ISIS Supporters, Jihadi Fighters Shift Online Propaganda Strategy – Now Favoring Commentary On Current Events Over Threats

                                                                                                                   By. A. Agron*

Introduction

Over the course of the Syrian conflict, there has been a shift in the online discourse across social media platforms among jihadi supporters and fighters. In the past, many would brazenly post videos and graphic photographs of their experiences in Syria. For example, a Belgian fighter in an elite combat unit, "Abu Islam Al-Belgiki," frequently shared his combat experiences online, even posing with an alleged spy who was crucified and then beheaded, for all of his Twitter followers to see.[1] Recruiters utilized Twitter, Facebook, and Ask.fm for outreach and for spreading propaganda, openly aided those interesting in immigrating to Syria, and often fielded questions about life in Syria. After Ask.fm started cracking down on Islamic State (ISIS) fighters' accounts, around in mid-2015 some switched to Ask.fm clone Ask-book. As the geopolitical situation has impacted the flow of migration to Syria; namely the tightening of Turkish borders and coalition airstrikes. In light of these developments these discussions appear to have been largely abandoned in public forums – which does not mean they are not taking place, but that interested parties are likely using encrypted communications instead. However, it is important to stress that the conversation has shifted among Westerners online, threats in Arabic continue to flow on social media.

While past online posts were littered with comments and threats such as "kill the kuffar [infidels]," many social media users are now more aware of the potential legal repercussions[2] of being caught. Such threats appear less frequently in English; many social media accounts now comment on stories making the headlines, primarily in Western media. The possible shift is also noticeable among online supporters of other jihadi groups.

This is not to say that threats have disappeared entirely; often when a video, or publication is released, hashtags are created, and the ISIS propaganda machine produces a deluge of tweets perpetuating calls for attacks. For example, on December 21, 2015, ISIS supporters launched a campaign in English of gruesome threats against Russia, under the hashtag #A Message to Russia.

 An oft-repeated maxim in this online discourse is "Half of Jihad is Media," and the importance of being an "online warrior" – i.e. spreading the message of ISIS and winning hearts and minds in cyberspace – is frequently stressed. In the past, when these jihadis posted unfiltered threats, they came across as uneducated, uncouth, and unsophisticated; their move to commentary on world affairs, as reported on by mainstream Western publications, lends them an air of sophistication. The impetus behind the change may be a new initiative aimed at improving the image of ISIS's online supporters, as some posts indicate.

The following report will examine recent examples of posts in the new online jihadi discourse, primarily by ISIS supporters but also by Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN) supporters.

The Importance of "Online Warriors"

The role online jihadi supporters play is commended by ISIS outlets and other supporters within the ISIS community. Videos have been released that stress that these supporters' role is as important as that of the fighters on the battlefield.[3] Popular ISIS disseminator Muslimah[4] tweeted: "The media battlefield is as important as the battlefield fronts, because we are affecting hearts & minds."

While soldiers on a battlefield can be physically killed, jihadi supporters can remain active indefinitely on social media platforms, as they frequently boast. On December 9, a user called Cyber Jihadi[5] wrote: "The only way you can stop the cyber jihad is to ban the internet…until then we ain't going anywhere!!!"

New Rules: A Call For Smarter Online Discourse

On November 20, 2015, user Ibn Abdur Rahman,[6] who appears to be sympathetic to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Ahrar Al-Sham, tweeted: "Shaykh Muhammad al-Yussri on benefits of effective use of the media." The quote that is included reads: "Jihad in the media is one of the greatest forms of contemporary jihad, because it wages war on political depravity, and intellectual trickery and it exposes the medias fitnah [strife]."

Original quotation by Shaykh Al-Yussri on Twitter

A Call For Changing The Online Discourse

On December 18, a pro-ISIS account called Mustafa al-Iraqi[7] listed a number of online etiquette rules for his fellow online ISIS supporters. He wrote: "Rule #1 Don't ever type stuff like 'kill all kuffar' 'its permissible to kill kuffar' Don't even use the word kill if you're living in the West. Rule #2 don’t ever talk about hijra [emigration] If you're going to do it or know how to do it, don't even let your left hand know that you know. Rule #3 if you live in a country that is in direct war with IS, don't use social media & talk about IS unless you have taken precautions. Rule #4 Don't ever propagate IS attacks, don't show that you're happy about it if you haven't taken precautions. Report it normally."

In the past, pro-ISIS accounts publicly encouraged Muslims in the West to kill infidels. On December 30, 2015, however, a pro-ISIS Tumblr account fielded a question on this practice, and appeared hesitant to outwardly condone it. To a reader's question, "Is it justifiable to kill any kuffar [infidels] in the western lands because of whats happening in Syria? Even though they have nothing to do with it? I'm hoping you can clarify in sha Allah. JazakAllah" the account answered: "If I were to share that Islamic knowledge with you, what are you going to do with it? And what business do you have with that specific piece of knowledge? I'm curious."[8]

Taking Precautions

Following media reports that ISIS supporters in the West have been arrested and/or imprisoned for voicing their support online for the terrorist organization, there has been a call for supporters online to take extra care. For example, a pro-ISIS account called Oum tweeted on January 3, 2016: "I urge my dear sisters & brothers to be careful. Don't think every tweep shouting baqiya is your friend."

On December 25, 2015, Shams, a Malaysian ISIS member in Syria, advised: "Allah is the best planner of all. Don't fear the blame of the blamers! Again I'm reminding all of you. There are plenty of undercover spy so be careful."

Commenting On Current Events On Twitter And Telegram

The self-described ISIS media translator Radical Girl aka Radical Bird[9] is a popular fixture on the ISIS propaganda scene. She translates videos, audio bits, and articles into Arabic from English and vice versa, and often disseminates tips for staying secure online on her Telegram channel, cross-posting them on her Twitter account, which to date has been deleted over 250 times. Currently, she primarily posts articles from Western media relating to the Middle East or ISIS and adds her own commentary. For example, on December 22, 2015, she shared an article from The Economist called "The Ottoman caliphate straddling two worlds: Worldly, pluralist, hedonistic – and Muslim, too." She shared a link to the article, marking out the face of a woman featured in the illustration accompanying the article, and wrote: "The West is mad at the 'Caliphate.' The Economist: 'Caliphate used to mean a lot more before Islamic State butchered the idea.' Haha and they drew a half-naked woman for us to visualize how 'beautiful' the caliphate was before being misrepresented by the [Islamic] State."

Radical Girl pulls stories from a range of sources; once she posted a Times of Israel article about the killing of Lebanese terrorist Samir Quntar titled "Hamas condemns 'heinous' killing of Hezbollah terror chief," and commented in Arabic: "Hamas 'condemns' killing of Shia Hizballat leader."[10]

On December 22, another pro-ISIS account tweeted an article from the Israeli Haaretz daily, titled "Israel's Military Chief: ISIS Can't Be Defeated With Airstrikes Alone." The account, Ahwaal Ummat English, commented: "Allahu Akbar they are accepting [it] not subhan'allah."

On December 17, the leading pro-ISIS account Muslimah shared a CNN story titled: "Putin praises 'bright and talented' [Donald] Trump," with the comment, "Of course he would both are Islamaphobes."

On December 18, pro-ISIS user Akh Ismail shared an AFP report on West African leaders seeking to ban the full-face veil in order to prevent attacks. He added: "Stupid idea."

Muslimah circulated the same story from the International Business Times, adding: "This will only cause more attacks in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad."

While a lot of Western mainstream media attention has been devoted to Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, it is interesting to note that Radical Girl appears to follow less popular U.S. presidential candidates such as Sen. Rand Paul. She links to a CNN article and shares a quote by Paul from it: "I've repeatedly said if you want to defeat ISIS, the first thing you have to do is quit supplying them with arms." Radical Girl adds: "Mr. Paul, it's called 'war spoils.' US funds & arms rebels, Islamic State killed them & takes spoils to kill US. Get it?"

There appears to be far less discussion of Democratic presidential candidates among jihadi supporters online. While Hillary Clinton receives more attention in the U.S. mainstream media, some pro-ISIS accounts have been commenting on Bernie Sanders' statement that "Muslim troops on the ground supported by the air power and special forces of the most powerful nations of the world, in my view... is the sensible way we destroy ISIS without getting ourselves involved in perpetual warfare." A pro-ISIS account called Fahd al-Kuwaiti said:[11] "You cannot defeat the Islamic State, Bernie is old, he doesn't know what he's talking about." While this commentary is not particularly sophisticated, it is nonetheless interesting that the writer is aware of the candidates in the U.S. presidential race.

In mid-December, Radical Girl shared on her Telegram channel a story from the Medium on Clinton's policy on ISIS, blacking out Mrs. Clinton's face from the original post. The quote from the Medium story reads: "'Americans now have to move from fear to resolve.' Hillary on her plan to defeat ISIS."

On December 16, 2015, a pro-ISIS account called Mindvision[12] shared a video from the Russian news channel RT featuring computer software developer John MacAfee discussing ISIS and stating: "ISIS is far smarter than we give them credit for."

Jabhat Al-Nusra Fighters Comment On Current Affairs

On December 8, 2015, Jabhat Al Nusra fighter "Muthana Adams"[13] shared his opinion on the U.S. presidential race, writing: "I prefer Donald Trump to be president. At least then the world will see the U.S. for what it really is. Obama got a lot of people fooled."

In addition to commenting on news stories, jihadis and their supporters also follow Western politicians, media figures, and others. Welsh Jabhat Al-Nusra fighter "Sleeper Cell"[14] mocked British journalist Piers Morgan's tweet about the idea of a petition to ban UK terror suspects who have returned from Iraq and Syria. Morgan wrote, "Have any of the 200k+ Brits who've signed the petition to ban Trump signed any petition to ban UK terror suspects returning from Iraq/Syria?" The fighter commented: "How stupid is this as you know as soon as someone comes back they get locked [up] anyways."

British Jabhat Al-Nusra fighter "Amer Deghayes,"[15] who was featured in the second issue of Al-Risalah, an AQAP–affiliated magazine,[16] analyzed the mainstream media's portrayal of the Syrian conflict. On December 15, he tweeted: "The media have succeeded in portraying the idea that IS causes the death of general people more than the Baathist regime. Tactical Decoy. I'm seeing a false theory that is: IS discriminately kills Syrians. Rather they kill mujahedeen and those that [are] linked, but not general people."

Australian Jabhat Al-Nusra fighter "Ahmed Shaheed,"[17] who often comments on the West's involvement in Syria, wrote on December 18, 2015: "Whatever America can't do in Syria because of politics, Russia does it for them."