Islamic State propaganda resurfaces on social media

KOZHIKODE: After a brief lull, Islamic State (IS) propaganda has resurfaced on social media. The militant group’s online messages in Malayalam had wound down following the deaths of senior operatives Sajeer Mangalasseri Abdulla and Abdul Rashid Abdulla. While Sajeer was active on Facebook in 2015 and 2016, Rashid focused on sending voice clips.
Rashid had sent more than 90 messages on various aspects of life in Khurasan (Afghanistan) and the basic ideology of the IS.They were succeeded by others, including KOP Thasleem Abdul Rehman alias Thaha Muhammad and Ashfaq Majeed alias Abu Waqas.

The posts used to appear on the Telegram app even after the surrender of a few Malayalis, including Nimisha Fathima and Ayesha alias Sonia Sebastian, in Afghanistan last year. Abu Waqas posted messages after the attack on a gurdwara in Afghanistan on March 25 this year. He claimed that a Malayali named Muhammad Muhsin was involved in the attack.
This was followed by a period of silence, when the messaging stopped. This was broken two months ago, when an account appeared on Instagram that actively started sharing propaganda.
The subject matter of the messages, mostly in the form of posters, was unchanged: calling upon ‘Muslims of Hind’ to wage jihad which is the ‘only way through which the Mushriks (idolaters) will fear you.’ Some go on to say, “neither nationalism nor democracy will save you. Only the law of Allah will save you.’ Others were on perennial IS favourites such as why the people of India should conduct Hijra (migration), the greatness of jihad in the path of Allah and the issue of not keeping emotional bonding with non-believers (al wala wal bara). The rewards one will receive on becoming a shaheed (martyr) are also explained in some of the messages. The last post from the account was on July 7.
Security agencies believe that some of those who fled India to join the IS might be behind the messages. Though the majority have been killed or surrendered before the Afghan army, the whereabouts of a few Malayalis are still unknown.