The Islamic State (IS) group between 2014 and 2019 controlled large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, including major cities. Today, it continues to be a top global danger. The group no longer controls any territory, but it continues to operate vigorously across the world. Its influence reaches from East Asia to North Africa, and even farther afield. The IS group has gained particular notoriety for its ability to recruit and radicalize individuals through engaging online storytelling.
The Philippines is one of the few countries where IS-affiliated terrorist organizations have gained a foothold. The southern isles of this archipelago are home to a majority Islamic population. At the same time, they have suffered from actions taken by entities linked to IS. This region serves as a base-management breeding ground for extremist ideologies. Moreover, it keeps ties to IS group’s broader network.
The IS group has already gained a foothold in several provinces of Afghanistan. They’ve even stretched their reach into some areas of Pakistan and the Philippines. Central Asia too has been subjected to the malign influence of this Sunni Islamic extremist group. Of its affiliates, the Khorasan Province branch of IS is considered the most able to carry out external terrorist attacks.
If the group’s territorial ambitions have diminished, its ideology is as powerful as ever. THE DANGERS OF TECHNOLOGICAL RADICALIZATION The IS group succeeds in distributing its radical ideas due to the confluence of social, psychological, and technological factors. Awni Etaywe, an expert on terrorism, underscores that “extreme organisations exploit online platforms, including social media, encrypted messaging apps, and digital publications, to disseminate high-quality propaganda that appeals to identity, ideology, and emotion.”
The tactics of the IS group’s recruitment strategies are complex. They utilize various digital mediums, videos, images, online magazines, and even video games, to create narratives that justify violence as both socially rewarding and spiritually fulfilling. This kind of material casts governments or communities as tyrannical oppressors, and in the process, recruits newcomers more easily.
“You can’t just go to the southern Philippines and show up at an IS-run training camp and ask. There’s a level of connectivity and a set of relationships that you would need to have in place,” notes West, emphasizing the complexities surrounding recruitment and radicalization processes.
Just as their impact is felt beyond the borders of Southeast Asia, so too are the group’s tentacles. Terrorist organizations are quickly making their presence known in Bangladesh, Libya, and Egypt. They further make their mark in the continents of Africa, specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Mozambique, and Somalia. The IS group’s West Africa Province and Sahel Province cover the territories around the Lake Chad Basin. These operate in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and the trans-border area of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
And even though the IS group has lost territorial control, their ideology still resonates with people who are vulnerable to radicalization. As Awni Etaywe explains, “when someone begins to support or justify the use of violence to advance a cause, radicalisation to violent extremism becomes a significant concern.” He cautions that once people make the leap to commit violence, real attacks may come together quickly.
The latest Bondi Beach terror attack seems to be a direct result of this extremist ideology. Investigators think the impact of the IS group was a huge factor in this event. This horrifying case is a cautionary tale of the reckless threat that occurs when extremist movements seep into neighborhoods.
Jemaah Islamiyah, a transnational Sunni Islamist group affiliated with the IS core, illustrates just how tightly intertwined these networks can be. This further underscores the insidious threat of religiously motivated violent extremists. Their efforts only worsen the fight against terrorism in places where these anti-American ideologies take root.
