Guide to Online Propagandists

Executive Summary

In November 2017, YouTube adopted a policy prohibiting content from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki. CEP has long advocated for Internet platforms such as YouTube to adopt such “no-tolerance policies” for Awlaki. YouTube’s decision is a positive step, but more must be done to eliminate radicalizing extremist ideologies from the Internet.

There is no shortage of extremist actors and ideologues online. Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood ideologue Yusuf al-Qaradawi is banned from entering the United States, United Kingdom, and France because of his declared support for suicide bombings and incitement of Islamist violence. Khuram Butt, one of the June 2017 London Bridge attackers, was reportedly influenced by American propagandist Ahmad Musa Jibril. Shoe bomber Richard Reid was partially radicalized by Jamaican radical Abdullah Faisal. Content featuring Qaradawi, Jibril, Faisal, and other propagandists is just as dangerous as content from Awlaki, and yet remains widely available on YouTube and other social media platforms. At a minimum, content from individuals with links to violent extremist actors should be removed from online platforms.

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Turki al-Binali

Affiliation: ISIS

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Bahraini-born Turki al-Binali was ISIS’s chief religious advisor. He also worked to recruit foreign fighters for ISIS from the Gulf. Binali was designated as a terrorist by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, and was stripped of his Bahraini citizenship in January 2015. Although there was speculation that Binali might succeed ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani following reports of Adnani’s death in August 2016, he was reportedly passed over for the role and “confined to a mere role of religious authority” instead. Binali was killed by a coalition airstrike in Mayadin, Syria, on May 31, 2017. (Sources: U.S. Department of the Treasury, NBC News, EUR-Lex, United Nations, Bahrain News Agency, New York Times, CENTCOM)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence

  • Not determined.

  • Old accounts existed but have since been deleted.

Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

  • “The command is known...you must fight the United States.” (Video deleted, YouTube)

  • “Do not fear except for Allah. Previously, that tyrant Assad had prayed in it [the mosque from where bin Ali gave this Ramadan sermon]” (8/27/13, translation, YouTube)

  • “How did you not write...about the conditions for the (establishment of the) imamate (leadership)? ... The imamate is seeking the implementation of hudud (fixed punishments in sharia).” 2/22/13, translation, YouTube

Musa Cerantonio

Affiliation: None

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Musa Cerantonio is an Australian Islamist preacher who has inspired numerous foreign fighters to join jihadist groups in Syria. According to the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), Cerantonio is “an outspoken cheerleader for ISIS” and one of two English-speaking “spiritual authorities” who influenced Westerners to fight abroad. In the Philippines in 2013, Cerantonio used YouTube to call for jihad and praise ISIS, according to the Philippine police who deported Cerantonio back to Australia in July 2014. Australian police arrested Cerantonio and four others in May 2016 for allegedly preparing to sail to Indonesia with the intent of reaching Syria. Before his arrest, Cerantonio had long corresponded with ISIS fighters through social media. He frequently used social media to call for the assassination of U.S. leaders and praise jihadists in Syria. Cerantonio’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have been shut down, but many of his videos remain on YouTube. (Sources: International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian, Associated Press)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence

Not determined.

Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

Notable Rhetoric

  • “In all honesty, we have to ask ourselves, do we believe in democracy? No, we don’t. Democracy is the idea that you follow the law of the majority. So if the majority of people decide to vote that they don’t want sharia, you must follow this. So this is not our system. In the end you’re going to see that whenever Muslims have tried to use democracy it has failed.” 11/8/17, YouTube

  • “May we be loyal soldiers of the Islamic State until we return to our Lord.” 6/14, Deleted Tweet

  • “The USA and its slaves like you are the greatest criminals on Earth.” 3/21/14, Deleted Tweet

  • “You sit back and you say, ‘Oh but look at them, China, America, England’ have you forgotten about Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)? Have you forgotten about the almighty, the one who destroyed the army of Abraha, the one who vanquished the crusaders and the Soviets? Yet you think He can’t defeat Bush or Obama? Where is your Iman? You think that Bashar is greater than Allah? How dare any Muslim say this! How dare you say that we are weak! When we have Allah, nobody can defeat us!” 6/11/14, YouTube

Tarik Chadlioui

Affiliation: None

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Tarik Chadlioui, a.k.a. Tarik Ibn Ali, is a Moroccan-born Islamist preacher who reportedly played a role in radicalizing Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai through sermons at a Paris mosque. Chadlioui is further accused of fundraising for Syrian extremists and of being the spiritual leader of the now-defunct Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, which has ties to the defunct group Sharia4UK, once led by jailed propagandist Anjem Choudary. Though reportedly based in the United Kingdom since 2015, Spanish authorities accuse Chadlioui of being the spiritual leader of a jihadist group in Spain. Spain accuses Chadlioui of using his social media channels to recruit for ISIS. On June 28, 2017, British authorities arrested Chadlioui in Birmingham as part of a continent-wide operation against ISIS supporters. (Sources: Daily Mail, Telegraph)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence

Not determined.

Facebook Presence
Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

  • Muslims should take up “armed punishments in the secular lands.” 6/11/17, translation, YouTube

  • “He who dies in jihad (combat in the path to Allah), Allah will forgive him all his sins.” 4/11/10, translation, YouTube

Anjem Choudary

Affiliation: Pro-ISIS

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British citizen Anjem Choudary is a U.S.-designated Islamist cleric and convicted ISIS supporter imprisoned in the United Kingdom. British authorities arrested Choudary and his associate Mohammed Mizanur Rahman in September 2014 for suspected membership in ISIS and charged them in August 2015 with promoting support for ISIS based on their YouTube speeches. In September 2016, Choudary was sentenced to five-and-half years in prison. The U.S. government sanction-designated Choudary in March 2017. Prior to his arrest, Choudary’s Islamist speeches, anti-Western rhetoric, and declared support for foreign Islamist movements drew the attention of British authorities, who connected Choudary to multiple terrorist-related cases in the United Kingdom and Europe. Choudary is also a founding member of al-Muhajiroun, a banned Islamist group in Britain that openly praised the 9/11 attacks. He is believed to have influenced al-Muhajiroun members Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, who in 2013 beheaded British Fusilier Lee Rigby in southeast London. Khuram Butt, one of the attackers in the June 3, 2017, London Bridge attack, was also linked to Choudary, and is believed to have been a member of al-Muhajiroun. Zameer Ghumra, the former pharmacist who was sentenced to six years in prison in October 2017 for disseminating terrorist propaganda had previously communicated with Choudary online. Choudary was also linked to Taha Hussain, a personal friend of one of the London Bridge attackers who was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for disseminating terrorist propaganda. Due to U.K. probationary law, Choudary was released in October 2018, only halfway through his sentence. British authorities imposed several restrictions on Choudary's communications and travel. In addition, the United Nations and British Government added Choudary to their respective financial sanctions lists ahead of his release. (Sources: U.S. State Department, Guardian, Guardian, Guardian, BBC News, Sky News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, U.K. Crown Prosecution Service, Fox News, CBS News, The Times, Evening Standard, BBC News)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence

  • Search results, as of 12/20/17:
    “Anjem Choudary”: 21,800

  • Unofficial associated channel: almuhajiroun
    Created 8/31/09, 167 subscribers, eight videos, and 92,328 views as of 12/20/17

  • Most Choudary videos on YouTube are either news clips, radio interviews, or debates. Choudary has few lectures still online.

Twitter Presence

Not determined.

Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

  • Paltalk
    Links not available

Notable Rhetoric

  • “Only under the Shari'ah are the evils which plague society such as alcohol, gambling, pornography, usury, adultery & homosexuality outlawed!” 3/29/15, Deleted Twitter account

  • “You know, the messenger Mohammad, he said, ‘Fight them with your wealth, with your body, with your tongue.’ So, I'm engaged here, if you like, in a verbal jihad.” 11/2/14, 60 Minutes Interview

  • “[Abu Bakr-al-Baghdadi is] the caliph of all Muslims and the prince of the believers.” 9/6/14, Guardian

  • “If you look at the death of James Foley...you only have to listen to the person who is executing him to know that the blame is the Americans' because of their own foreign policy. The fact is that decades of torture, cruelty and mass murder will have repercussions.” 9/6/14, Guardian

  • “The sharia has a penal code, it has a foreign policy, it has an economic system, therefore it cannot exist or coexist with capitalism or communism, which are also political beliefs.” 9/6/14, Guardian

  • “There are many battlefields...There's a battlefield outside 10 Downing ... and in the mountains of the Tora Bora.” 12/8/10, NBC News

  • “I think we are on the brink of many more operations in the West. This is going to be very, very nasty...The Muslims engaged in jihad are not going to stop. People will declare jihad in Britain and America. I don't think you can stomach something like that.” 12/8/10, NBC News

Nathan Damigo

Affiliation: Identity Evropa

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Nathan Damigo created the white supremacist group Identity Evropa in 2016. The group promotes white European identity and the preservation of white culture based on the concept of “identitarian politics.” Identity Evropa claims to represent a “generation of awakened Europeans” who “oppose those who would defame our history and rich cultural heritage.” Damigo is a former Marine who was convicted of armed robbery after returning from two tours in Iraq. In prison, he read the works of former KKK leader David Duke and white supremacists J. Philippe Rushton and Nicholas Wade. Damigo has spoken publicly alongside white nationalist Richard Spencer, whom Damigo has planned to include in future rallies. Identity Evropa largely targets college students and views protests like the one in Charlottesville, Virginia, as recruitment drives. During an April 15, 2017, anti-Trump rally in Berkeley, California, Identity Evropa counter-protesters reportedly verbally assaulted protesters in attempts to instigate violence. Damigo was filmed personally punching a protester in the face. Students at California State University at Stanislaus, where Damigo is a student, signed a petition to the university that they do not feel safe with Damigo on campus. Damigo stepped down from Identity Evropa’s leadership in August 2017, but maintains an active presence on social media and in white supremacist circles. (Sources: Identity Evropa, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, Washington Post, New York Times, Pro Publica)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence

  • Nathan Damigo
    126 likes, 137 followers as of 12/14/17, content unavailable as of 12/20/17

Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

  • “We have lit a beautiful fire that is engulfing the Western world. The existence of our people is not negotiable, and a new order is now emerging as the old paradigm spasms and flails under the weight of its own contradictions.” 8/27/17, Identity Evropa

  • “What we’re having is policies that are out of alignment with human nature. Man is really a tribal creature. And so what we’ve done ... is we embarked on radical immigration change, bringing people in from all over the world regardless of whether or not these people shared our culture, shared our religion, or our heritage. And regardless of how that would affect society.” 7/13/17, YouTube

  • “Many times when people of European heritage are arguing for their interests, what happens is people bring up this question about race and they will say ‘race is really a social construct, there’s no such thing as whites, therefore you cannot advocate you’re your interests.’ Now, obviously this is only something they do to people of European heritage, or whites.” 12/27/16, YouTube

  • “Just a reminder. #Charlottesville [image of protestors with a quote from John F. Kennedy, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”] 8/12/17, Twitter

  • “The West is awakening! Do you hear the approaching thunder?” 8/11/17 Twitter

  • “ like revoking our permit can stop us. (retweet from Jason Kessler: #Charlottesville City Council has canceled the permit for #UniteTheRight. But we're holding it in Lee Park anyway!” 8/7/17, Twitter

Abdullah Faisal

Affiliation: Authentic Tauheed (pro-ISIS)

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Abdullah Faisal, born Trevor Forrest in Jamaica, is an internationally banned Islamist propagandist and the leader of Authentic Tauheed, a radical organization aligned with ISIS. In 2003, a U.K. court convicted Faisal of soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred under the country’s 1861 “Offences Against the Person Act.” According to the U.K. government, Faisal played a part in radicalizing shoe bomber Richard Reid. Faisal has been linked to 7/7 London bomber Germaine Lindsay, and Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person to have been convicted in a U.S. court for involvement in the 9/11 attacks. U.S. intelligence officials alleged that the would-be Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, was radicalized in part by Abdullah Faisal. Parveg Ahmed, a Queens resident arrested while attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS was found to have listened to recordings of Faisal. Faisal is currently in Jamaican custody, awaiting an extradition hearing for charges in the U.S. related to ISIS recruitment. Since his arrest, Faisal has been accused by Indian authorities of communicating with two ISIS operatives. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. has accused Faisal of using his lectures, website, and videos to incite “untold numbers of people around the world to take up the cause of jihad.” (Sources: Guardian, BBC, NPR, Newsweek, U.S. Department of Justice)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence
Other Social Media Presence

Notable Rhetoric

  • “Whenever Allah uses the word Jihad in the Quran it means to kill the kafirs...according to the hypocrites because jihad is from the root word juhd, which means to struggle, whenever Allah uses the word in the Quran it doesn’t mean to kill the kafir, it means to struggle against your own evil self.” 1/2/13, YouTube

  • “The name has been changed from ISIS to IS because ISIS was not a proper name...We are Mujahideen san frontiers Mujahideen sans frontiers means Mujahideen without boarders [sic]” 12/22/14, Authentic Tauheed

  • “If you don't make takfir on the apostate regimes who help the crusaders to fight Islam and Muslims then you are also a kaafir.” 9/5/15, Authentic Tauheed

  • “When you apostate, you commit a treason against Allah and Islam; hence, apostates are killed according to Shariah law.” 9/5/15, Authentic Tauheed

  • “There are many types of warfare waged against the believers today: economic, political, psychological, military, cultural and even propaganda warfare. We have to fight them the same way they fight us.” 9/5/15, Authentic Tauheed

  • “If you're a sheikh and the taghoot are happy with you, that means something is wrong.” 6/14/14, Authentic Tauheed

  • “Why is Dawlah (Islamic State) more influential and successful? Because Al Qaeda wasn't brutal enough.” 6/14/14, Authentic Tauheed

Abu Haleema

Affiliation: None

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“Abu Haleema” is a U.K.-based Islamist extremist who has long been active on social media platforms including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, despite being banned from using those platforms by the U.K. government. Haleema has been tied to Khuram Butt, one of the June 3, 2017, London Bridge attackers, who was reportedly radicalized in large part by lectures from Abu Haleema. Following the London Bridge attack, YouTube removed Haleema’s lectures from its platform in the United Kingdom, but did not ban the videos worldwide. In April 2014, British authorities raided Haleema’s home and confiscated his passport, accusing him of conspiring to travel to Syria to join an extremist group. In May 2015, Haleema was again arrested and detained in west London. He was released without charges on the condition that he would halt his use of social media. Abu Haleema had contact with a 14-year-old boy from Blackburn, Lancashire, convicted in a beheading plot targeting police officers during the Anzac Day parade in Australia. (Source: Independent)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence

Not determined.

Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

Notable Rhetoric

  • “What makes you think people can ally with the kuffar...all you people that are party to what is happening in Fallujah...who side with the kuffar against the Muslims being under siege in Fallujah...we judge you by your outward appearance which is kufr because you’re allied with the kuffar...and wallahi and when you people die you’re going to be known as traitors, you’re only going to be remembered as traitors and nothing else...regardless of those who claim to be Muslims, they betrayed the Ummah, they betrayed the Muslims, and Allah empowered the Muslims over them and wallahi they’re going to be held to account.” 5/31/16, YouTube

  • “These Israeli kuffar they’re violating masjid al-Aqsa, they’re violating masjid al-Aqsa, and these people that claim to be Muslims all over the world...they think the solution will come to the problem of masjid al-Aqsa from boycotting dates...by Allah, the problem will never be solved by just boycotting dates. The problem will never be solved by pleading with the tawagheet for a peace process...the victory is not going to come; this masjid is not going to be liberated...standing outside of Israeli embassies...the victory is not going to come from kufr Hamas...the victory will only come from the Sharia.” 9/15/15, YouTube

Matthew Heimbach

Affiliation: Traditionalist Worker Party

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Matthew Heimbach is co-founder of the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP), which emerged in 2015 as the political arm of the Traditionalist Youth Network (TYN). Heimbach and Matthew Parrott created the TYN in 2013. Although the TWP claims that it is opposed to racism, it is allied with neo-Nazi and other racist groups, and its leaders have used extremist rhetoric against African-Americans, gays, and Jews. The Southern Poverty Law Center has dubbed Heimbach a “rising star in the white supremacist world.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, Heimbach cites former KKK leader David Duke as a major influence. Parrott owns a compound in southern Indiana where he and his son-in-law, Heimbach, live with other followers. The TWP plans to put forward candidates in Indiana’s state and local elections in 2018. Heimbach promoted and attended the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In March 2016, Heimbach physically assaulted a black protester at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Louisville, Kentucky. He was fined and ordered to attend anger management. In December 2013, Heimbach’s White Student Union at Towson University created nightly patrols to seek out so-called “black predators.” (Sources: Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League, WHAS 11 ABC, Indianapolis Star, Associated Press, Vice News)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

  • Matthew Heimbach, 2017: “We are the only ideology that can defeat the international Jew and the international capitalist.” 2/8/17, YouTube

Ahmad Musa Jibril

Affiliation: None

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From his home in Michigan, Jibril’s online lectures and tweets advocate a Salafist version of Islam that praises jihad, although he doesn’t specifically call upon his followers to join jihadi groups. A 2014 report by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation found that Jibril “adopts the role of a cheerleader: supporting the principles of armed opposition to Assad.” Jibril spent almost seven years in prison on fraud charges before he was released on probation in 2012. A federal judge restricted Jibril’s Internet and social-media access in June 2014 after Jibril violated his probation. The restrictions expired in March 2015. Jibril had not returned to his digital pulpit as of November 2017, but his Twitter feed, video lectures, and other online media reproducing his teachings remain online. Khuram Butt, one of the attackers in the June 3, 2017, London Bridge terrorist attack, was reportedly radicalized while watching Jibril’s videos online. (Sources: Telegraph, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, Reuters, Daily Mail)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence
Other Social Media Presence

Notable Rhetoric

  • “Through perverted means they lift their legs to urinate on their statue of ‘freedom of speech’, when it comes to the speech of a Muwahid.” 6/21/14, Tweet

  • “Whoever believes that there is any belief/guidance/path/etc. [better] than the guidance of Islam or even [equal], is a disbeliever in ALLAH!” 4/23/14, Tweet

  • “Their hope and goal was to eliminate Islam, when they found out they couldn’t, they turned to their Shyookh to promote the “Western-Islam”” 5/15/14, Tweet

  • “If the West or their slaves are pleased with you, then something is seriously wrong with you.” 1/26/14, Tweet

  • “Some worship statues called (Democracy/Freedom) like Jahily Qurayshians worshiped statues of dates When they would get hungry they eat them.” 7/31/13, Tweet

  • “When your brothers in Syria speak, everyone today needs to shut their mouth and listen, because they’re proving themselves to be real men.” 2/18/12, YouTube

Abdallah al-Muhaysini

Affiliation: Nusra Front (Jabhat Fateh al-Sham)

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U.S.-sanctioned Abdallah al-Muhaysini is a senior leader in al-Qaeda’s Syrian-based Nusra Front, having served at various times as a recruiter, fundraiser, and religious advisor for the terrorist group. Muhaysini has raised millions of dollars for the Nusra Front, boasting of having raised at least $5 million through a variety of terrorist fronts. In April 2016, Muhaysini launched a campaign to recruit 3,000 child and teenage soldiers from across northern Syria. In addition to fundraising and recruiting on behalf of the Nusra Front, Muhaysini has also served at various times as its military strategist and political representative. Interviews with Muhaysini, as well as many of his lectures, remain available on YouTube. (Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

  • “We— inshallah—are asking for martyrdom. I want to see Allah because we have a cause, and the one who has a cause is happy to die for his cause.” 6/20/17, translation, YouTube

  • “I believe that the term ‘terrorist,’ people must distance themselves completely from it. In the beginning, people were looking at the word terrorist in a very fearful and suspicious view to whoever this label was attached, they saw him with red lines around him.” 6/20/17, translation, YouTube

  • “By Allah! I am seeing the destruction and the death of the tyrant Bashar with my very own eyes!” 10/30/17, translation, YouTube

Zakir Naik

Affiliation: None

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Zakir Naik is an Islamist televangelist who runs Peace TV and is accused of influencing the July 2016 Dhaka attackers in Bangladesh. Naik has allegedly expressed sympathy for terrorists, while calling 9/11 an “inside job” and labeling apostasy as treason. In 1991, Naik founded the non-profit Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai, India. IRF librarian Feroz Deshmukh belonged to a militant Islamist cell that executed the 2006 simultaneous bombings of two trains in Mumbai. His co-conspirators, Rahil Ahmed Sheikh and Zabiuddin Ansari, repeatedly met Deshmukh at IRF offices in Mumbai. All three men are believed to be members of the internationally-sanctioned Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). On July 1, 2016, at least five gunmen stormed a bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in a terrorist attack that left 22 people dead. After the Dhaka attack, reports surfaced that some of the attackers were inspired by Naik. In particular, one of the assailants was known to have propagated a statement from Naik “urging all Muslims to be terrorists” on Facebook. India’s counterterrorism agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), filed an official police complaint against Naik, and the government imposed a five-year ban on the IRF in November 2016 under the country’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. In April 2017, the NIA issued an arrest warrant against Naik for terrorism-related charges. Though banned in India, Naik’s Peace TV segments remain available on YouTube. (Sources: Washington Post, New York Times, Islamic Research Foundation, The Hindu, BBC News, New York Times, NDTV, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Indian Express, Al Jazeera)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence
Other Social Media Presence

Notable Rhetoric

  • “You know what they are doing? They are giving missiles, they are sending bombs, there in Palestine, they are fighting with stones, and they call us terrorists. America is sending bombers, Patriot missiles, they are sending cluster bombs...for what? It is a coward act.” 7/13/16, YouTube

  • “I ask the non-Muslims, suppose you are the principal of a school and you intend to select a mathematics teacher. Three candidates come and you ask them, what’s the total of 2 plus 2? The first replies: 2 plus 2 equals 3. The second answers: 2 plus 2 equals 4. And the third one answers that 2 plus 2 equals 6. Now, I ask these non-Muslims, will you allow the candidate to teach in your school who says that 2 plus 2 equals 3 or that 2 plus 2 equals 6? They’ll say, no. I ask, why? They’ll say, because he does not have correct knowledge of mathematics. Similarly, as far as matters of religion are concerned we (Muslims) know for sure that only Islam is a true religion in the eyes of God. In the Holy Quran (3:85), it is mentioned that God will never accept any religion other than Islam. As far as the second question, regarding building of churches or temples is concerned, how can we allow this when their religion is wrong and when their worshipping is wrong? Therefore, we will not allow such wrong things in our Islamic country.” 11/29/08, translation, YouTube

  • “In religious matters only we know for sure that we Muslims are right. They (non-Muslims) are not sure. Thus, in our country we can’t allow preaching other religions because we know for sure that only Islam is the right religion. However, if a non-Muslim likes to practise his religion in an Islamic country, he can do so inside his home — but he can’t propagate his religion. It is exactly as if a teacher thinks in his mind that 2 plus 2 equals 3. He has the right to do so, but we can never allow such a person to teach this to our children. Non-Muslims are no doubt experts in science and technology. But they (non-Muslims) are not sure about religious truths. Therefore, we are trying to get them to the right path of Islam.” 11/29/08, translation, YouTube

Jasimuddin Rahmani

Affiliation: Ansarullah Bangla Team

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Islamist cleric Jasimuddin Rahmani is the spiritual leader of the Bangladeshi terrorist group Ansarulla Bangla Team (ABT). He was the former leader of the Hatembagh Mosque in Dhanmondi, Bangladesh. Rahmani himself was reportedly inspired by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki. According to investigators, ABT sought retribution against atheists or those who speak against the Quran, Hadith, or the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Rahmani is reportedly particularly influential among Bangladeshi émigrés. Akayed Ullah, who allegedly attempted to set off a suicide bomb in the New York City subway in December 2017, was reportedly radicalized in part by listening to Rahmani’s lectures online and reading his writings. Rahmani is serving a five-year prison sentence in Bangladesh for inspiring the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider by ABT members. Rahmani admitted that his rhetoric may have influenced the murderers. Wahidur Rahman, father of ABT member Junnun Sikder, told Bangladeshi media that Rahmani had radicalized his son “by misinterpreting Islam.” (Sources: Washington Post, Daily Star, Daily Star, New York Times, Daily Star, Daily Star)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence

Not determined.

Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

Not determined.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Affiliation: Muslim Brotherhood

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Yusuf al-Qaradawi is an Islamist theologian and the unofficial ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Doha-based cleric—known for his extremist rhetoric and militant fatwas (religious decrees)—is one of Sunni Islam’s most influential scholars. The Brotherhood has twice offered Qaradawi leadership positions within the group, but he has refused both times, stating he does not want to limit his reach by joining any organization that might “constrain [his] actions.” However, he has continually cited Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna as his biggest influence. Qaradawi is banned from entering the United States, the United Kingdom, and France due to his reputation as a violence-inciting Islamist. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have designated Qaradawi as a terrorist. Qaradawi’s writings, speeches, and fatwas have called for the murder of American civilians and troops in Iraq, gay people, and Jews. He has also expressed support for domestic violence against women. (Sources: Al Jazeera, Anti-Defamation League, Fox News, Guardian, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, MEMRI)

Online Presence

Youtube Presence
Twitter Presence
Facebook Presence

Various personal accounts in Qaradawi’s name.

Other Social Media Presence

Not determined.

Notable Rhetoric

  • “Our wish should be that we carry out Jihad to death.” 5/8/13, Reuters

  • “Allah, deal with the tyrannical and despotic Jews.” 11/16/12, translation, translation, YouTube

  • “Kerry, who ran against Bush, was supported by homosexuals and nudists. But it was Bush who won, because he is Christian, right-wing, tenacious, and unyielding. In other words, the religious overcame the perverted.” 6/5/06, translation, YouTube

  • “Nobody gets killed or oppressed without fighting back for himself and his people...The nation of Muhammad, the powerful nation, the nation that believes in her Lord and her book, the nation that believes in her Muhammad, the nation that believes in the power of its Islam; this nation will never bow in humiliation before Israel’s arrogance.” 11/16/12, translation, YouTube

Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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