The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A Dari-language review of dozens of TikTok accounts from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and other countries has revealed that TikTok has become a popular platform among jihadis for sharing videos, photos, and audio content due to its user-friendly nature. These accounts, each with thousands of followers who use emojis to avoid the use of words that could get their accounts suspended and generally prepare posts carefully to bypass TikTok search algorithms.
The review identifies two main groups – followers of the Islamic State (ISIS) and of the Afghan Taliban ideology – behind jihadi content on TikT ok.
Although the Afghan Taliban have banned TikTok, it remains popular among various age groups, including teens inclined toward religious orthodoxy and jihadi ideas. For instance, according to the review, one video featured a teacher at a Taliban-controlled madrassa in Kabul, speaking to women about raising children with jihadi beliefs.
One of the accounts that broadcasts ISIS propaganda and jihadist content on TikTok – TikTok
The review says: "Despite TikTok's strict policies and restrictions on preventing the promotion of extremist and radical ideologies on the platform, users from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and other countries continue to promote jihad and violence... According to TikTok's guidelines, content that encourages violence or supports terrorist and extremist organizations is supposed to be removed from the platform. However, it seems that its algorithms have performed poorly in identifying ISIS and Taliban users."
One of the accounts shares videos of female Taliban recruiters. In the bio section of this page, written in the Cyrillic script commonly used in Tajikistan, it states that the goal of the account's administrators is "to guide people to the right path."
On October 29, the account posted a video of a woman speaking to a group of women about raising children according to jihadi ideology. Hafiza is a religious content teacher at a Taliban-controlled madrassa in Kabul, and she regularly posts videos on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. In the video, she addresses women, saying: "'We must revive jihad. Stop baking cakes. you have baked too many sweets. Teach your sons and daughters, according to the belief of jihad.'"
The review states: "This page has published dozens of videos with content about 'Rafidhi [rejectionist, a pejorative term for Shi'ite] Shi'ites,' in which men and women, speaking in a Tajik Persian accent, recount hadiths [traditions of Muhammad] and narratives regarding the falsehood of Shi'ite beliefs."
According to the review, "Other pages on TikTok that share jihadi content follow ISIS ideology and continuously repost speeches and messages from prominent ISIS figures. One such account... recently posted a speech by... a former theology professor at Kabul University who was killed by the Taliban in 2021. In this video, he says, 'Muslims should be friends with the friends of Allah and enemies with the enemies of Allah.' He then goes on to describe Shi'ites as enemies of Allah and urges 'true Muslims' to avoid friendships with Shi'ites."
In another video, the same account shared a speech by an ISIS preacher delivered in Persian. In this speech, the preacher addresses the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, accusing him of enacting numerous laws against Islam. He then tells his audience that if they ever see Imam Ali Rahmon or those who support him, they must "cut off their heads."
Dozens of similar accounts on TikTok repost videos of speeches by well-known figures within ISIS.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
