ISKP Mag: Natural disasters are a punishment from God

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In the latest issue of Voice of Khurasan, an English-language monthly magazine published by Al-Azaim Media Foundation, a media outlet with ties to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), which defines itself as a support organization of the Islamic State (ISIS), articles argue that Allah punishes those who stray from the right path, call on Muslims to wage jihad, and advise jihadists to use social media but protect their personal information online.

Issue 36, the latest edition of the magazine, bears the date Dhu Hijjah 1445 in the Hijri calendar, which corresponds to the lunar month beginning on June 7, 2024. (1) A PDF copy of the magazine has been shared online.

An article titled “What is happening to the Earth?” argues that Allah causes natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, epidemics and floods. “If we look at the historical events described in the Quran, we see that every calamity or disaster that befell great peoples was caused by their rejection of Allah, his Shariah and his Messenger,” it says, citing verses from the Quran. It cites Quranic verses Hijr 73-74 and 78-83, in which Allah says that the Ayka tribe “were indeed evildoers. We have taken vengeance on them, and both are on a clear path…”

The article continues: “Yesterday, those who seemed to deserve this punishment were destroyed because they had disobeyed only a few of Allah’s commandments. Today, however, there are all kinds of shirk (idolatry) and offenses against Allah…”

One of the articles is part four of an ongoing series titled “On the Path of Being a Faithful Servant,” and calls on Muslims to support the mujahideen and wage jihad against the infidels.

It is said that Muslims have strayed from the religious path and teach martyrdom. It is noted: “Every thing on earth seeks people who will die for it. Even the rotten system of Kufr (disbelief), democracy, gives heroic titles to soldiers who die for it and sends them into the field. All causes other than the religion of Allah are human imaginations and doomed to failure. So what makes people so hesitant to establish the religion of Allah?”

The article accuses the Kurdish theologian Said Nursi (2) of corrupting Islam. “With the advancement of technology, sects close to the infidels, such as the followers of Sa’id Nursi, can present so-called refutations to ten-year-old agnostics on the street,” it says.

Sufism is also criticized: “Sufism transformed Islam into medieval dance rituals, added a musical note with all kinds of animal noises, and was perhaps the most animal-worshipping sect of our time. Even a person with little understanding of the Koran and Sunnah could easily understand that this was superstition.”

It continues: “Nowhere else than in this corrupt country is Islam turned into a stand-up comedy show. An unbeliever who does not know the religion cannot love Islam and rejects it when he sees these groups. If Islam is like this, he says, then I do not want to join this religion.”

The magazine asks for donations via the cryptocurrency Monero (XMR)

After the international media made the word “Mujahideen” a derogatory term, jihadist groups introduced “Muwahideen” as a replacement for the term, referring to Islamic monotheists, derived from Tawheed (Islamic monotheism, the concept of the unity of Allah). “In TawheedThere is no worship of creatures; there is no life under their yoke and in humiliation; there is no getting rich for the sheikhs and no life of luxury and even starvation, and there is no obligation to love and embrace unbelievers,” it says.

The article teaches loyalty to Allah and various teachings of Islam. “The true act that will spread the religion far and wide and establish the law of Allah on earth is jihad,” it says, praising Osama bin Laden and Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi. It should be noted that the Islamic State (ISIS) in its literature praises the late al-Qaeda leader and the Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, arguing that they were true jihad leaders, but that their successors took a different path.

“There is no doubt that the beginning of the pioneers of this century with the shahid (Martyr) Sheikh Osama bin Laden, the brave personality who was willing to spend millions of dollars for the Ummah, for the orphans, for the killed, for the tortured and for those who actually harmed the infidels,” it says.

“And he was followed by the Sheikh of Jihad, the bravest of the Sunnis and the most courageous of those who bravely confronted the impure, the Shahid Sheikh Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi(3) and honorable personalities like them, and thus Islam has now risen,” it continues.

The article reminds its readers that the Islamic jurist Ibn Taymiyya(4) was where the people of truth are and he answered: “Either in the prison, on the battlefield or in the grave.” He regrets that the followers of Tawhid do not call for Jihad either and states: “Today, unfortunately, even those who are Tawheed do not speak of jihad because they are afraid of the oppressive rulers. They know no shame, despite the thousands of Muslims in the dungeons and on the battlefields.”

It admonishes jihadists: “O mujahid in the fields of jihad! They talk about you because no one listens to them when they talk about themselves. They try to figure out how to dress their breathing corpses more elegantly, while you wish that even your mutilated corpse can be a bridge to your brothers on the road to victory. You fight with your weapon so that Allah’s religion is supreme and superior. They fight with the microphone because they fear those above them and control those below them.”

One of the articles is the third part of a series entitled “Light of Darkness – 3.” It calls for adopting technologies wherever they are invented to advance the cause of jihad. It cites how Salman Farsi, a former Zoroastrian from Persia who converted to Islam, advised digging trenches around Medina in the Battle of the Trench in 626, a defensive measure he had learned in Persia.

“Here is our lesson: ‘We should first accept the appropriate technology until we have the best, no matter who or where it was invented. After that, we must rely on Allah.’ Such is the field of modern technology. Social media is like a technological net that the kuffar cast to catch us. Also, it is a great platform to communicate with our brothers and spread our message to every corner of the world in no time,” it says.

The article recommends using social media, but also warns about the security issues associated with networks such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. It then explains how to protect the mujahideen’s presence on social networks. It points out the dangers of social media and the internet, giving examples of disinformation, hacking, data breaches, fake profiles, malicious ads, fraud, and mental health issues related to these technologies. It advises jihadists on how to protect their data, saying: “To protect yourself from social media scams, be careful about the information you share and verify the authenticity of accounts and websites before interacting with them. Always be skeptical and double-check any offers or requests for personal information. Although Facebook data is not 100 percent safe, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself as best as possible from data fraud on the platform by following a few steps:

“Check links: Before clicking on a link, especially in messages, check the URL and be wary of suspicious links.

“Keep your profile private: Adjust your Facebook privacy settings to limit who can see your information.

“Use strong, unique passwords: Protect your account with a strong password and enable two-factor authentication (2FA).

“Report suspicious activity: If you notice suspicious activity on Facebook, report it to the platform immediately.

“Use security features: By staying vigilant and using Facebook’s security features, you can protect your information from fraud. Protecting your social media profile requires several strategies, such as using strong, unique passwords for each social media account. Consider using a password manager to keep track of them.

“Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)”: This adds an additional layer of security to your account.

“Adjust privacy settings: Review and adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your posts, profile information, and activity.

“Report suspicious activity: Be cautious before sharing information: Think carefully about what you share online. Do not post sensitive information such as your home address, phone number or financial details.

“Beware of phishing attempts: Be suspicious of messages or links from unknown users, even if they seem legitimate.

“Use the latest features: Stay up to date with the latest security features and settings on your social media platforms.

“Monitor unusual activity: Monitor your account for unauthorized access or unusual activity and report it immediately. (For better practices, follow the previous two parts of the Light of Darkness series.)”