"Is this the end of political Islam?" asks @NYTBen. Count me a skeptic.
The obituary of Islamism has been written many times, and the deceased always rises from the grave. A quick thread: (1/6)
Another great piece on the current state of the online realm. Favourite bit:
"Because IS embeds its narratives within the identity structures, aesthetics, and social dynamics native to Gen-Z platforms, effective responses must operate at the same cultural and algorithmic level"
In our latest analysis for the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), Saif Tahir and I examine how the Islamic State has reconstituted itself in the digital identity spaces where Gen-Z lives. IS has migrated into gaming platforms, meme culture, and music trends — building a "virtual caliphate" https://t.co/LklnykGKP6
A must-read for those watching this space in Indonesia and SEA. Perfectly highlights the big challenges in monitoring, collecting and analysing 'extremist-looking' content on TikTok which, even if it's not intended to be pro-jihadist, is still problematic. Some choice quotes: /1
In response to a recent memefication trend, Nauval El Ghifari analyses how Indonesian TikTok accounts glorify prominent Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) figures through emotionally engaging digital content using a video-editing style known locally as “Jedag Jedug”.
https://t.co/C5iNaQGR2Y
What might help us answer this question is similar work examining far-right and NVE streams, which also reflect this shift in online content and producers (even if there still is a degree of debate about how much the former and latter are actually separate streams) /end
That ultimately reflects the kind of terrorist threat which exists in Indonesia at the moment. Much smaller than it was in the mid-2010s (or even the 2000s), but nonetheless a stubbornly resilient community which can still spawn deadly plots, if left unattended /end
[Hopelessly Late Post] My latest on the pro-ISIL social media scene in Indonesia, via @RSIS_NTU Counter-Terrorist Trends and Analysis journal: https://t.co/HwJZfAh2NY
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There's a separate conversation around what the govt's efficiency drive and the massive changes happening in international aid might (or should) mean for P/CVE efforts. But it's clear those combating narratives online will probably need to be more self-reliant in future /9