SISI'S APPEAL
Egypt's president is redoubling his efforts to reshape the interpretation and practice of Islam. "The Muslim world is going through a dangerous turning point and is facing unprecedented challenges targeting its existence and people," Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a public speech in June in Cairo. The Egyptian leader used the occasion to warn that jihadists were taking advantage of ethnic and communal differences to create divisions in the Muslim world, and blamed outdated "religious discourse" for many of Egypt's problems. His solution? A wholesale revision of religious rhetoric on the part of Egyptian clergy and scholars. (Cairo Al-Ahram, June 29, 2016)
TERRORISM AND THE INTERNET OF THINGS
As more and more of our everyday objects are connected to the Internet (a phenomenon colloquially known as the "Internet of Things"), terrorist groups are acquiring the cyber capabilities to seriously threaten major cities across the world. Robert Hannigan, the director of the United Kingdom's Government Communications Headquarters, has warned publicly that certain nation states are developing cyber programs that would allow them to attack the UK, and that terrorist groups could utilize these programs as well, with devastating results. "We're not quite there yet," Hannigan told an audience at the Cheltenham Science festival, "but as the world becomes ever more connected that will become a greater risk." (LondonTelegraph, June 9, 2016)
THE ISLAMIC STATE'S SHIFTING STRATEGY
ISIS may be facing growing pressure from coalition forces in its self-declared "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria, but the organization is still thinking big, a new UN study has warned. The report, issued by the UN Security Council, discloses that ISIS has killed or injured more then 500 people with attacks in 11 countries in the past six months, outside of its normal activities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, or Yemen. The global threat posed by the militant group, the study warns, continues to metastasize as the Islamic State faces financial constraints and territorial losses. The result is a change in organizational behavior, many foreign fighters are going as far as returning to their home countries in order to "conduct terrorist attacks in their country of origin or residence." (Riyadh Al Arabiya, June 3, 2016)
JITTERY IN SEOUL
South Korea's state intelligence agency is stepping up its monitoring of Islamic State activity in Asia. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has warned publicly that the terrorist group has gathered information on 77 different U.S. and NATO facilities worldwide, many of them in the area of responsibility (AOR) of United States Pacific Command. And while it has so far remained silent on specific threats, Seoul is clearly bracing for the possibility of an uptick in terrorism in Asia - including, potentially, against South Korean citizens. According to the NIS, "terror against South Korean citizens and foreigners in this country is becoming a reality." (Japan Times, June 21, 2016)
AL-QAEDA REEMERGES IN SOUTH ASIA
In the Pakistani port city of Karachi, local officials are worried that al-Qaeda - once marginalized - is regaining support under a new moniker. That terror group, known as al-Qaeda in the Indian-Subcontinent (AQIS), was launched back in 2014 with the objective of slowing the growth of rival Islamist groups (such as the Islamic State) in the area. But the group has shown new dynamism of late in both Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, leading to concerns that the organization is making new partnerships (with groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi) and gaining operational capabilities. "They are making a comeback of sorts," confirms Saifullah Mehsud of the FATA Research Center. "But it's a different, more localized al-Qaeda."(Washington Post, June 3, 2016)
ISIS TARGETS AFRICAN YOUTH
The Nigerian government is warning its citizens of a newly-created cellphone app for children developed by the Islamic State. The application, known as Huroof, aims to attract children to jihad by teaching them the Arabic alphabet through guns and other warfare imagery. Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noted that "the application utilizes colourful illustrations that attract and engage the attention of young children," and has encouraged parents to be wary of any indoctrination attempts on their children. (Lagos Guardian, June 29, 2016)
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