Over the past few weeks extremist groups have made headlines with a new round of recruitment efforts online. From a new video from Somalia based al-Shabaab that featured Donald Trump to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi taking to the airwaves to ask all Muslims to “join the fight.” These efforts have met their match: laughter.
Arab Spring activist Iyad El-Baghdadi translated part of the ISIS leader’s speech on Twitter so that he could analyze it (to be clear: Iyad El-Baghdadi is anti-ISIS).
Here is just a part of Iyad El-Baghdadi’s translation of the ISIS leader’s speech:
ISIS's leader's message is basically "everything is OK despite everyone ganging up on us".
— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) December 26, 2015ISIS leaders: We urgently call upon every Muslim to join the fight, especially those in the land of the two shrines (Saudi Arabia), rise.
— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) December 26, 2015Gotta love the breakdown of the message as “everything is OK despite everyone ganging up on us.”
His translation and analysis inspired the best response from Muslims: ridicule. Ridicule of the ISIS leader’s call to action, dismissing the radical talk with the power of sarcasm, showing that ISIS is utterly absurd.
@iyad_elbaghdadi Sorry. Got a master thesis to defend next week
— Fatma Tounsi (@Fatma_RST) December 28, 2015@iyad_elbaghdadi Can't mate, have to see the new Star Wars first
— Youssef Kobo (@Youssef_Kobo) December 29, 2015@iyad_elbaghdadi just read the Quran, it says no bro. Sorry mate.
— Mehmet Alp Çelebi (@MehmetCelebi) December 28, 2015@mrs_actor_dude@ReciteNews@newscomauHQ Sorry, #ISIS have downed it all. They missed the Quranic verses saying beer & murder are haram.
— Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed (@guidanceofgod) December 29, 2015@iyad_elbaghdadi My dad said I have to be home by 8pm. Will we be done by then?
— Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed (@guidanceofgod) December 27, 2015@iyad_elbaghdadi sorry but this Big Mac is'nt eating itself
— The Lemon Curd (@DarthBawar) December 28, 2015@iyad_elbaghdadi will there be cookies or snacks? otherwise i'm too busy Netflix and chilling bruh. oh sorry, i meant habibi
— Zharif Ibrahim (@Zhareefer) December 28, 2015@iyad_elbaghdadi too busy being part of a civilised and functioning society.
— potato head (@ozzypotato) December 27, 2015And a theological discussion even broke out in response to the ISIS recruitment call:
@yalmaamoun@iyad_elbaghdadi I've heard they're offering an extra 15 virgins as part of a special Black Friday deal in 2016* * =Details TBC
— Robbie Bett (@TeeSpirit) December 28, 2015Ok, that's just more ridicule.
Either way, here is a powerful and straightforward response to close out all the snark:
@iyad_elbaghdadi eeeehm tell this ISIS Leaders we real muslims are to busy doing charity to that people he wants to kill!
— Maya van Persie (@MayaAbedini) December 28, 2015Extremists around the world are actively recruiting and the world must stand up and declare with one voice (no matter how filled with snark) that what they are doing is wrong.
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