In Europe, the attacks in Paris have relaunched a debate about Islam and compatibility with the West and that's dangerous, says Abdullah Hamidaddin, an adviser at the center.
"These are French citizens, they committed a crime in France," he insists, and now, "French Muslims feel they are being put in a corner."
France's Muslim population, which doesn't identify with the attackers, now fears an anti-Muslim backlash, he says. The result could prompt more radicalization.
Recruiting Westerners
Some of these young radicals streaming into the Middle East aren't even religious, he says. "It's macho rather than Islam."
Hamidaddin has studied ISIS recruiting videos and he says the videos are a good indication of the ISIS strategy, enticing a generation of alienated youth.
"They are even using some of the famous (Sony) Play Station games," he says.
One recruitment tool is Grand Theft Auto, one of the most popular international video games. The video is familiar; the audio has been replaced by Koranic readings.
"They know what they are tapping into, not the religious part of the person, but a sense of adventure, the part that is looking for a thrill" he says.
Rasha al-Aqeedi is an Iraqi editor working at Mesbar. She is from Mosul in northern Iraq and keeps in close contact with Iraqis from her hometown, which has effectively become a capital city in the caliphate proclaimed by ISIS.
"It's horrible. Any form of modern life is gone in Mosul," she says.
She knows some young Iraqis who have joined the radical group.
"It's very appealing," she says, as those at the bottom of the social scale rise to the top. "They get money, they get power, they get to bully people, that's awesome for someone who was a nobody a few months ago."
ISIS used the familiar language of Islam to win over the population when they first arrived.
"In Muslim societies, we have been trained to embrace this for many years," says Aqeedi. But as the horrors of life under ISIS rule become clear, the brutal attacks on minorities, the destruction of the city's cultural history, Iraqis of Mosul are rethinking, she adds.
"People have seen where intolerance can go and they are not happy with it," she says. Many are now saying that this is not religion at all, she adds. "Once we get rid of the bad guys, it's the debate we can no longer escape."
At the core, ISIS is a political movement that has thrived in the chaos of Iraq and Syria, but is also the product of the region's ills; unemployment, under development, a lack of governance and absence of pluralism in religious discourse, says Abdullah Hamidaddin.
"We can't avoid this fight any longer", he says, "We are on a train heading for a cliff."