Soliciting Terror: ISKP Digital Communications and Financing Tactics Through Voice of Khurasan

 Abstract

This study explores the digital strategies employed by the Islamic State's Khorasan Province (ISKP), focusing on its Voice of Khurasan magazine, which serves as a platform for propaganda, fundraising, and communication. Through descriptive and focused analyses of 40 issues, the study identifies ISKP's integration of cryptocurrency, particularly Monero, for anonymous donations, and its innovative use of dual communication platforms, Telegram and Rocket.Chat, to maintain operational secrecy. The research highlights the role of Quranic verses in legitimising donation requests and the shift to decentralized platforms in response to counterterrorism efforts. It underscores the challenges posed by ISKP's digital strategies and calls for enhanced collaboration between governments, technology companies, and blockchain analysts to counter these threats. This multi-disciplinary approach aims to disrupt terrorist networks while balancing privacy and security in the digital age.

LINK: https://gnet-research.org/2024/12/12/soliciting-terror-iskp-digital-communications-and-financing-tactics-through-voice-of-khurasan/

A Hashtag Perspective: Examining ISIS Supporter Activities on Twitter in Türkiye between 2019 and 2022

This study explores the Twitter activities of Turkish supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from 2019 to 2022, focusing on hashtag usage patterns. As a central part of ISIS's online strategy, hashtags are pivotal in disseminating propaganda, coordinating campaigns, and soliciting support. By analyzing 202,327 tweets, this research offers insights into thematic priorities and interconnections within ISIS-related discourse. Employing descriptive and network analyses, key findings reveal a steady increase in ISIS-supportive tweets, the emergence of clusters around aid and familial support, and distinct, unconnected hashtag groups reflecting various narratives. Hashtags related to financial aid, such as #saveprisoners and #elholcamp, emerge as central, highlighting a covert system of funding through social media and encrypted communication. This paper underscores the complexity of ISIS's digital influence in Türkiye, emphasizing the need for multifaceted countermeasures involving tech platforms, security forces, and media awareness campaigns to combat online extremist activities effectively.

LINK: https://gnet-research.org/2024/08/07/a-hashtag-perspective-examining-isis-supporter-activities-on-twitter-in-turkiye-between-2019-and-2022/

Comparative Analysis of the Content of Online Magazines of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Different Languages: Dabiq, Rumiyah, and Konstantiniyye

 Abstract

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) effectively uses online magazines for propaganda, leveraging advanced internet technologies to disseminate its message in multiple languages. This study investigates ISIS's use of online magazines to promote its self-proclaimed jihad and attract recruits globally. While existing research examines ISIS's multilingual magazines, few studies comprehensively compare them across languages. This study conducts a text analysis of Dabiq and Rumiyah in English and Konstantiniyye in Turkish. The findings reveal that all magazines construct distinct “us” versus “them” identities, focusing on religion and justification. Konstantiniyye, targeting Turkish Muslims, emphasizes stronger religious themes compared to Dabiq and Rumiyah. Overall, these magazines discuss legal systems, jihad, state structure, and social order, advocating for Muslim unification under a single “caliphate.” This analysis sheds light on ISIS's diverse propaganda strategies tailored to different linguistic contexts.

Keywords: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); Dictionary-based Analysis; Dabiq; Rumiyah; Konstantiniyye

LINK:  https://journals.tplondon.com/ipr/article/view/3313

A Hashtag Perspective: Examining ISIS Supporter Activities on Twitter in Türkiye between 2019 and 2022

Recent advancements in social media technologies have significantly impacted both individuals and terrorist organizations. This study examines the Twitter activities of ISIS's Turkish supporters from 2019 to 2022, focusing on the hashtags they used. The study employs a hashtag network analysis to explore the relationships and central themes among the hashtags used in 202,327 tweets by 666 different users. The analysis reveals a central cluster of hashtags related to various forms of aid, particularly financial support, often connected with hashtags like #elholcamp and #yoursisterinprisoncamp, which pertain to families of ISIS members detained in YPG-controlled camps. Additionally, Turkish supporters of ISIS solicit financial aid via Twitter, phone numbers, and Telegram, using religious hadiths to legitimize their efforts. The findings underscore the sophisticated use of social media by ISIS supporters to sustain their activities in Türkiye and beyond, highlighting the need for a multifaceted response involving tech companies, security forces, local communities, and the media. This collaboration is crucial to detect, report, and mitigate the misuse of social media for terrorist purposes and to educate the public about these activities.

LINK: https://gnet-research.org/2024/08/07/a-hashtag-perspective-examining-isis-supporter-activities-on-twitter-in-turkiye-between-2019-and-2022/

Examining the Japanese Fear of ISIS with Soft Terrorism Concept

 ABSTRACT

Terrorism has emerged as a paramount challenge in recent times. With current terrorist organizations adeptly embracing internet technologies and seamlessly integrating them into their strategies, the landscape of terrorism has evolved into a multifaceted global concern. For instance, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has had a negative impact not only on the citizens of the countries they directly target but also on the psychology of individuals in non-targeted countries through their internet-focused strategies. Despite not carrying out any attacks on Japan, the majority of the Japanese perceive ISIS as a significant threat to their nation. This finding serves as a prime example of how a terrorist organization like ISIS, utilizing internet strategies proficiently, can detrimentally affect individuals in non-targeted countries. This study demonstrates how the soft terrorism concept elucidates the heightened fear of ISIS in Japan. By conducting a Google Trends analysis, the Japanese case is examined in this research. The findings indicate that the soft terrorism activities of ISIS have both short-term and long-term adverse effects on the Japanese, primarily attributed to the dissemination of brutal images and videos posted by ISIS on the internet, as posited by the soft terrorism concept. 

LINK: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ajas/issue/85559/1458636

Constructivism, Identity, and Discourse in Terrorism

 

Abstract

Terrorism is a phenomenon with a long history. Scholars from many different disciplines research terrorism. One of the disciplines studying the phenomenon of terrorism is International Relations. Significantly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the discipline's interest in terrorism increased dramatically. However, increasing academic studies since the early 2000s did not lead to an increase in the contribution of the field to Terrorism Studies. The state-centric perspective of Neorealism and Neoliberalism is a fundamental reason behind this problem. Constructivism offers an alternative to the state-centric view. In this context, I examine the role of identity and discourse on terrorism by adopting the Constructivist perspective. Within this scope, the manifestos of eight different terrorists within three various terrorist organizations were examined. In parallel, news about the terrorists whose manifestos were examined was analyzed. Using text analysis, results suggest that both terrorists and the media divide the world into two "us" and "them." The results of this study provide interesting insights and empirical implications on International Relations. In this research, I give an overview of this research area. I then discuss this research's primary results and explain why the Constructivist approach, identity, and discourse are essential in terrorism research.

Link: https://jppol.ub.ac.id/index.php/jppol/article/view/183

DOI: 

https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jppol.2022.004.02.01

SRİ LANKA'DA ETNİK KATILIM VE ETNİK BÖLÜNMENİN TERÖRİZM ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİ

 Sri Lanka, birçok farklı etnik ve dinî unsuru barındıran Güney Asya’da bir ada ülkesidir. Bu unsurlar Sinhalalar, Tamiller, Burgherler, Avrupalılar, Hintliler ve Müslümanlardır. Sri Lanka'nın nüfusunun dörtte üçünü Sinhala etnik grubu oluşturmaktadır. Sinhalaların adaya 2000 yıl önce geldiği düşünülmektedir (Chalk 1998: 118-134). Tamiller, adada yaşayan en büyük ikinci etnik grup olup, ada nüfusunun %17'sini Tamiller oluşturmaktadır. Bazı akademik çalışmalar, Tamillerin adaya MÖ 500'de geldiklerini öne sürmektedir (Walter 2000: 40). Sri Lanka, birçok etnik topluluğa ev sahipliği ettiği gibi ada içinde birçok farklı dinin mensubu da yaşamaktadır. Adanın üçte ikisini Budistler, %22’sini Hindular ve Müslümanlar oluşturmaktadır (CIA 2019). Sinhala etnik grubunun mensupları genellikle adanın güney, batı ve orta kesimlerinde, Tamiller ise yoğunluklu olarak adanın kuzey ve doğu bölgelerinde yaşamaktadırlar. Tamil etnik grubu, kendi içinde iki alt gruba ayrılmaktadır. Bunlardan ilki Jaffna Tamilleri olup, adada yaşayan en eski Tamil topluluğudur. Hindistan Tamilleri ise ikinci gruptur. Hindistan Tamillerinin çoğu, Britanya Sömürge Dönemi’nde Hindistan'dan Sri Lanka'ya gelmiştir. Sömürge Dönemi’nde uygulanan birtakım yanlış politikalar, Sri Lanka’nın bağımsızlığı sonrasında ada nüfusunun büyük çoğunluğunu oluşturan Sinhalalar ve Tamiller arasında sorunlar yaşanmasına neden olmuştur (Chalk 1998: 120; Walter 2000: 25). İki etnik grup arasında yaşanan uzun zamanlı sorunların kökleri, Britanya Koloni Dönemi’ne kadar uzanmaktadır. Sri Lanka, 1948 yılında Britanya İmparatorluğu'ndan bağımsızlığını kazandı. Sri Lanka'nın bağımsızlığı sonrasında Tamiller siyasi, kültürel ve ekonomik hakları elde etme konusunda sorunlarla karşılaştılar. Sri Lanka'daki Tamil sorunun resmî başlangıcı da bağımsızlık sonrasında olmuştur. Adanın en büyük iki etnik unsuru arasındaki çatışmalar, sadece etnik farklılıklardan kaynaklanmamaktadır. Etnik farklılıklara ek olarak din, dil ve statü farklılıkları da iki etnik grup arasındaki sorunların nedenleri arasındadır. Bu çalışma, iki ana araştırma sorusuna cevap aramaktadır; “Etnik parçalanma, terörist faaliyetleri ve terör saldırılarını arttırıyor mu?” ve “Siyasi hayata etnik katılımın artması, terör saldırılarını azaltır mı?” Bu makalenin temel amacı ise “Sri Lanka’daki etnik temsil ve etnik parçalanma ile terör saldırıları arasındaki istatistiksel ilişkiyi” doğrudan incelemektir. Bu çalışma, literatürdeki etnik parçalanmanın ve etnik siyasi katılımın terör üzerinde belirleyicisi olup olmadığını soran ve farklı etnik gruplara ev sahipliği yapan ülkelerdeki terörizmin nedenlerini anlamaya yönelik araştırmalardan görece farklıdır. Bu makalede, etnisite ve terörizm arasındaki bağlantı, daha net bir şekilde incelenmektir. Bu çalışmanın ilk bölümünde, Sri Lanka'nın tarihi ve etnik gruplar arasındaki sorunun arka planı anlatılmaktadır. İkinci bölümde, konuyla ilgili akademik çalışmalarda ortaya çıkan farklı görüşler gösterilmektedir. Bu çalışma için nicel veri analizi yapılmış ve üçüncü bölümde bu veri analiz süreçleri açıklanarak veri analizinin sonuçları sunulmuştur. Dördüncü bölüm tartışma bölümü olup, verilerin analizi sonucunda elde edilen bulgular bu bölümde detaylı şekilde açıklanmaktadır.

Related Link: http://apam.ankara.edu.tr/yayinlarimiz-2/ 

Related Link 2: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/bader/issue/59113/850715 

The Effect Of Ethnic Participation And Ethnic Fractionalization On Terrorism in Sri Lanka

Terrorism is one of the biggest problems in the world. This problem has disturbed the people of Sri Lanka for many years. Sinhalese and Tamil, the two biggest ethnic groups of this island country, have been in conflict for many years. This study tries to analyze the Tamil issue in Sri Lanka. Besides, this study tries to reveal the causes and consequences of conflict. The main purpose of this paper is to look directly at and examine the association between ethnic participation in political life and fractionalization in Sri Lanka, and the possibility of an act of terrorism from that nation. 

Keywords: Sri Lanka, LTTE, Ethnic Participation, Ethnic Fractionalization, Terrorism

LINK: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/bader/issue/59113/850715