As the so-called Islamic State’s strongholds in Iraq and Syria are collapsing, the group is committed to striking the United States. ISIS’ sympathizers are eager for a victory, and they adeptly appropriate events––natural or man-made–– that inflict damage on the American homeland. Jihadists have always celebrated natural disasters that impact their enemies, and this was especially pronounced during last month’s hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which buffeted the southern coast of the United States.
In the aftermath of Harvey and Irma, ISIS released a 5-minute video, while its supporters on social media discussed the events with numerous memes and comments. This video and the response reveal how jihadists seized on the hurricanes to celebrate and justify violence against America. This content exemplifies how the group will continue to inspire attacks against the United States as what it perceives to be a fulfillment of God’s will, even after it loses the remainder of its territory abroad.
By Him or by Our Hands
The new ISIS video articulates that the hurricanes are an act of God, but also reminds Muslims of their responsibility to wage jihad. The group claims that natural disasters are instances of God’s wrath against the United States, but the fight against non-believers will continue, rather than be left solely to divine justice.
This is made explicitly clear by the video’s invocation that America be punished “from God or from our hands,” in reference to Qur’an 9:52. Jihadists interpret this verse to mean that, although God is capable of inflicting punishment directly, violence against the nonbelievers is still a worthy cause and duty.
According to groups like ISIS, jihad is a test in piety for the “true” believers, based on their interpretation of the Qur’an. A verse to this effect is quoted in the ISIS video and in several memes on social media:
“And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others.” — Qur’an 47:4
A masked fighter addresses Americans in English in the recent ISIS video.A Sign of Mercy?
The video’s spokesman, a masked fighter speaking fluent English, explains that America was not completely destroyed by the hurricanes as a sign of divine mercy. At the same time, he makes an implicit threat as he tells his target audience of average Americans:
“Do not rejoice over the fact that these hurricanes have not destroyed everything and uprooted you, for it is the way of Allah to send upon the wrongdoers signs, that perhaps they may repent and return to guidance.”
Implicit in this statement is ISIS’ belief that jihadists will eventually defeat the United States, and subjugate “wrongdoers” without exception. From ISIS’ apocalyptic perspective, the hurricanes are a sign that victory is coming soon, allowing them to look beyond their failing military situation.
Hurricanes as Revenge for Military Actions
Similarly, ISIS’ supporters celebrate Harvey and Irma as revenge for US military actions in Muslim countries. The spokesman in the ISIS video makes this clear:
“The Muslims are extremely overjoyed with the series of hurricanes that is running over the United States of America,” explaining that it is “revenge for you.”
This image compares today’s Mosul (top) with the aftermath of Irma (bottom).On social media, users swap images of post-hurricane wreckage in the United States, comparing them with the bombed-out cities targeted by the anti-ISIS coalition in the Middle East.
Jihadists frequently contrast the low cost of their attacks with expensive American military campaigns, implying they are winning an economic war against “the West.” Just as al-Qaeda claimed credit for the economic impact of the 9/11 attacks—the World Trade Center was targeted for this reason—today’s jihadists rejoice in the financial devastation caused by the recent hurricanes. The ISIS video includes an infographic specifically about the economic destruction, and a social media comment expresses a similar sentiment:
“The American war on #Mosul lasted 9 months, resulting in losses of $40 billion. Hurricane Harvey in America lasted 9 hours, resulting in losses of $40 billion.”
9/11 compared with hurricane Irma, including a reference to Qur’an 9:51: “Say, “Do you await for us except one of the two best things while we await for you that Allah will afflict you with punishment from Himself or at our hands?”Recollection of 9/11
Finally, online jihadists underscore the symbolic value of the hurricanes’ occurrence around the sixteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
In jihadi content shared since the hurricanes, images of 9/11 and the wreckage of the hurricanes are juxtaposed, emphasizing that divinely-inflicted disasters and the responsibility to continue fighting are part of the same struggle.
ISIS’ propagandists are keenly aware that in the three years since the announcement of the caliphate, the group has failed to conduct an attack on the scale of 9/11. They are desperate to link their reputation with the legacy of Osama bin Laden, with one meme making a direct appeal to his memory:
“Know oh slaves of the crusaders that Osama died! But the Lord of Osama is ever-living, the sustainer of existence.”
A cartoon depicting the United States as the victim of a hurricane on the anniversary of 9/11.While the rationale of claiming divine responsibility for natural disasters may seem dubious, the takeaway from these claims and images is a somber one:
Despite ISIS’ ongoing battlefield defeats, its fanatical community around the world remains. While the caliphate faces military defeat, the group will continue to appropriate legitimacy from anything that harms the United States, inciting its followers to plot future attacks.
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