Jihadism and hip-hop

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While many Islamist jihadists view hip-hop negatively due to its Western origins[ citation needed ], there have also been examples of hip-hop songs with pro-jihadist lyrics, and of jihadists embracing hip-hop and gangsta culture as a way of attracting Westerners to join their organizations. The phenomenon is sometimes known as "Jihad Cool" and includes music, clothing, magazine, videos and other media.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Notable examples

German rapper Deso Dogg later took the names Abu Talha al-Almani [1] and Abou Maleeq, and joined ISIL in 2014.

British-born Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary rapped under the name L Jinny, is the son of Egyptian militant Adel Abdel Bari. Jinny once tweeted a photo of himself holding a man's severed head, with the words "Chillin' with my homie or what's left of him." [2]

One American rapper, Omar Hamaami, who later joined al-Shabaab, released a song with the lyrics "Bomb by bomb, blast by blast, only going to bring back the glorious past." [3]

In 2006, Aki Nawaz of the group Fun-Da-Mental released an album with lyrics comparing Osama bin Laden to Che Guevara and depicting the Statue of Liberty as an Abu Ghraib prisoner. [4]

Analysis

Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir's book, Representing Islam: Hip-hop of the September 11 Generation, states that the unproblematic internalisation of gangsta hip-hop has led to what these rappers are calling a G-had. [5] The phenomenon of jihadi rap has been around since at least 2004, when the song "Dirty Kuffar" was released.

Anthropologist Scott Atran argues that the phenomenon results from a search for "sacred values" and what Edmund Burke called "the sublime"; a "quest for greatness, glory, eternal meaning in an inherently chaotic world". [2]

Political historian Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou argues in his book A Theory of ISIS - Political Violence and the Transformation of the Global Order that the choreography and the soundscape (notably the nasheeds) of the transnational re-imagined and 'remixed' violence of the Islamic State partly borrows from the urban culture of hip-hop. [6]

Amil Khan has cited Douglas McCain as yet another example of this phenomenon, and said that both Islamism and gangsta rap foster a "sense of grievance towards wider society" and "focus on vengeance and fetishize violence as a way of redressing the balance". Khan says that while researching young Islamists in London, he found that they looked to the works of 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur for inspiration. Khan argues that what sets ISIL apart from other jihadist groups, and makes it far more dangerous as a result, is its ability to harness hip-hop to "bestow on its struggle a counter-culture sense of subversive 'cool' that mainstream political parties and even commercial brands might envy." ISIL's marketing methods and overall strategies are also reminiscent of those used by street gangs. [7]

Hisham Aidi has written a book, Rebel Music: Race, Empire, and the New Muslim Youth Culture describing the phenomenon of Islamist hip-hop. Aidi also mentions that the United States and other Western governments have attempted to use hip-hop and Sufi music to fight terrorism by deradicalizing young Muslims.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political hip-hop</span> Music genre

Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the 1980s as a form of political expression and activism. It typically addresses sociopolitical issues through lyrics, aiming to inspire action, promote social change, or convey specific political viewpoints. The genre draws inspiration from earlier politically conscious artists, such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, as well as movements like the Black Power movement and the Black Panther Party from the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadism</span> Islamist movements for jihad

Jihadism is a neologism for militant Islamic movements that seek to base the state on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief held by some Muslims that armed confrontation with political rivals is an efficient and theologically legitimate method of socio-political change. It is a form of religious violence and has been applied to various insurgent Islamic extremist, militant Islamist, and terrorist individuals and organizations whose ideologies are based on the Islamic notion of lesser jihad from the classical interpretation of Islam. It has also been applied to various Islamic empires in history, such as the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates of the early Muslim conquests, and the Ottoman Empire. There were also the Fula jihads in West Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salafi jihadism</span> Transnational Sunni Islamist religious-political ideology

Salafi jihadism, also known as Wahhabi jihadism, Salafi-jihadism, jihadist Salafism and revolutionary Salafism, is a religiopolitical Sunni Islamist ideology that seeks to establish a global caliphate. An extreme, jihadist interpretation of the broader Salafism movement, Salafi jihadism is characterized by the advocacy of physical violence against both non-Muslims, and self-proclaimed Muslims deemed to be heretics or apostates. In a narrower sense, jihadism refers to the belief that armed confrontation with political rivals is an efficient and theologically legitimate method of socio-political change. The Salafist interpretation of sacred Islamic texts is "in their most literal, traditional sense", which adherents claim will bring about the return to "true Islam".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Cuspert</span> German rapper and Islamic State member (1975–2018)

Denis Mamadou Gerhard Cuspert, also known by his stage name Deso Dogg and his nom de guerreAbu Talha al-Almani, was a German rapper who became a member of the Islamic State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ansar Bait al-Maqdis</span> Defunct Egyptian jihadist militant group (2011–2014)

Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, or Ansar Al-Quds, was an Islamist jihadist, extremist terrorist group based in the Sinai Peninsula from 2011 to 2014.

The Moderate Front is an alliance composed of former jihadis, ex-members of the Muslim Brotherhood and ex-al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya members. The leader of the alliance is Sabra al-Qasemy al-Wasateyya, who was a former member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The alliance was founded after the 30 June ouster of Mohamed Morsi and subsequent attacks on civilians. The coalition has supported Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for president in the Egyptian 2014 presidential election. The Muslim Brotherhood has been criticized by the group for its calling for protests on the anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes; the members of the alliance want the Brotherhood to turn away from violence. One of the members of the organization, Amr Emara, is also the coordinator of the Dissident Brotherhood Youth Alliance. The leader of the Democratic Jihad Party is currently a member of the front.

Jihad Cool is a term used by American security experts concerning the rebranding of militant jihadism into something fashionable, or "cool" to younger people through social media, magazines, rap videos, clothing, propaganda videos, and other means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadi John</span> Kuwaiti-British militant and ISIS executioner (1988–2015)

Mohammed Emwazi was a British militant of Kuwaiti origin seen in several videos produced by the Islamist extremist group Islamic State (IS) showing the beheadings of a number of captives in 2014 and 2015. A group of his hostages nicknamed him "John" since he was part of a four-person terrorist cell with English accents whom they called 'The Beatles'; the press later began calling him "Jihadi John".

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom. British citizens have fought as members of the group, and there has been political debate on how to punish them. On 26 September 2014, Parliament voted to begin Royal Air Force airstrikes against ISIL in northern Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government, which began four days later, using Tornado GR4 jets. On 2 December 2015, the UK Parliament authorised an extension to the Royal Air Force airstrike campaign, joining the US-led international coalition against ISIL in Syria. Hours after the vote, Royal Air Force Tornado jets began bombing ISIL-controlled oilfields.

Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary was a British rapper and Islamic State militant. He was the son of Adel Abdel Bari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State beheadings</span> Mostly 2014–2015 beheadings by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Beginning in 2014, a number of people from various countries were beheaded by the Islamic State (IS), a radical Sunni Jihadist group operating in Iraq and Syria as well as elsewhere. In January 2014, a copy of an IS penal code surfaced describing the penalties it enforces in areas under its control, including multiple beheadings. Beheading videos have been frequently posted by IS members to social media. Several of the recorded beheadings were conducted by Mohammed Emwazi, whom the media referred to as "Jihadi John" before his identification. The beheadings received wide coverage around the world and attracted international condemnation. Political scientist Max Abrahms posited that IS may be using well-publicized beheadings as a means of differentiating itself from Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and identifying itself with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaeda member who beheaded Daniel Pearl. The publicised beheadings represent a small proportion of a larger number of total people killed following capture by IS.

"The Beatles" was the nickname for an Islamic State terrorist group composed of four British militants. The group was named by their hostages after the English rock group The Beatles, who referred to the members as "John", "Paul", "George", and "Ringo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derna campaign (2014–2016)</span> Military campaign in Libya

In October 2014, the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of numerous government buildings, security vehicles and local landmarks in the Eastern Libyan coastal city of Derna. Although some media outlets reported the control as being absolute, rival groups like the al-Qaeda-affiliated Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade continued to control parts of the city. Clashes erupted between ISIL and an alliance of Islamist groups in June 2015, with ISIL retreating from Derna to outlying suburbs the following month. However, clashes continued between the Islamist alliance and the Tobruk-based government forces.

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The Bethnal Green trio are Amira Abase, Shamima Begum, and Kadiza Sultana, three British girls who attended the Bethnal Green Academy in London before leaving home in February 2015 to join the Islamic State. According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, they were among an estimated 550 women and girls from Western countries who had travelled to join IS—part of what some have called "a jihadi, girl-power subculture", the so-called Brides of ISIL. As of 2024, one girl has been reported killed (Sultana), one girl has been stripped of her British citizenship and denied re-entry into the country (Begum) while the third's fate is unknown (Abase).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna</span>

The Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna was a coalition of Islamist militias that advocated the implementation of Sharia law within Derna, Libya. Besides seeking to implement strict social mores in Derna, the alliance was known for its open opposition to Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade</span> Islamist militant group active in the Gaza Strip

The Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, also known as Islamic State in Gaza, was an Islamist militant group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant that was reportedly active in the Gaza Strip around 2015. Its goals have consistently matched those of the Islamic State, in that it seeks to establish the al-Sham caliphate. As such, it opposes all forms of Palestinian nationalism while also supporting the elimination of all Jews and other ethno-religious 'infidels' from the region.

Collaboration with the Islamic State refers to the cooperation and assistance given by governments, non-state actors, and private individuals to the Islamic State (IS) during the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War, and Libyan Civil War.

Abu Khalid al-Suri, also known as Mohamed al-Bahaiya or Abu Umayr al-Shami, was a Syrian Islamist insurgent who was often affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, Osama Bin Laden and the Syrian Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham. Al-Suri is also said to be a veteran, having participated in fighting in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iraq. He was believed to be assassinated by an ISIL suicide attack in 2014, however ISIL denied involvement in the attack or regarded it as friendly fire.

References

  1. ↑ Tharoor, Ishaan (25 August 2014). "The strange role of rappers in the Islamic State's jihad". The Washington Post . Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 Dickey, Christopher (25 August 2014). "ISIS, Hip-Hop Jihadists and the Man Who Killed James Foley". The Daily Beast . Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Stuster, J. Dana (29 April 2013). "9 Disturbingly Good Jihadi Raps". Foreign Policy . Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Aidi, Hisham (25 August 2014). "Is Extremist Hip Hop Helping ISIS?". Cicero . Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Mohamed Nasir, Kamaludeen (2020). Representing Islam: Hip-Hop of the September 11 Generation. Indiana University Press. ISBN   9780253053053 . Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  6. ↑ "A Theory of ISIS".
  7. ↑ Kahn, Amil (31 August 2014). "Al Qaeda's New Front: Jihadi Rap". Politico . Retrieved 29 September 2014.
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