This study delves into the role of social media in the realm of Islamist militancy, with a particular emphasis on Bangladesh, a country with the third-largest Muslim population. Employing a content analysis approach, this study finds that while explicit calls to join Islamist militancy are rare, social media platforms contribute to the creation of a moral foundation for militant ideology and provide justification for violent acts. Additionally, the study highlights the influence of social media in motivating young individuals to participate in Islamist militancy, although the direct impact of online radicalisation on real-life actions remains uncertain. The findings underscore the need for further research on the dynamics between social media and Islamist militancy and their implications for countering militant ideologies.
AhsanZ. (2016, July24). Terrorist in 10 months. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/terrorist-10-months-1258498
2.
AhsanZ. (2017, February12). Dhaka-Syria-Dhaka. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/dhaka-syria-dhaka-1355287
3.
AlamS. S. (2020July1). Coronakale jongira bose nei, cholche online sodosyo songroho[Militants remain active during corona, online recruitment going on]. Prothom Alo. https://cutt.ly/NQIQ9V5
4.
AlavaS., Frau-MeigsD., & HassanG. (2017). Youth and violent extremism on social media: Mapping the research. UNESCO.
5.
AmitS., RahmanI., & MannanS. (2020). Social media and radicalisation of university students in Bangladesh. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 15(3), 228–243.
6.
BasharI. (2019). Islamic state ideology continues to resonate in Bangladesh. Middle East Institute, 3.
7.
BBC. (2019, November, 27). Holey Artisan cafe: Bangladesh Islamists sentenced to death for 2016 attack. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50570243
8.
BeininJ. (2005). Political Islam and the new global economy: The political economy of an Egyptian social movement. The New Centennial Review, 5(1), 111–139.
9.
BhattC. (2021). Words and violence: Militant Islamist attacks on bloggers in Bangladesh and the UK. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 44(14), 2615–2636.
10.
BhuiyanS. I. (2016). From missing young men to murderers. Prothom Alo, July4. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/From-missing-young-men-to-murderers
11.
BIPSS. (2017). Local drivers and dynamics of youth radicalisation in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.
12.
BjeloperaJ. P. (2011). American jihadist terrorism: Combating a complex threat. Congressional Research Service Report for Congress. Congress Research Service.
13.
BlakerL. (2016). The Islamic State’s use of online social media. Military Cyber Affairs, 1(1), 4.
14.
BTRC (2023). Mobile subscriber. Bangladesh National Portal. https://btrc.portal.gov.bd/site/page/0ae188ae-146e-465c-8ed8-d76b7947b5dd
15.
CastellsM. (2010). The rise of the network society, The information age: Economy, society and culture (Vol. 1). Wiley-Blackwell.
16.
ChatfieldA. T., ReddickC. G., & BrajawidagdaU. (2015). Tweeting propaganda, radicalization and recruitment: Islamic state supporters multi-sided Twitter networks. In Proceedings of the 16th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (pp. 239–249).
17.
ColeF. L. (1988). Content analysis: Process and application. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 2(1), 53–57.
18.
CorrayaS. (2017, March23). About 82 per cent of militants radicalised on social media in Bangladesh. Asian News. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/About-82-per-cent-of-militants-radicalised-on-social-media-in-Bangladesh-40277.html
19.
Crisis Group. (2018). Countering jihadist militancy in Bangladesh. International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/bangladesh/295-countering-jihadist-militancy-bangladesh
20.
CTB. (n.d.). Section 17. Organizing a boycott. Community Tool Box. https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/organize-boycott/main
21.
DataReportal. (2022, February15). Digital 2022: Bangladesh. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-bangladesh
22.
DaymonC., & CriezisM. (2020). Pandemic narratives: Pro-Islamic state media and the coronavirus. CTC Sentinel, 13(6), 26–32.
23.
EloS., & KyngäsH. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 107–115.
24.
FairC. C., & AbdallahW. (2017). Islamist militancy in Bangladesh: Public awareness and attitudes. Resolve Network. Research Brief No. 4.
25.
FairC., & OldmixonS. (2015). Think again: Islamism and militancy in Bangladesh. The National Interest. https://nationalinterest.org/feature/think-again-islamism-militancy-bangladesh-13567
GTI. (2020). Global terrorism index 2020 measuring the impact of terrorism. Institute of Economics and Peace. https://visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GTI-2020-web-1.pdf
28.
HaleW. C. (2012). Extremism on the world wide web: A research review. Criminal Justice Studies, 25(4), 343–356.
29.
HaqF. (2011). Bangla blog community: Matprakash, virtual protirodh athoba bichchinno manusher community garar khudha [Bangla blog community: Opinion, virtual resistance or the hunger for creating community of the detached people]. Yogayog, 10, 151–178.
30.
HargoodC. (2009). Exploring the importance of themes in narrative systems. University of Southampton, School of Electronics and Computer Science, Ph.D. thesis, pp. 1–42.
31.
HasanM., & MacdonaldG. (2022). The persistent challenge of extremism in Bangladesh. Special Report. US Institute of Peace. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep41834.pdf
32.
HassanK. (2017, March24). 82% Bangladeshi militants radicalised through social media. Prothom Alo. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/news/143243/82%25-Bangladeshi-militants-radicalised-through
33.
HoskinsA., AwanA., & O’LoughlinB. (2011). Radicalisation and media: Connectivity and terrorism in the new media ecology. Routledge.
34.
HossainM. S. (2015). Social media and terrorism: Threats and challenges to the modern era. South Asian Survey, 22(2), 136–155.
35.
HussainI. (2007). Fundamentalism and Bangladesh: no error, no terror. South Asian Survey, 14(2), 207–229.
36.
HutchinsonA. (2023). Facebook depreciates hashtag topics in groups. Social Media Today. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-depreciates-hashtag-topics-in-groups/644261/
37.
LabuN. (2021, July30). Onlinee boma toirir school chalato jongi Forkan[Online bomb training school was being operated by militant Forkan]. Bangla Tribune. https://tinyurl.com/mvdhdtup
38.
MajumderS. (2016, July05). Bangladesh attack: Searching for the affluent jihadists. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36710177
39.
MamtaziM. (2019, October16). Onlinee jongi bananor fand[Online traps to turn individuals into militants]. Bangladesh Pratidin. https://www.bd-pratidin.com/last-page/2019/10/16/466389
40.
ManikJ. A., & AnandG. (2016, July3). After slaughter, Bangladesh reels at revelations about attackers. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/04/world/asia/bangladesh-dhaka-terrorism.html
MiaM. J. (2017). Bangladesh: The effect of political, economic and social imparity and the rise of Islamic militancy. Conflict Studies Quarterly, 18, 3–19.
43.
MiskimmonA., O’LoughlinB., & RoselleL. (2013). Strategic narratives: Communication power and the new world order. Routledge.
44.
MithuA. I., & KamalR. S. (2020July29). Has Covid-19 provided radical groups with fertile hunting ground? The business standard. https://tbsnews.net/feature/panorama/has-covid-19-provided-radical-groups-fertile-hunting-ground-112972
45.
MostofaS. M. (2021). Understanding Islamist militancy in Bangladesh. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 56(8), 2036–2051.
46.
NeuendorfK. A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Sage Publications.
47.
NeumannP. R. (2013). Options and strategies for countering online radicalization in the United States. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 36(6), 431–459.
48.
O’KeefeD. J. (2015). Persuasion: Theory and research(3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
49.
OrthZ., AndipatinM., MukumbangF. C., & van WykB. (2020). Applying qualitative methods to investigate social actions for justice using social media: Illustrations from Facebook. Social Media+ Society, 6(2), 2056305120919926.
50.
PantucciR. (2011). A typology of lone wolves: Preliminary analysis of lone Islamist terrorists. Developments in radicalization and political violence. International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence. http://icsr.info/2011/04/a-typology-of-lone-wolves-preliminary-analysis-ofloneislamist-terrorists/
51.
ParvezS. (2017). Internet and radicalization in Bangladesh. InKashemT. S. B., RahmanM., AhmedS., . (Eds), Democracy and governance: Contemporary issues in Bangladesh. North South University.
52.
ParvezS. (2019a). ‘The Khilafah’s soldiers in Bengal’: Analysing the Islamic state Jihadists and their violence justification narratives in Bangladesh. Perspectives on Terrorism, 13(5), 22–38.
53.
ParvezS. (2019b). Digital media and violent extremism in Bangladesh: Profiles and narratives. Journal of Bangladesh Studies, 21(1), 60–67.
54.
PrechtT. (2008). Homegrown terrorism and Islamist radicalization in Europe: From conversion to terrorism. An assessment of the factors influencing violent Islamist extremism and suggestions for counter radicalization measures. Danish Ministry of Defence.
55.
RabbiA. R. (2020May5). 17 JMB members arrested on their way to Saudi Arabia. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/05/05/17-jmb-members-arrested-on-their-way-to-saudi-arabia
56.
RahmanA. (2022, July29). Bangladesh, a country of over 45 million youths. Prothom Alo. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/o9i009reql
57.
RashidH. U. (2016, August1). Crimes by social networking sites(in Bengali). DW Bangla. https://bit.ly/3urqFep
58.
RiazA. (2008). Islamist militancy in Bangladesh: A complex web. Routledge.
59.
RiazA. (2017). Lived Islam and Islamism in Bangladesh. Prothoma Prokashan.
60.
RiazA., & ParvezS. (2018). Bangladeshi militants: What do we know?Terrorism and Political Violence, https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1481312
61.
RudnerM. (2017). Electronic jihad: The internet as Al Qaeda’s catalyst for global terror. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 40(1), 10–23.
62.
SchmidleR. E. (2009). Positioning theory and terrorist networks. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 40(1), 65–78.
63.
SharmaS. (2014). Environmental movements and social networking sites in Bangladesh. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 8(4), 380–393.
64.
SharmaS. (2020). Unanticipated movements: Examining the role of ICT in leadership and decision making during the Shahbag protests in Bangladesh. Asiascape: Digital Asia, 7(3), 187–210.
65.
SharmaS. (2021a). COVID-19 pandemic, social media and violent extremism: Experiences from Bangladesh, Paper presented at the 7th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
66.
SharmaS. (2021b). Instrument to rule? Examining the impact of Bangladesh’s counter-terrorism laws on freedom of expression. In Workneh Téwodros, Haridakis Paul (Eds.), Counter-terrorism laws and freedom of expression: Global perspectives. Lexington Books.
67.
SharmaS. (2015). Nirbachone Samayik Yogayog Madhyom: Bastobota o Somvabona[Social media in election: Reality and prospects]. The Chittagong University Journal of Social Sciences, 33(1), 255–276.
68.
SharmaS. (2023). Understanding female jihadism in Bangladesh: New trends in ‘new normal’?Journal of Asian and African Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096231176737
69.
SharmaS., & RahamanA. (2018). Citizen journalism in Bangladesh: Journalism with fear?Paper presented at the First International Conference on Media, Communication and Journalism, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
70.
SnelsonC. L. (2016). Qualitative and mixed methods social media research: A review of the literature. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 15(1), 1–15.
71.
Stubbs-RichardsonM., RaderN. E., Ȧ CosbyA. G. (2018). Tweeting rape culture: Examining portrayals of victim blaming in discussions of sexual assault cases on Twitter. Feminism & Psychology, 28(1), 90–108.
72.
SwapanH. U. R. (2018July1). Bangladesher jangira ki dome geche? [Have Bangladeshi militants lost courage?]DW. https://cutt.ly/LQIWWZ9
73.
The Business Standard. (2022, July27). 37% adults in country are internet users. https://www.tbsnews.net/tech/37-adults-country-are-internet-users-466238
74.
The Daily Star. (2016, July4). Who are they?https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/who-are-they-1250065
75.
WeimannG. (2016). The emerging role of social media in the recruitment of foreign fighters. Inde GuttryA., CaponeF., PaulussenC.(Eds.), Foreign fighters under international law and beyond. T.M.C. Asser Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-099-2_6
76.
WestL. J. (2016). #jihad: Understanding social media as a weapon. Security Challenges, 12(2), 9–26.
77.
ZaleskiK. L., GundersenK. K., BaesJ., EstupinianE., & VergaraA. (2016). Exploring rape culture in social media forums. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 922–927.
