Daesh (ISIS) released the 15th issue of it’s official magazine Dabiq yesterday under the title “Break the Cross”, and the most recent issue is about what you’d expect - more of the same hateful writings and puzzlingly complex historical arguments supporting the inhumane conditions in their so-called Islamic State.
This time, however, Daesh has seized the opportunity to comment on recent events in France, Florida, Germany, and elsewhere, as well as call for more violent attacks on “Crusaders” in the West. Specifically mentioning Omar Mateen (the shooter in the Orlando, Florida attack that killed 49 in an LGBT nightclub), Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel (the driver of the truck in the Nice, France attack that killed 80 and injured over 300), and other “soldiers of the Caliphate”.
Indeed, “operational updates” are an entire section of this issue of Dabiq. The updates covered a wide array of Daesh and Daesh-related attacks throughout the world - from attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria to the Karradah attack in Baghdad that killed over 200 civilians in a popular mall. But that’s not the focus of this latest issue, which is quite prolific in scope.
The decadence of the West, homosexuality, marijuana consumption, and the “promiscuity” of Western women are all given time and critiqued in stylish and well-written prose. Even the gravestone of US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who recently became a household name following his parents’ speech at the 2016 Democratic convention, was featured - captioned with “Beware of dying as an apostate.”
Much of the magazine appears to be targeted towards Muslims sympathetic with the militant organization or those well versed in the Quran. Two sections specifically focus on internal religious issues, like “Contemplate the Creation” and “The Fitrah of Mankind”, but others are seemingly focused on the curious Western reader.
For example, a piece called “Why We Hate You and Why We Fight You” directly addresses the Western non-Muslim in a six-point list that explains the rationale for Daesh’s violent jihad.
Two pieces in particular,“Words of Sincere Advice” and “How I Came to Islam”, were penned by two converts to Islam. The latter is a story of a Finnish woman who now lives in Daesh-controlled Syria, a rosy-eyed praise of the life she’s living - par for the course in Daesh propaganda. The former is more shocking.
“Words of Sincere Advice” is penned by an American convert to Islam living in the “Islamic State”. He encourages all non-Muslims to convert, and all believing Muslims to immigrate to Daesh-controlled areas and live in the “Caliphate”.
For those who can’t, he envies them: “[They] have been blessed with the opportunity to serve a much greater purpose than dwelling among Muslims and waging jihad on the outer edges of the land of Islam. Indeed, you are behind enemy lines, able to strike them where it hurts them most.”
In light of recent events, this call to violence comes at a painful time for Europe and the United States. Nevertheless, the 82-page propaganda piece is more of the same from Daesh - and will be mostly ignored.
