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Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Weber, director of Institute for Historical Review, to discuss the issue of young people from Europe and the West joining the Takfiri ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Press TV: What could be the main reason for the Europeans joining the ISIL terrorists?

Weber: Well, the readiness of young people in Europe, especially young men to support a harmful group such as ISIL is a symptom of emptiness of spirituality of modern European and Western societies.

Many young people seek to find spiritual meaning, challenge and purpose even by joining organizations that are harmful such as ISIL.

This is a very difficult phenomena for many of those in Europe who are Muslims or of Arab background, and they feel alienated from Western society.

And this is one of the expressions of this alienation for young people to join ... dangerous and extremist organizations such as ISIS.

Press TV: Of course, how dangerous can be Europeans to their own homelands when they come back to their respective countries?

Weber: Of course, they can be very dangerous, many of these people go through a period when they are younger. We have seen this happened in the past. And oftentimes they grow out of it after a period of a time and they find a place. Especially for the younger people who lack a meaning, sense of purpose and direction in their life, they are perverted by these groups in a very harmful way.

Press TV: And how can the ISIL threat be stopped?

Weber: That is difficult problem. But I think, above all, this is regional problem and should be dealt regionally. This requires, of course the cooperation of Syria, Iran and other countries in the region.

I think American involvement in the Middle East is going to be a very bad one. Obama is the fourth American President to go on a national Television and tell the American people that the US military forces are attacking Iraq or Syria.

And the American war is often such as a reactive in short term and not a thought-out one. That has been very much more harmful than it has been helpful.

There should be a revision of American foreign policy that is based on honest cooperation with Iran, with Syria and with the other countries in the region. But the United States is not doing that. Thus, the prospects of any successful American involvement to fight ISIL are going to be very poor.