We had given up the subscription to Netflix for about six months, but wanted to watch the Israeli web series Fauda which only airs on Netflix. As soon as we renewed our subscription and started watching Fauda, the suggestion to watch Caliphate kept popping up. It’s an 8 episode web series…. and an eye opener.
Caliphate – Summary
The story starts with Pervin, a Swedish lady in Raqqa, Syria. She is married to Husam who is part of the terrorist outfit ISIS and has a new born daughter. Pervin is unhappy and disillusioned with her life in ISIS controlled Syria and wants to return to Sweden. A friend of hers, another fellow Swedish lady gets killed for using a mobile phone.
Before being killed, her friend gives the phone to Pervin, who hides it. Pervin then gathers courage and contacts Dolores, an anti-radicalization advocate in Sweden. Dolores in turn contacts Fatima, who works with the Swedish security force. Fatima and Pervin start talking and while Fatima assures Pervin that she will bring her back to Sweden, she asks her to spy on ISIS through her husband.
The web series shows us a few families and certain characters in Sweden as well. Ibbe, the teaching assistant who behaves as a non-devout Muslim. Sulle and Kerima, both friends at high school get connected to Ibbe who slowly radicalises them with pictures and videos of palaces and great produce that is available in Raqqa. Kerima comes from a broken family and gets easily influenced.
Sulle and her sister Lisha come from an immigrant family and their father Suleiman does not like the fact that Sulle starts wearing the hijab under Ibbe’s influence. She also gives up on playing basket ball and wearing shorts.
Ibbe manages to recruit two brothers – Jacob and Emil. They are recruited to carry out a suicide attack within Sweden.
In the meantime, Sulle doesn’t realise that her sister Lisha is radicalized. Sulle and Kerima decide to travel to Raqqa and she lies to her parents about going for a basket ball match. As Sulle gets into the car that would take her to the airport, her sister Lisha also joins them.
Suleiman (Sulle and Lisha’s father) decides to surprise her by attending the basket ball match. When he reaches the stadium he realises that his daughter has duped him and he immediately contacts Calle at the Swedish Security Force. Calle happens to be Fatima’s boyfriend and they painstakingly connect the dots about how young Swedish girls are radicalized to become ISIS brides.
Calle and Suleiman find out that the flight that Sulle, Lisha and Kerima have taken goes to Istanbul and they get there as well. Once in Istanbul, they realise the girls have exchanged their passports and have actually gone to Ankara. Calle and Suleiman manage to rescue Sulle and Kerima but Lisha is driven off to Raqqa.
Fatima then urges Pervin to rescue Lisha. Pervin and Husam search for Lisha at all the locations where the ISIS brides are brought. They manage to get hold of Lisha just minutes before she is married off to a much married old man. Pervin gets Lisha married to Husam and Fatima reaches Raqqa to rescue them all.
Minutes before Fatima reaches Pervin’s house, Omar, a fellow ISIS member reaches their house to take Husam with him for a suicide bombing. Lisha who is totally radicalized, informs Omar of their impending escape and in the scuffle, Pervin is shot in her back. Fatima reaches just in time to kill Omar and take Husam, Pervin, their baby daughter to safety. Lisha refuses to go back to Sweden with them :(.
Its a sad ending as Pervin dies just before they cross the Syrian border … In Sweden, Sulle clearly understands that she has been radicalized and is very worried about her sister Lisha. She also identifies Ibbe as the person who recruited her and Kerima. Kerima tries to commit suicide and they take her to a mental health facility where she gets hold of a phone. She informs Ibbe that the police knows about him.
Ibbe manages to evade arrest and plans a suicide bombing with Kerima during a concert. Kerima wears a suicide vest that locks on. Only when she calls Sulle she realises that Ibbe has duped her by saying he and Sulle are also going on this suicide bombing mission. Kerima manages to send all the spectators to safety and dies as the suicide vest is blown up by Ibbe. Another young life is snuffed out.
As we watched each episode of Caliphate, the eerie similarities between what’s happening in Sweden and Kerala stood out. Do watch the movie and do read my review – The Kerala Story. Just like The Kerala Story, this web series is also based on real life incidents in Sweden.
Many of us may not remember the riots in Sweden a couple of years back .. here is the chilling video of public property being burnt and ambulances being stoned across several cities in Sweden, all because a copy of the Koran was burnt.
The Caliphate web series also reminded me about the Khilafat movement during Bharat’s Freedom struggle….. The Khilafat movement in 1919, started by the Muslims in British India, was to support and re-establish the Turkish Caliphate. I wondered in school and now I wonder even more … what were our leaders thinking at that time ??? We were a British Colony and chose to support the establishment of a Caliphate in Turkey.
I wanted to write this review today as we remember the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attack… 175 innocent people died because 10 Pakistani terrorists belonging to the Islamic terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba entered Mumbai and laid siege to the iconic Taj Palace Hotel, Leopold Cafe, CST Train Terminus and the Cama Hospital. Not to forget the lame response by the then Indian Government :(:(. Never Forget. Never Forgive.
If United Nations has any juice left in it, wiping off terrorism has to be its number one agenda. Any country that does not sign up should be declared a terrorist state. Will it happen ?? Maybe when Bharat takes centre stage …. not before.
Do watch this web series… just like The Kerala Story must be made a part of the school curriculum, this web series is a must watch for young people. It will help them understand the pitfalls of radicalization. ISIS, Book Haram, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations have to be wiped off the face of this Earth if humanity were to survive.
#Caliphate #TheKeralaStory #26/11
I watched a season of The Freelancer which has a storyline similar to the Caliphate. Radicalization is a social evil that needs to be eradicated. I have lost faith in the UN’s ability to do it. We (Bharat) have to do it ourselves; to defend our values and humanity as a whole.
Agree ! Each nation to itself. Also Hindus particularly :(.