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

The Effects of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Soft-Terrorism Strategies on Turkish Public Opinion Using Google Data

 Abstract

The development of social media and internet technologies has significantly impacted individuals, organizations, and societies. Notably, these advancements have influenced individuals and communities and profoundly affected terrorist organizations. The adept use of these technologies by existing terrorist organizations has had a negative psychological impact on individuals who may not be directly affected by terrorist attacks. The soft-terrorism concept captures this dynamic. This study analyzes Google data to comprehend the influence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), one of the organizations that most effectively employs soft-terrorism strategies, on Turkish public opinion. To gain insights into the Turkish public’s interest in ISIS terrorist attacks and soft-terrorism strategies, Turkish Google searches on “ISIS” between January 2014 and December 2018 are analyzed. The research findings indicate that ISIS’ soft-terrorism strategies have a more significant impact on capturing the attention of the Turkish public compared to the terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS within Turkey. Moreover, ISIS’ soft-terrorist strategies have long-term effects on Turkish interest in ISIS.

LINK: https://iga.pknu.ac.kr:446/html/jga/online-jga.php?mode=view&idx=26

The Importance of Mixed Method in Terrorism Study

Abstract

This research presents a systematic review of the importance of mixed methods in terrorism studies. This paper aims to show the importance of using mixed approaches on terrorism literature. In this regard, I argue that mixed methods play an essential role in advancing terrorism studies because by using qualitative and quantitative method approaches in the same analysis, the scholar can integrate the power of both methodologies and translate the results into a helpful solution. I offer an overview of this field of research in this study. To defend this argument, I prepared two datasets and analyzed them quantitatively. A second quantitative analysis was conducted, focusing on the cases of Japan and Korea, which emerged from the first analysis and differed from the other examples. Accordingly, with quantitative analysis focusing on the cases of Korea and Japan, I will show why quantitative analysis alone is insufficient for terrorism studies. I then discuss the main results of this research and explain why the mixed method approach is essential in terrorism studies.

LINK: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ijshs/issue/80516/1378747#article_cite