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On August 8, 2024, pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlets published videos and posters inciting attacks against Christians and encouraging arson attacks in the West to avenge "fallen brothers" killed in anti-ISIS military campaigns in Syria and Iraq.
How-To Guide To Starting Fires
On August 8, 2024, the pro-ISIS media outlet Tala'i' Al-Ansar Media Foundation released a threatening four-minute video titled "The Time Has Come." The video, narrated and subtitled in Arabic, incites ISIS jihadis, supporters, and affiliates to initiate attacks against the "Crusaders" globally, urging them to take advantage of the summer heat to commit arson. [1]
The video offered would-be arsonists five rules before setting fires. It advised choosing a location and carefully planning where the fire will spread in order to cause the most damage, as well as using highly flammable materials such as glass, magnifying lenses, and Molotov cocktails. Additionally, it recommended "putting trust in Allah" in executing the plan, and that when the mission is complete, fighters withdraw safely back to base leaving no trace.
Furthermore, the video laid out viable targets for jihadi arson: forests close to inhabited areas, tall buildings, empty houses, warehouses, stores, shopping centers, gas stations, and open fields.
The video featured archival footage of ISIS operatives setting fires in different locations, mostly residences, including graphic images of victims being burned alive. The video identified one victim as Muath Al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian pilot who was kidnapped and later burned alive in January 2015.
ISIS To Christians: Convert, Pay Jizyah, Or Die
On August 8, the pro-ISIS Hadm Al-Aswar Foundation released a poster on its Telegram channel titled "The Only Solution for Christians."[2]
The poster depicted an ISIS operative removing a Cross from the roof of a church, along with an index finger raised in a gesture of Islamic monotheism and a hand paying what appears in context to be jizyah – a tax placed on non-Muslims living under Islamic rule. An excerpt was included from issue 448 of ISIS's weekly newsletter Al-Naba' editorial, titled "Jihad In the Congo."
In the excerpted text, ISIS offers Christians an ultimatum: "[They can] either convert to Islam or pay jizyah, otherwise, [ISIS] will continue to execute them, burn their homes and businesses, and plunder their properties."
"The path is clearly defined with its means and goals, and the soldiers of the Islamic State cannot deviate it," the poster concluded.
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