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@malikacoexist.bsky.social

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Researching online extremist communities (Islamic State, AQ, white supremacy) | @GNET_research contributor

Even as he found himself surrounded by fellow believers, in a community situated within walking distance of one mosque, and a short drive from a second, he remained an outcast, several neighbors said. Editors’ Picks The Classical Music Our Critics Can’t Stop Thinking About 6 Relationship Resolutions for the New Year How to Improve Your Life He holed up alone in his home, keeping visitors away and limiting contact with neighbors. A neighbor recalled that Mr. Jabbar had grown his beard long and then cut it short again. Several residents said they had never seen him at prayers at the nearest mosque, and the spokesman for the one farther away also said he did not remember him attending. “We’d never seen him here worshiping in our lives, and I’ve been in this community since 2008,” one local resident, Taha Mohamed, said as he attended a prayer service Thursday evening. Mr. Jabbar did not discuss his growing hard-line religious beliefs with those around him, his neighbors said, even as he occasionally posted audio recordings espousing a conservative interpretation of Islam.
“With all eyes on Gaza, settlers, operating as militias, sometimes in IDF uniform, are driving Palestinians out, implementing the governments open agenda of expanding its hold of the West Bank, and risk opening another more active front in the war” - Mairav Zonszein
“Gaza and Global Jihad” - my latest for @ForeignAffairs, in which I explain how ISIS & al-Qaida view Hamas and why I think they will l struggle to take advantage of the war in Gaza”
As highlighted by the wide array of pro-IS supporter responses, IS and those affiliated with the group hold strongly negative opinions about Hamas. Solid assessments of both IS and Hamas, as well as their wider online supporter networks, rely on accurate analyses that consider the well-established nature of their rivalries. Even those who know that these groups are ideologically opposed should not invoke the Islamic State when seeking to describe brutality exercised by other terrorist organisations; being referenced as the ‘gold standard’ for violence is something that IS supporters clearly find cause to celebrate, as segments of their propaganda are hyper-focused on extremely graphic displays of violence. This form of external acknowledgement by their adversaries risks becoming a source of further validation as well as directly playing into their propaganda strategies. IS and other Salafi-jihadist organisations do not hold a monopoly on extreme violence
No Islamophobia No antisemitism
Points of divergence Some IS supporters expressed indifference to civilian suffering in Gaza and justified the reaction by claiming that these civilians supported the “apostate” Hamas and therefore did not deserve sympathy. However, others countered this viewpoint with the reminder that while Hamas should not be mourned, it is necessary to “care about Muslims everywhere.” Numerous accounts across platforms shared an Anwar Al Awlaki claiming that not caring for the Ummah means that one is dead. It is important to note that those stating their apathy to civilians, whether IS-affiliated or not, are collectively relying on the same line of disturbing reasoning: conflating Palestinians in Gaza with Hamas followed by variations of a dehumanising narrative that they deserve it.