is deliberate because the Islamic State wants to de-sensitize children to such violence.

There are a lot of "kafirs," including over two billion Christians to work though. For the jihadists of the Islamic State, they're just preparing for a much larger campaign that will someday engulf the world. To accomplish that, the training needs to start early.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'