Putting A "Face" On ISIS

       Mohammed Emwazi, otherwise known as "Jihadi John," is a masked fighter from extremist group ISIS, who notoriously appears in many of their propaganda videos, demanding ransoms and beheading journalists. How does putting a name to this lead ISIS figure affect the way we view the group? Journalists have gained insight in some of Mr. Emwazi's motives, such as what ultimately lead him towards his radicalization: "describing harassment by police officers at airports, pressure on Kuwait to cancel a visa and on one occasion, Mr. Emwazi being “roughed up” and “strangled by a police officer” before being sent home." So how does finding out interior motives and underlying causes affect our views towards this Jihadi John and inevitably towards ISIS as a whole? Many would agree that police harassment is not an excuse to go about beheading people. “Malcolm X and Martin Luther King got a lot more pressure from police, and neither decided that decapitating people is the right response,” However, these news stories covering interviews with Mr. Emwazi might stir up sympathy in certain alienable audiences, which could, in extreme cases, lead to some wanting to join in the ISIS effort.  (On multiple occasions) 

      Pros to identifying the lead figure in ISIS, Jihadi John, are that we, as viewers, are able to hear the voice of ISIS. This voice can lead us to a better understanding of ISIS's goals, especially if they are dangerous in nature and let us become aware that their goals are much more closer to home than we thought: "To Obama, the dog of Rome, today we’re slaughtering the soldiers of Bashar, and tomorrow we’ll be slaughtering your soldiers. And with our last mission, we’ll bring this final and last crusade and the Islamic Sate will soon, like your puppet David Cameron said, we’ll begin to slaughter your people on your streets." Inspiring fear in some, and even illuminating in others the determination to battle ISIS before gaining global expansion, this personal and intimate coverage of Mr. Emwazi has served to further form a binding representation towards the extremist group. 

       Cons to putting a face on ISIS could be that if Jihadi John is ever exterminated, many would assume that the war on terrorism in the Middle East is over. However, that could not be farther from the truth. Surely another figure would take Jihadi John's place, and with ISIS's tens of thousands of followers, the extremist group would continue and with the same threat level as before.  

       The media should be meticulous on how it chooses to present Jihadi John, making sure to use his willingness to speak as an asset in discovering information on ISIS. They should also make sure not to paint him as an as their ultimate leader, as him being the only popular extremist figure identified with a nickname, it could cause some to draw some false assumptions. Overall, we should be wary of how the media covers ISIS and make sure we are meticulous in the media coverage process. 

Erlanger, S. (2015, February 26). ‘Jihadi John,’ Executioner in ISIS Videos, Had Early Encounter With British Intelligence. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/world/europe/british-intelligence-services-had-early-encounter-with-man-identified-as-isis-fighter.html

With The Threat of ISIS Growing Every Day, Why Are We Not More Concerned?

    Just recently, the extremist group known as ISIS, released a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians to the public. These public executions are not new to the extremist group, as displayed before with the capture of the Jordanian pilot and the recent death of an American captive, supposedly by airstrike. It's not uncommon for hundreds to go missing by the hands of ISIS, and though it is covered in western media, it seems as if we are not as concerned as we should be.
    A big reason for the capture of many, mainly Christians, is because the Islamic extremists view western religious beliefs as a direct opposition to theirs. This ongoing jihad has caused many to go under captivity by ISIS. Not only this, but many held captive are also held for ransom. So the captives, who mainly belong to other foreign countries, will be released under a large amount of money given to the group by the foreign country, Though the United States has stated that exchanges with terrorist groups by foreign countries should be resisted at all costs, there is no denying that some exchanges have been made under the table in order to save the lives of captives. This is a big reason how ISIS has been able to expand to tens of thousands of members, and being able to split Libya's government in half, with one faction being controlled by ISIS. With ISIS planning to gain control of more countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and many others, our lack of concern becomes questionable. Countries such as Egypt, the United States, and Jordan have been pushing back the ISIS strongholds through the use of military force and military assistance, However, we cannot ignore the major goals of ISIS.
     A reason for the lack of concern could be the very way contemporary media is presenting the information. It seems as if the articles on ISIS blow up whenever a public execution video gets release, but ISIS is more than a group who executes by the hundreds. They are trying to instill fear into their viewers and use propaganda to get more foreign militants on their side. "At least three militant groups in Libya have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, announcing “provinces” of the caliphate in the south, east and around the capital, Tripoli, in the west." It's important to bring up the alarming amount of foreign fighters joining ISIS. ISIS knows how to present themselves in media such as Twitter and YouTube in order to encourage others to join in their cause. This is an example of how the media shown by ISIS varies when juxtaposed with the media presented about ISIS from western media. In videos released by ISIS, they will commonly dispute claims made towards the group from western media and then proceed to reveal "the truth." By convincing others that western media is trying to present ISIS in a negative light, rather than being a righteous group who's purpose is justified, they are able to gain the stunning amount of foreign recruits they handle. It seems as if western media is trying to distance the U.S. from ISIS. "We must be cautious, as the Americans say, of putting boots on the ground.” With common reference to drones and military aid, it will be a while before western media consumers see this as a global issue rather than just a middle eastern issue.


Egypt bombs Islamic State targets in Libya after beheading video. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/egypt-bombs-islamic-state-targets-in-libya-after-brutal-beheading-video/2015/02/16/3b32c50c-b5b6-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html

We Needed The Daily Show To Talk About Boko Haram

   

 Exactly 2 weeks ago, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show did a segment with South African comedian, Trevor Noah, on Boko Haram, "From time to time, we like to get an international perspective on current events, mainly to confirm that we really don't know anything about current events." Jon Stewart introduced the segment with this, which consisted of Trevor Noah talking about the lack of media coverage on Boko Haram despite their massacre at the Nigerian town of Baga at the same time period that the Charlie Hebdo attacks occurred. The difference? The Charlie Hebdo attacks were widely covered, Baga was not. This is mentioned in the video. "Sometimes, it just feels like Africa's the Vegas of Islamic terror. What happens in Africa stays in Africa." Though the audience laughed, Boko Haram's under-coverage in western media is anything but funny. However, the lack of contribution is not entirely to blame on western media. When the Baga town massacre happened, it was reported by local officials that the death toll may have been as high as 2,000. However, other sources say it could have only been a couple hundred. It's hard to tell for sure because of sometimes unreliable Nigerian militia in the area that even deny the massacre ever happened when questioned. Also, the town is in a remote war-zone area and the president, Goodluck Jonathan, did not comment when posed questions on the massacre. (Similar to his lack of response to the capture of the 200+ Nigerian school girls). In the video it is also mentioned that another reason that the Baga town massacre was barely covered is because the attack was not "a direct attack on western values, free speech and expression." However, "Boko Haram" literally means "western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language. The extremist group sees western education as a corruption to Muslims.
     When coverage of Nigeria and it's now controlled regions by Boko Haram are presented in the media, the results seem to be about the numbers. When casually reading western news on Boko Haram's killings, it's easy to find the extent of the atrocities the extremist group is committing. However, it seems as if one has to actively search for coverage that mentions the goals of Boko Haram and why they are committing the actions they are currently committing in Nigeria. A reason for the lack of mentions in the media of Boko Haram's purpose could be to secure North American security. The citizens don't want to suppose that Boko Haram is attacking western educational values or western anything. It seems as if Boko Haram's under-coverage is a way for North Americans to be able to distance themselves from the extremist group, so that they can feel it has nothing to do with them and that their lack of coverage is justified.
     In The Daily Show video, Boko Haram's previous action of abducting 200+ Nigerian schoolgirls was mentioned. Social media helped to bring this event to western media's attention through the twitter hash tag "#BringBackOurGirls," where donations where set up and even Ellen mentioned the trending hash tag on her show. The extent of how recognized this action became in order to bring light on Boko Haram showed how social media can help to spread international news and ultimately shape the identity of an extremist group in the media.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Political Comedy | Comedy Central. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from http://thedailyshow.cc.com/