The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Facebook group was created on August 23, 2021, and currently has over 23,000 members.[1]
The Facebook group, boasting 300 new members over the past week, is very prolific, with almost 4,000 posts published in the last month and 84 on one day alone. The group is public, and can be viewed by anyone on the internet and joined by any member of Facebook.
The page includes ISIS official material as well as pro-ISIS posts, such as messages recruiting followers to "support the mujahideen" with simple tasks; celebrating ISIS attacks such as a recent one on a Shi'ite shrine in Iran; commemorating life under the Islamic State in Mosul; videos of supporters.
\
As previously noted, the group is easily accessible, and some Shi'ite Facebook users have joined it to publish posts criticizing or ridiculing ISIS, such as one showing naked ISIS prisoners in Syria, or a user posting a comment calling ISIS "dogs" and "people of Hell."
A November 2021 post pinned at the top of the main page spells out the conditions for joining a battalion of a pro-ISIS group that carries out "media raids" on the internet. The first condition is a declaration of allegiance to ISIS Caliph Abu Hassan Al-Hashemi Al-Qurashi, followed by a commitment to work daily three-hour shifts, "from 12 pm until 2 am midnight Mecca time," and to not be absent without informing the supervisors. The work involves copying ready-made pro-ISIS posts from a channel called "the ammunition" and posting them on the pages of highly-visible media outlets, such as Al-Jazeera, or in reply to posts on their Twitter accounts. The Raiding Brigade will "provide a special account for work," and expects its volunteers to send link to their "raids" for records.
In August 2022, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel posted about the "Raiding Brigade," arguing that their organized work made supporting ISIS online easier, exposed the media conspiracies targeting Muslims, and raised awareness among Muslim youth. According to the poster, the "Raid Brigade" is divided into four "battalions," each dedicated to the dissemination of a specific type of jihadi media content, released by both ISIS official outlets as well as non-official media entities.[2]
Facebook's content moderation algorithms have removed hundreds, if not thousands, of ISIS and pro-ISIS accounts. [3] Nonetheless, various pro-ISIS pages regularly emerge on the social media platform, revealing shortcomings in Facebook's efforts.[4]
[1] Facebook, consulted on November 15, 2022.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Pro-ISIS Media Team 'Raid Brigade' Calls For Organized ISIS Media Dissemination As Most Important Means Of Support, August 23, 2022.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Pro-ISIS Account Network Reemerges On Facebook Despite Content Moderation Efforts, June 10, 2022.
[4] See for example MEMRI JTTM Reports: On Facebook, Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Urges Supporters To Participate In 'Preaching Raid,' Offers Tips, October 5, 2021, On Facebook, New York-Based ISIS Supporter Says He Wants To See Another 9/11-Style Attack, States: 'I'm Tired And I Can't Go On Much Longer, I Need An Ending', January 7, 2022.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
