Summary of Information on Jihadist Websites July 2018
Highlights
- Hussam ‘Abd al-Rauf, the head of Al-Qaeda’s media department, blames Muslim regimes, such as Saudi Arabia, for society’s ills. He accuses them of stealing money, mismanaging the economy, educating the youth with the wrong values, etc. According to him, the leaders of Muslim countries, Muslim academics and clerics are greatly affected by western culture, such that they legislate laws and issue religious rulings that are incompatible with Islam. According to him, as long as this trend of western influence on the Muslim public continues, Arab society will continue to suffer many ills, including violence.
- Iyad ag Ghaly, the leader of Jamaat Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin, calls on the residents of Mali to boycott the presidential elections in the country, claiming that they are intended to perpetuate the government’s policy of repression against civilians and the French occupation. According to him, France failed to establish its hold on the Sahel and did not defeat the jihadists, while the latter succeeded in expanding militarily towards Burkina Faso and Niger. He threatened that his organization would continue jihad against the countries of the Sahel because of the oppressive policies that they are carrying out against Muslims with France’s support.
- Islamic State supporters launch an online campaign in honor of the son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the organization, who was killed in battle against Syrian and Russian forces. In the framework of the campaign, al-Baghdadi’s son is crowned a martyr who was willing to sacrifice his life for God.
- The ‘Abd al-Faqr media group, which is involved in media for the Islamic State, encourages Muslims in western countries to use biological weapons against civilians in the West. Alongside this call, the media group publishes a video providing religious justification for the use of this weapon, explaining how to obtain it and where it is recommended to be used.
- The Islamic State publishes a filmed oath of allegiance by a group of Tajik youth to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the organization. According to the organization, the group carried out a ramming attack against foreign cyclists in Tajikistan.
This article is part of the RED-Alert project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation Programme under grant agreement No 740688.
