Salafi-Jihadism and Digital Media The Nordic and International Context

This book explores the online strategies and presence of Salafi-Jihadi actors in the Nordic as well as the international context. Global Salafi-jihadism has been at the epicentre of international focus during the past decade. This book explores how the Swedish and other Nordic Salafi-jihadist sympathisers have used social digital media to radicalise, recruit, and propagate followers in relation to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and online communities. The chapters in this volume unpack different perspectives of Salafi-jihadi communications strategies, as well as how the international Salafi-jihadi community has constantly reconfigured and adapted to changing security conditions. The case studies of the Nordics constitute a microcosm of wider Salafi-jihadi narratives in relation to the rise and fall of the Islamic State’s so-called ‘digital caliphate’. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism studies, counter-extremism and counter-terrorism, social media and security studies.

List of Figures List of contributing authors Preface 1. Introduction Magnus Ranstorp, Linda Ahlerup & Filip Ahlin 2. Swedish jihadists on social media Linus Gustafsson 3. Swedish ‘media jihad’: The active role of Swedish terrorists and supporters in Islamic State media Michael Krona´ 4. The attractions of Salafi-jihadism as a gendered counterculture: Propaganda narratives from the Swedish online "sisters in deen" Henriette Frees Esholdt 5. Puritan Salafis in a liberal democratic context Susanne Olsson, Simon Sorgenfrei & Jonas Svensson 6. Militants and media in Denmark: Addicted to Facebook? Tore Hamming 7. IS’s global digital arenas: Strategy and platforms Gunnar Weimann, Beatrice Berton & Antonios Samouris 8. The propaganda and narratives of the Islamic State: A gender perspective Anita Perešin 9. Making sense of the Islamic State’s post-territorial (d)evolution: From "remaining and expanding" to "erosion and struggle Charlie Winter 10. Conclusion Magnus Ranstorp, Linda Ahlerup & Filip Ahlin Index

Magnus Ranstorp is Strategic Adviser at the Centre for Societal Security at the Swedish Defence University and has been researching terrorism and counterterrorism for over thirty years. He is also one of the co-founders of the EU Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) and serves as RAN Special Adviser. He is also Reader in Political Science at Åbo Akademi University. Linda Ahlerup is an Analyst at the Swedish Defence University, with a specialisation in issues related to terrorism and violent extremism. She further has work experience from the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the UN in New York. Filip Ahlin is an Analyst at the Swedish Defence University, where he has been focusing on issues in relation to violent extremism, terrorism, and counterterrorism.