JihadPod is back. In light of the Coronavirus, I'm going to teach myself how to edit and produce this. Be patient if the quality is not perfect, but I know people are looking for content now.

Behnam Said comes on the show to talk about nasheeds. Some of the topics covered include: The role of music in Islam and how it relates to nasheeds A modern history of the use of nasheeds Differences between Sufi, mainstream Islamist, and jihadi nasheeds Different themes used in these nasheeds Why there has been such an explosion in new nasheeds an…

Barak Mendelsohn comes on the show to discuss his new book, The al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of al-Qaeda and Its Consequences. Some of the topics covered include: How organizations expand Why AQ decided to branch out and the strategy behind that decision AQ’s choices on where to expand Case studies on AQ’s different branches. Links The al-Qaed…

Aaron Stein comes on the show to talk about IS networks in Turkey. Some of the topics covered include: How IS developed its network inside Turkey Recent attacks in Ankara and Istanbul and the networks behind them How these attacks have affected Turkish governmental policy How things could play out in the future Links: The Islamic State’s Network in…

Andrew Lebovich comes on the show to discuss the various jihadi groups that have been active in Mali over the past few years. Some of the topics covered include: The political process in Mali after the French intervention Why there has been a rise in violence recently Why IS has not been able to penetrate Mali like many of the other jihadi zones Wh…

Bernard Rougier comes on the show to discuss Lebanese Sunni jihadism. Some of the topics covered include: How Lebanese first got involved in jihadism in Afghanistan in the 1980s How the Lebanese scene became connected to the European and Australian jihadi network The role the Iraq war played in the mobilization and recruitment of a new generation B…

Aymenn al-Tamimi comes on the show for an in-depth discussion of the Islamic State’s finances and economic situation. Some of the topics covered include: IS funding prior to 2013 How IS funding compares to AQ Current funding streams, particularly those that are less well known Evolution of IS’ economy in the past year and a half Potential for IS to…

Lorenzo Vidino and Seamus Hughes come on the show to talk about their new report ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa. Some of the topics covered include: Background on the American jihadi scene The demographics of Americans who’ve traveled to join the Islamic State The three roles American Islamic State supporters play on social media Links: IS…

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck comes on the show to talk about jihadism in Algeria. Some of the topics covered include: Background and history of jihadism in Algeria The growth of GIA networks in Europe and its legacy Why there haven’t been many Algerian foreign fighters in Syria Similarities and differences between the GIA and the Islamic State The current …

Charles Lister comes back on the show for an in-depth discussion on jihadism in Syria. Some of the topics covered include: Islamism and jihadism in Syria prior to the 2011 uprising The entrance and evolution of Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, and Jaysh al-Islam into what became the Syrian war Why foreign fighters came into the Syrian conflict Why t…

In light of the recent attacks in Paris, Timothy Holman comes on the show to discuss the history of French and Belgian jihadi networks. Some of the topics covered include: How those networks have been repurposed over time depending on changing political contexts and external conflicts The legacy of these networks after the Iraq war How the latest a…

C. Christine Fair comes on the show to talk about Islamism in Bangladesh. Some of the topics covered include: History of Islamism in Bangladesh and its intersection with mainstream politics The role of Bangladeshi Islamists with Rohingya refugees History of al-Qaeda’s involvement in Bangladesh and its newest enterprise through Ansar al-Islam What w…

Harun Maruf comes on the show to discuss jihadism in Somalia. Some of the topics covered include: What al-Shabab has been up to since the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya Background on al-Shabab’s leader Ahmad Umar and how he compares with its former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane The state of foreign fighters in Somalia The status of The Islamic State’s ef…

Mokhtar Awad comes on the show to discuss jihadism in Egypt. Some of the topics covered include: The development of jihadism in the Sinai prior to the Egyptian uprising in January 2011 What jihadi individuals and movements were doing between the 2011 uprising and the coup in July 2013 A deep dive on Jama’at Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) How ABM has ch…

Will McCants comes on the show to talk about jihadi governance. The conversation is based on a chapter in his new book The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. Aaron and Will discussed numerous cases of jihadi groups attempts to govern, including the Islamic State of Iraq, al-Shabab, AQAP, AQIM, Jabhat a…

Thomas Joscelyn comes on the show to talk about the so-called “Khurasan group.” Some of the topics covered include: Why the group came into being and when its members arrived in Syria Who are the key players and what are their backgrounds What they’ve been up to in Syria and how they relate to Jabhat al-Nusra What this group of individuals can tell…

Katherine Zimmerman comes on the show to talk AQAP. Some of the topics covered include: AQAP since the death of Awlaqi and their withdrawal from territory in southern Yemen in 2012 The effect of the rise of the Huthis and how the Saudi/Emirati war in Yemen has affected AQAP AQAP’s local outreach and how it compares to what it tried from 2011-2012 H…

Kyle Orton comes on the show to discuss Islam in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Some of the topics covered include: Saddam’s Islamist foreign policy reorientation in the 1980’s The Faith Campaign after the Gulf War Salafism in Iraq in the 1990’s and its impact on security The rise of sectarianism in Iraq This episode also features a #SocialMedia segment co…

North Caucasus Caucus comes on the show to talk about his recent research trip to Turkey. He and Aaron discussed the evolution of Turkish governmental policy towards jihadis, Turks’ role in jihadi groups and IS in Syria and Turkey, Turkey’s arrest campaign against Jabhat al-Nusra and IS, and more. This episode also features a #SocialMedia segment c…

This episode features an interview with Samar Batrawi on Palestinians and the global jihadi movement. Some of the topics Aaron and Samar discussed include: Tensions, or lack thereof, between Palestinian nationalism and global jihadi ideology Background and history of Palestinian jihadism Palestinians and the Islamic State What the global jihadi mov…

Thomas Hegghammer talks to Aaron about his new paper, “Assessing the Islamic State’s Commitment to Attacking the West,” in Perspectives on Terrorism, co-authored with Petter Nesser. This episode also features our #SocialMedia segment, covering posts from August 3rd to August 9th. Links: Perspectives on Terrorism Vol 9, No 4 (2015) – featuring paper…

In this episode Aaron talks to Jacob Zenn about the group commonly referred to as Boko Haram. They covered a variety of topics including: Background on Wilayat Gharb Ifriqiyya Misuse of the term Boko Haram to describe what is now called Wilayat Gharb Ifriqiyya, but previously was Jama’at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Da’wah wa-l-Jihad Process that led Jama’at…

In this emergency podcast Aaron talks to J.M. Berger about the confirmed death of Mullah Omar. They covered a variety of topics related to his death and what it could mean for the broader Islamic State – Al Qaeda war. We also have a new #SocialMedia segment, covering postings from July 22-28. Links: J.M. Berger (@intelwire) | Twitter Mullah Omar an…

This episode features part 2 of Aaron’s conversation with Don Rassler. If you haven’t heard part 1 you can find it here. This two part series is based on Don’s article, “Situating the Emergence of the Islamic State of Khorasan,” in the CTC Sentinel. This episode covers a variety of topics related to the Islamic State in the AfPak region, including:…

This episode features part one of an interview with Don Rassler based on his article “Situating the Emergence of the Islamic State of Khorasan,” for the CTC Sentinel. This part of the conversation covers the development of the Islamic State’s presence in the AfPak region, as well as relevant groups and individuals in the region. This episode also c…

This episode of the Jihadology Podcast features an interview with Erin Saltman on the report she co-authored with Melanie Smith, “‘Till Martyrdom Do Us Part’: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon” (PDF). The conversation covered a variety of topics related to female participation in jihadism including: The history of female participation in jihadism Why …

This episode features a discussion of jihadi primary sources from June, an interview with Nelly Lahoud, and a new segment: #SocialMedia. This episode covers jihadi primary source releases related to: Anti-Islamic State messages IS state-building efforts Caliphate declaration anniversary Death of Abu Basir Nasir al-Wuhayshi Spy games update Nelly La…

Charles Lister comes on the show to discuss a wide range of topics related to the current situation in Syria: The background and evolution of Jaysh al-Fatah What Jaysh al-Fatah has meant to rebel and Jabhat al-Nusra victories in Syria The recent formation of a Jaysh al-Fatah branch in the south and what the southern front in the war currently looks…

Welcome to an emergency Jihadology Podcast about the fluid situation amongst Caucasus jihadis in Syria and back at home. On this episode Aaron interviewed Joanna Paraszczuk, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s ‘Under the Black Flag’ blog. They discussed the recent controversies within Jaysh al-Muhajirun wal-Ansar and the Arab coup ag…

Welcome to the first episode of the Jihadolgy podcast! The first part of this episode covers primary sources released between May 10th – June 1st: Pledges of baya to the Islamic State (ISIS) Anti-IS messages from al-Qaeda Jihadis vs. Hamas in Gaza Spy games The second part of the show features an interview with Jessica Lewis McFate, the research di…

The Jihadology Podcast is almost here! The show will feature analysis of recent jihadi primary source material and interviews with experts in the jihadi studies field. The show is hosted by Aaron Zelin, founder of Jihadology.net, and will be released every two weeks. You can listen to our short intro episode below. Subscribe to the show The best wa…

Earlier this morning, I had the opportunity to talk with J.M. Berger the author of the recently released book Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam. We discussed a variety of topics: The evolution of Americans involved in jihadism since the Soviet-Afghan war The biggest names in the American jih?d? movement that one should know, b…