JihadPod

JihadPod is back. In light of the Coronavirus, I'm going to teach myself how to edit and produce this. Be patient if the quality is not perfect, but I know people are looking for content now. 

Behnam Said comes on the show to talk about nasheeds. Some of the topics covered include:

• The role of music in Islam and how it relates to nasheeds
• A modern history of the use of nasheeds
• Differences between Sufi, mainstream Islamist, and jihadi nasheeds
• Different themes used in these nasheeds
• Why there has been such an explosion in new nasheeds and media outlets from IS and AQAP recently.

Links:

• Behnam Said – Extremis Project
• Amazon.com author page for Behnam Said
• Hymns (Nasheeds): A Contribution to the Study of the Jihadist Culture – Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
• Behnam Said (@BenSai) | Twitter

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, TankThoughts, and Raihan Kadir for supporting the show. If you’d like to support the podcast please check out the show’s Patreon page!

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Barak Mendelsohn comes on the show to discuss his new book, The al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of al-Qaeda and Its Consequences. Some of the topics covered include:

• How organizations expand
• Why AQ decided to branch out and the strategy behind that decision
• AQ’s choices on where to expand
• Case studies on AQ’s different branches.

Links

• The al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of al-Qaeda and Its Consequences: Barak Mendelsohn Amazon.com
• Barak Mendelsohn (@BarakMendelsohn) | Twitter
• Barak Mendelsohn | Haverford College
• Barak Mendelsohn | Foreign Policy Research Institute

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, TankThoughts, and Raihan Kadir for supporting the show! If you’d like to support the podcast please check out the show’s Patreon page!

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Aaron Stein comes on the show to talk about IS networks in Turkey. Some of the topics covered include:

• How IS developed its network inside Turkey
• Recent attacks in Ankara and Istanbul and the networks behind them
• How these attacks have affected Turkish governmental policy
• How things could play out in the future

Links:

• The Islamic State’s Network in Turkey | Turkey Wonk
• Turkish Jihadism at Home and in Syria with North Caucasus Caucus | Jihadology
• Turkey Wonk: Nuclear and Political Musings in Turkey and Beyond
• Turkey’s New Foreign Policy: Davutoglu, the AKP and the Pursuit of Regional Order
• Aaron Stein (@aaronstein1) | Twitter

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, Raihan Kadir, TankThoughts, and Fredrik Lundqvist for supporting the show. If you’d like to help support the podcast, and get some cool rewards, check out the show’s Patreon page!

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Andrew Lebovich comes on the show to discuss the various jihadi groups that have been active in Mali over the past few years. Some of the topics covered include:

• The political process in Mali after the French intervention
• Why there has been a rise in violence recently
• Why IS has not been able to penetrate Mali like many of the other jihadi zones
• Where things might be going from here 

Links

• Andrew Lebovich | European Council on Foreign Relations
• Andrew Lebovich (@tweetsintheME) | Twitter
• Deciphering Algeria: the stirrings of reform? | European Council on Foreign Relations
• How we talk about Islam in Mali and Beyond | The Wasat

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, TankThoughts, and Raihan Kadir for supporting the show. You can help support the podcast, and get some cool rewards, by checking out the show’s Patreon page.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Bernard Rougier comes on the show to discuss Lebanese Sunni jihadism. Some of the topics covered include:

• How Lebanese first got involved in jihadism in Afghanistan in the 1980s
• How the Lebanese scene became connected to the European and Australian jihadi network
• The role the Iraq war played in the mobilization and recruitment of a new generation
• Background on Fatah al-Islam
• The role Lebanese Sunni jihadis have played in the Syrian war and spillover attacks back home.

Links

• The Sunni Tragedy in the Middle East: Northern Lebanon from al-Qaeda to ISIS (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics): Bernard Rougier
• Everyday Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam among Palestinians in Lebanon: Bernard Rougier, Pascale Ghazaleh

Sponsor:
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Thanks to Haakon Jahr, Raihan Kadir, and Kaspars Gasuns for supporting the show. If you’d like to support the show, and get some cool rewards, check out the show’s Patreon page.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Aymenn al-Tamimi comes on the show for an in-depth discussion of the Islamic State’s finances and economic situation. Some of the topics covered include:

• IS funding prior to 2013
• How IS funding compares to AQ
• Current funding streams, particularly those that are less well known
• Evolution of IS’ economy in the past year and a half
• Potential for IS to export its economic model to its provinces outside Iraq and Syria
• Sustainability of IS finances and its near to medium-term trajectory 

Links:

• The Archivist | JIHADOLOGY
• Musings of an Iraqi Brasenostril on Jihad | JIHADOLOGY
• Archive of Islamic State Administrative Documents :: Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
• Jihad Intel
• The Isis papers: a masterplan for consolidating power | World news | The Guardian
• Aymenn J Al-Tamimi (@ajaltamimi) | Twitter

After the interview we have an updated #SocialMedia segment covering postings from December 8-14.

Thanks to Raihan Kadir, Kaspars Gasuns, and Haakon Jahr for supporting the show. If you’d like to help support the podcast, and get some cool rewards, check out the show’s Patreon page.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Lorenzo Vidino and Seamus Hughes come on the show to talk about their new report ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa. Some of the topics covered include:

• Background on the American jihadi scene
• The demographics of Americans who’ve traveled to join the Islamic State
• The three roles American Islamic State supporters play on social media 

Links:

• ISIS in America | Center for Cyber & Homeland Security | The George Washington University
• Seamus Hughes (@SeamusHughes) | Twitter
• Selected Writings « Lorenzo Vidino

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, Praecast, Raihan Kadir, and Kaspars Gasuns for supporting the show. You can support the podcast, and get some great rewards, by checking out the show’s Patreon page!

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck comes on the show to talk about jihadism in Algeria. Some of the topics covered include:

• Background and history of jihadism in Algeria
• The growth of GIA networks in Europe and its legacy
• Why there haven’t been many Algerian foreign fighters in Syria
• Similarities and differences between the GIA and the Islamic State
• The current status of jihadism in Algeria and Algerian jihadists abroad.

The interview starts at the 34:00 minute mark. Prior to the interview we have a Primary Sources segment covering postings from October 15 – November 23. After the interview we have an updated #Social Media segment covering postings from November 21-29.

Links:

• Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck (@DaliaGhanemYazb) | Twitter
• Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck-Carnegie Middle East Center – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Thanks to Raihan Kadir and Haakon Jahr for supporting the show. If you’d like to support the podcast, and get some cool rewards, check out the show’s Patreon page.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or with our RSS feed.

Charles Lister comes back on the show for an in-depth discussion on jihadism in Syria. Some of the topics covered include:

• Islamism and jihadism in Syria prior to the 2011 uprising
• The entrance and evolution of Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, and Jaysh al-Islam into what became the Syrian war
• Why foreign fighters came into the Syrian conflict
• Why the Islamic State of Iraq decided to enter the war in April 2013 and what it was up to prior to the fitness in January 2014
• What the growth of ISIS and later IS meant for the other extreme factions – JN, Ahrar, and JI.

Links:

• The Syrian Jihad | Hurst Publishers
• Brookings Doha Center | Brookings Institution
• Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) | Twitter

This episode also features an updated #SocialMedia segment, covering postings from November 11-20.

Thanks to Haakon Jahr and Raihan Kadir for supporting the podcast. You can support the show, and get some cool rewards, by checking out the show’s Patreon page.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

In light of the recent attacks in Paris, Timothy Holman comes on the show to discuss the history of French and Belgian jihadi networks. Some of the topics covered include:

• How those networks have been repurposed over time depending on changing political contexts and external conflicts
• The legacy of these networks after the Iraq war
• How the latest attacks in Paris fit into a pattern of plots and attacks in France since 2012 

Links:

• Belgian and French Foreign Fighters in Iraq 2003–2005: A Comparative Case Study– Studies in Conflict & Terrorism – Volume 38, Issue 8
• The French Jihadist ‘Foreign Legion’ in Syria and Iraq – The Jamestown Foundation
• The Swarm: Terrorist Incidents in France – The Jamestown Foundation
• Les Français jihadistes eBook: David Thomson: Amazon.fr: Livres
• Terrorismes, guérillas, stratégie et autres activités humaines
• Timothy Holman (@atgm2010) | Twitter

You can help support the podcast by making a small donation on Patreon! In addition to helping the show, you’ll get access to Patron’s-only bonus content.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

C. Christine Fair comes on the show to talk about Islamism in Bangladesh. Some of the topics covered include:

• History of Islamism in Bangladesh and its intersection with mainstream politics
• The role of Bangladeshi Islamists with Rohingya refugees
• History of al-Qaeda’s involvement in Bangladesh and its newest enterprise through Ansar al-Islam
• What we know about recent Islamic State attacks in Bangladesh

Links:

• Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War
• Think Again: Islamism and Militancy in Bangladesh by C. Christine Fair and Seth Oldmixon | The National Interest
• C. Christine Fair, Author at War on the Rocks
• Christine Fair (@CChristineFair) | Twitter
• Christine Fair – Georgetown University

This episode also features an updated #SocialMedia segment, covering postings from November 2-10.

Thanks to Haakon Jahr and Raihan Kadir for supporting the show. You can support the podcast by making a small donation on Patreon!

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Harun Maruf comes on the show to discuss jihadism in Somalia. Some of the topics covered include:

• What al-Shabab has been up to since the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya
• Background on al-Shabab’s leader Ahmad Umar and how he compares with its former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane
• The state of foreign fighters in Somalia
• The status of The Islamic State’s efforts in Somalia

Links:

• Harun Maruf (@HarunMaruf) | Twitter
• Harun Maruf – Reporter bio – VOA News

This episode also has a new #SocialMedia segment covering postings from October 24-November 1.

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, Kaspars Gasuns, and Raihan Kadir for supporting the podcast! If you’d like to support the show, and get some bonus content, check out the show’s Patreon page.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Mokhtar Awad comes on the show to discuss jihadism in Egypt. Some of the topics covered include:

• The development of jihadism in the Sinai prior to the Egyptian uprising in January 2011
• What jihadi individuals and movements were doing between the 2011 uprising and the coup in July 2013
• A deep dive on Jama’at Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM)
• How ABM has changed since it became Wilayat Sinai of the Islamic State
• The role of IS’ provinces in Libya in the Western Desert of Egypt
• Background on the ABM splinter faction al-Murabitun that is pro-AQ and led by Hisham Ashmawy that pledged baya to Ayman al-Zawahiri

This episode also features a Primary Sources segment covering releases from September 20th to October 14th, and a #SocialMedia segment covering postings from October 14th to 23rd.

Links:

• Bay’a Remorse? Wilayat Sinai and The Nile Valley by Mokhtar Awad and Samuel Tadros | CTC Sentinel
• Egypt’s Escalating Islamist Insurgency by Mokhtar Awad and Mostafa Hashem | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Mokhtar Awad | Center for American Progress
• Mokhtar Awad (@Mokhtar_Awad) | Twitter

Thanks to Haakon Jahr, Raihan Kadir, and Kaspars Gasuns for supporting the show! You can help support the show, and get some great rewards, by visiting the show’s Patreon page

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Will McCants comes on the show to talk about jihadi governance. The conversation is based on a chapter in his new book The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. Aaron and Will discussed numerous cases of jihadi groups attempts to govern, including the Islamic State of Iraq, al-Shabab, AQAP, AQIM, Jabhat al-Nusra, and the Islamic State.

This episode also features a Primary Sources segment covering releases from August 14-September 19 and a #SocialMedia segment on postings from October 7-13.

Links:

• The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State: William McCants
• William McCants | Brookings Institution
• Will McCants (@will_mccants) | Twitter

Thanks to Raihan Kadir and Kaspars Gasuns for supporting the podcast. If you’d like to support the show check out our Patreon page! You can help the podcast and get rewards like access to bonus content, being thanked in the show notes, and more.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Thomas Joscelyn comes on the show to talk about the so-called “Khurasan group.” Some of the topics covered include:

• Why the group came into being and when its members arrived in Syria
• Who are the key players and what are their backgrounds
• What they’ve been up to in Syria and how they relate to Jabhat al-Nusra
• What this group of individuals can tell us about al-Qaeda’s strategy

Links:

• Thomas Joscelyn (@thomasjoscelyn) | Twitter
• The Long War Journal | A Project of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Thomas Joscelyn | Foundation for Defense of Democracies

If you’re a fan of the show please consider supporting it on Patreon!! Your support helps cover the costs associated with producing the show.

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Katherine Zimmerman comes on the show to talk AQAP. Some of the topics covered include:

• AQAP since the death of Awlaqi and their withdrawal from territory in southern Yemen in 2012
• The effect of the rise of the Huthis and how the Saudi/Emirati war in Yemen has affected AQAP
• AQAP’s local outreach and how it compares to what it tried from 2011-2012
• How drone attacks on AQAP leadership have affected the group
• The Islamic State’s activities in Yemen and what they mean for AQAP

Links:

• Katherine Zimmerman » AEI Scholar
• Critical Threats | Katherine Zimmerman
• A New Model for Defeating al Qaeda in Yemen – Katherine Zimmerman | AEI
• AQAP: A Resurgent Threat – Katherine Zimmerman | CTC Sentinel
• Katherine Zimmerman (@KatieZimmerman) | Twitter

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Kyle Orton comes on the show to discuss Islam in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Some of the topics covered include:

• Saddam’s Islamist foreign policy reorientation in the 1980’s
• The Faith Campaign after the Gulf War
• Salafism in Iraq in the 1990’s and its impact on security
• The rise of sectarianism in Iraq

This episode also features a #SocialMedia segment covering jihadi social media postings from September 1st-16th.

Recent articles by Kyle that are relevant to the discussion:

• Saddam and the Islamists, Part 2 | The Syrian Intifada
• A Response to Criticism: Why the Ex-Saddamists in the Islamic State Matter | The Syrian Intifada
• Izzat ad Douri and ISIS
• Saddam Loyalists Running ISIS Are True Believers, Not Secularists| National Review Online

Links:

• The Syrian Intifada | a-shab yurid iskat an-nizam – Kyle’s personal site
• Kyle W. Orton (@KyleWOrton) | Twitter

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

North Caucasus Caucus comes on the show to talk about his recent research trip to Turkey. He and Aaron discussed the evolution of Turkish governmental policy towards jihadis, Turks’ role in jihadi groups and IS in Syria and Turkey, Turkey’s arrest campaign against Jabhat al-Nusra and IS, and more.

This episode also features a #SocialMedia segment covering jihadi social media posts from August 17th to August 31st.

We’re working on a special series on the state of Jihadi Studies, and we need some help from listeners. We’ve conducted interviews with many of the top scholars in the field, and we need some people to volunteer to help transcribe the interviews. If you’re interested in helping please email podcast@jihadology.net Thanks!

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

This episode features an interview with Samar Batrawi on Palestinians and the global jihadi movement. Some of the topics Aaron and Samar discussed include:

• Tensions, or lack thereof, between Palestinian nationalism and global jihadi ideology
• Background and history of Palestinian jihadism
• Palestinians and the Islamic State
• What the global jihadi movement means for local Palestinian politics

This episode also features a discussion of jihadi primary sources, covering releases from July 28th to August 13th, and a #SocialMedia segment on jihadi social media from August 9th to August 15th.

Links:

• Excellent study by Thomas Hegghammer and Joas Wagemakers: “The Palestine Effect: The Role of Palestinians in the Transnational Jihad Movement (PDF)
• International Crisis Group report on “Radical Islam in Gaza” (PDF)
• Keep an eye out for Samar’s article on the latest developments in Gaza which will appear in the August edition of the CTC Sentinel
• Samar Batrawi (@SamarBatrawi) | Twitter

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net, or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.