Why do young men, who have grown up in the safe bosom of Scandinavia, want to sacrifice their lives for Allah? That is the question posed by a Swedish documentary that provides a glimpse into the world of young European Muslims who dedicate themselves to jihad, or holy war.
Aching Heart is the story of two young Swedes with immigrant backgrounds - one from Ostermalm, one of Stockholm's poshest neighborhoods, and one from Kvanum, a tiny town in central Sweden - who left their homes in the 1990s to seek martyrdom in the wars of Chechnya and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
But most of the focus of the film is on Göteborg, Sweden's second-biggest city. This is where Mirsad Bektasevic grew up. The 20-year-old Swede with Bosnian roots was given an eight-year sentence in Sarajevo this summer for planning a suicide attack there in 2005.
The opening scene of Aching Heart is a video found with Bektasevic when he was arrested: Two balaclava-clad men show off a stash of weapons, including hand grenades and suicide belts. These weapons will be used against Europe, against those who have their forces in Iraq," a voice says. "These two brothers have sold their lives to please Allah. We are Muslims. The lions are coming. We are ready to attack."
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