Abdalaziz Alhamza “RBSS”
Second part
Everybody agrees that media is one of the most dangerous weapons ISIS use. In order to fight that, we have to know their media strengths and weaknesses; perhaps we can put some general lines to stick to while fighting the terrorist group.
Nothing concerns the international media in the last two years more than ISIS news and violations. The terrorist group has invaded social media sites such as facebook, Twitter and YouTube and others in order to reach every group and individual in the world.
Photos and videos published by the ISIS are all high definition; the visual and audio effects are often accelerated in the editing stage in order to give an anxiety feeling. ISIS, who claims to fight westerns, is using their technical methods in editing and publishing new videos.
We can summarize the group’s media policy by the following:
Orange color for victims:
The terrorist group has used the orange color for its victims, as a reminder of Guantanamo prison. At the beginning, videos were focusing on journalists and western citizens, but a year ago videos started showing the killing of local activists from Syria along with their confessions in a Hollywood way inspired of The Matrix movie.
Short movies with high quality
ISIS knows the importance of a successful media battle in terrorizing people, not only in Iraq and Syria but also the people all over the world. ISIS’s main weapon is not Kalashnikov any more, it is cameras and media.
Propaganda on social media
What is happening today confirms the failure of European governments in handling the situation, even if France Interior minister tried to ban ISIS videos on YouTube, Twitter and Face Book, thousands of youth around the world especially the second or third generation of immigrants who have Muslim or Arab origins will manage to watch these videos due to the suffer from raciness.
Focusing on the economic and social situation
Recently, ISIS published several videos regarding the local situation, which looks like a message to its supporters that the so called state is still managing the normal local issues despite the several and major military failures. These videos showed how normal the life in the group’s territory is, such as Eid celebration and picnics.
Encouraging sectarianism and dictatorship:
Perhaps, Al Adnani was not lying when he described ISIS fighters as:” They drink blood and enjoy dead body parts” they are not the body parts of ISIS fighters, they are the body parts of the Syrian children killed by Assad warplanes and the body parts of the Syrian detainees in Assad prisons. ISIS wanted to turn the Syrian revolution into a sectarian war, which is what Assad wanted since 2012 when Shabiha troops slaughtered tens on innocent children in Al Houla and wrote sectarian slogans in the town.
If we looked for the background of ISIS fighters, we will find that not all of the fighters have joined the terrorist group because they believe in its cause. ISIS knows that very well, that is why the terrorist group always looked for those who suffer from raciness in Western Europe or Northern America just because of their origin or color. ISIS uses those people and convinces them that they will find equality and decent life under its rule, but eventually they suddenly find that they were all just lies.
