Global Islamism Monitor No. 135

ISLAMISTS TARGET NIGERIA'S CHRISTIANS
Amid a widening campaign of violence, there is growing international concern over the safety of Christians in Nigeria. In the first 220 days of 2025, an average of 32 Nigerian Christians daily died at the hands of jihadist groups, while a total of 7,899 Christians have been abducted to date in the West African state. The violence itself is not new; the twenty-two jihadist groups known to be active in West Africa have perpetrated attacks on the region's Christian communities for years. Nevertheless, this violence has seen a massive uptick of late, prompting worries – and action – in Washington. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, which would require the Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, potentially opening up the Nigerian government to economic sanctions as a result of its failure to prevent religious freedom violations. (Crux, September 16, 2025)

AN ISIS RESURGENCE IN THE SAHEL
Northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin have seen a significant deterioration of security in the first half of 2025, notes the Small Wars Journal. The Islamic State's regional franchise, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), is showing new signs of life and activity in the region. Since the beginning of 2025, ISWAP has attacked over 300 targets in the area, including military groupings, critical infrastructure, and humanitarian facilities.

This resurgence can be attributed to the group's evolution. It has adapted to fill governance gaps in rural areas of the Sahel, even as it has increasingly harnessed new technology (such as weaponized drones, satellites, AI fundraising platforms, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), and social media) both for control and recruitment. (Small Wars Journal, October 14, 2025)

IRAN AND THE PALESTINIAN ARENA
The Islamic Republic's most prominent Palestinian proxy, Hamas, has been decimated over the past two years as a result of growing Israeli military operations. And now, as a result of President Trump's 20-point peace plan, the group could see its influence diminish still further. Tehran, however, has not given up its hopes of influencing the Palestinian "arena." On October 8th, just hours after President Trump announced a ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas, Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet, interdicted an Iranian shipment of arms destined for militants in the West Bank. The attempted weapons delivery was significant, and included claymore explosives, drones and anti-tank rockets. (Times of Israel, October 8, 2025)

AFTER THE CEASEFIRE, A STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL
Hamas, meanwhile, is attempting to reassert its control over the Gaza Strip in the wake of the ceasefire, which took effect on October 11th. Recent days have seen Hamas carry out a campaign of reprisals against Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel or opposing its draconian rule. On October 13th, for instance, the militia publicly executed eight members of Gaza's influential Doghmush clan, which it accused of "opposing the resistance." Hamas has issued an ultimatum to other suspected collaborators, giving them until October 19th to surrender and seek amnesty – or face retribution.

The Hamas campaign casts growing doubt about the feasibility of the group's disarmament – a core requirement of President Trump's 20-point peace plan. Israeli officials, for their part, have warned that a failure by Hamas to demilitarize and disarm will lead to a resumption of hostilities. President Trump has said the same. In a recent Truth Social post, Trump cautioned: "If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them." (Fox News, October 14, 2025; CBS News, October 14, 2025; Long War Journal, October 15, 2025; CNN, October 16, 2025)