A quick observation of Twitter accounts of ISIL sympathisers shows a set of narratives that have been circulating for over more than a decade. These are the types of narratives that draw in and lead young men to destructive paths that ultimately lead to their deaths.
Worryingly, the sheer willingness to destroy lives and historical sites shows a set of (mainly) young men who believe in a religious absolutism, meaning that they see things simply in a ‘black and white’ fashion. Take for example this tweet which states the following:
“Never forget Ummata Al Islam. 2003 #Saudi dogs inviting Americans into #Iraq where they killed 2 million Muslims.”
The issue of the Iraq war comes up time and time again and provides reference points for the injustice felt and it is something that is utilised by ISIL sympathisers. Whilst many non-Muslims objected to the Iraq war, this sense of grievance is also used to potentially target those allies of the United States and anyone who they consider as supporters. This could well mean non-Muslims, and again as stated, many non-Muslims objected to the horrendous and illegal Iraq War.
This further tweet also highlights the hatred towards local monarchies in the Middle East promoted by ISIL supporters. In this next tweet, the King of Jordan comes in for the following:
“ICYMI, this is the “Hashemite” fat king of Jordan, drinking a beer on his pleasure boat.”
What is interesting in this tweet is that the use of the term Hashemite has been inserted for a reason. The Hashemite’s have long promoted themselves as having a link to Prophet Muhammad and also have protectorate over the holy Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques in Jerusalem. The tweets are cleverly constructed to express an opinion that they are not Muslims, love the ‘good-life’ and are charlatans. It also highlights the ‘alcohol’ supposedly being drunk on the boat.
Finally, brutal videos showing assassinations and killings are part of the sensationalism that fuels ISIS sympathisers. This may partly be because many know that they are at risk of being targeted or it may well be part of the psyche of the young men who are active on social media. There seems to be a frenzy in circulating such cruel and violent videos. For example the following tweet highlights the attempted assassination of an employee of a Danish Swedish company, Thomas Hopner, in Saudi Arabia. This attack was supposed to have been undertaken by a newly formed branch of ISIL in Saudi Arabia. The tweet is below:
“The moment Thomas Hopner was assassinated by the Islamic State in his car in Riyadh, Bilad Al Haramayn.”
It seems that Hopner survived the attack and was shot in the shoulder. Another element of the tweets that are circulated. Some of them are inaccurate and hyped up.