Latest Articles about Domestic/Social

A Portrait of the Islamic State’s British Propagandist Ifthekar Jaman
Since the start of the Syrian civil war, British police estimate that at least 700 British Muslims are believed to have traveled to that country to fight for various jihadist groups (BBC, September 18). Few have so far achieved significant leadership positions or any enduring... MORE

Egypt’s Most Wanted—Hisham Ali Ashmawy Mosaad Ibrahim
Hisham Ali Ashmawy Mosaad Ibrahim (a.k.a. Abu Omar al-Muhajir al-Masri) is a former Egyptian military officer turned al-Qaeda jihadist who has become the most wanted militant in Egypt. He defected from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM), a Sinai Peninsula-based group, after the group declared an oath... MORE

Asia Ahmed Mohamed: Spain’s Islamic State Recruiter in Ceuta
Born into a Muslim family in Spain’s Ceuta, Asia Ahmed Mohamed is just one of several Spanish women who have traveled to Iraq or Syria to join the Islamic State or another jihadist militia. She became connected to the militant group when she was searching... MORE

Mustafa Cemilev Denies Russian Allegations of Crimean Tatars Recruiting Fighters for the Islamic State
In recent months, a debate arose about the formation of a Muslim Battalion in Ukraine (see EDM, September 5). This was soon followed, in the Russian media, by rumors about the Crimean Tatar leadership’s alleged links with the Islamic State (IS). On October 5, 2015,... MORE

Demise of Caucasus Emirate Causes Rift Among Chechen Militants
Amir Abu Khamza (Ahmad Umarov), brother of the slain leader of the Caucasus Emirate, Doku Umarov, has made an unexpected statement. Over the past several years, Abu Khamza has been the amir (head) of the Majlis Shura (an advisory body) of the Nokhchiycho Velayat (the... MORE

The Evolution of Sunni Jihadism in Lebanon Since 2011
Since the Syrian civil war began in early 2011, the conflict has reignited sectarian tensions in neighboring Lebanon, transforming parts of the country into flashpoints of violence and operational spaces for militant groups. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Sunni jihadists, as well as a variety... MORE

The Swarm: Terrorist Incidents in France
The terrorist threat from Sunni jihadists connected to France presents multiple challenges to the French authorities due to the number of distinct entities involved and the volume of events generated by their activities. The threat comes from returning foreign fighters, supporters of the Islamic State,... MORE

Putin Wants Ukraine to Renegotiate Terms Directly With Donetsk-Luhansk
Ukraine held local elections, on October 25, throughout the country, including most of the government-controlled territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, but not in the Russian-controlled territory of those provinces. There, the Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” (DPR, LPR) prevented the holding of local... MORE

Islamic State Branch in North Caucasus Follows Same Organizational Pattern as Caucasus Emirate
The head of the Russian Investigative Committee’s branch in Dagestan, Eduard Kaburneyev, recently made public that a criminal investigation has been launched into the establishment of the “Velayat Dagestan of the Islamic State” criminal group (Gazeta.ru, October 22). The Investigative Committee has named Rustam Asilderov... MORE

Ukraine’s Local Polls, Marred by Irregularities in Big Cities, Show East-West Split Remains
The ruling coalition won most local elections across Ukraine on October 25, according to preliminary figures. Results from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) are expected next week, but it is already clear that compared to the 2010 local elections, the kleptocratic elites who used to... MORE