Anne Speckhard, Ardian Shajkovci & Zack Baddorf

1. Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Project – Preventing and Intervening in Terrorism and Violent Extremism – Jordan and Beyond Anne Speckhard, Ardian Shajkovci & Zack Baddorf

2. Group • Ideology/Narrative • Social support/Network • Individual Vulnerabilities • Conflict – revenge and trauma driven • Non conflict zone – anger over geo politics, search for significance, purpose, identity, adventure, escape from problems, falling in love, anger over marginalization and discrimination, The Lethal Cocktail of Terrorism

3. The Lethal Cocktail of TerrorismThe Necessary and Sufficient Factors to Make a Terrorist/Violent Extremist

4. Gender Aspects

5. Occupation • Violence • Torture, Rape & Death • Loss of Land and Resources • Sectarian Fighting • Corruption • Marginalization & Discrimination • Frustrated Aspirations • Dignity • Belonging • Significance • Purpose • Opportunity • Islamic Ideals ISIS - Peddling a Utopian Dream

6. Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Project Soft Power Approach

7. Available on the ICSVE Youtube channel & www.icsve.org • Free for anyone to use • Study guide for teachers, prison workers, police and CVE professionals • Main message, narrative, transcript, discussion questions and Islamic scriptures twisted by ISIS and refutations Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Videos

8. 101 ISIS interviews – defectors, returnees, prisoners • 10 al Shabaab interviews • 25 family members of ISIS • 2 ISIS/al Qaeda ideologues • 79 Counter Narrative Videos in process • 60 up on the ICSVE YouTube Channel Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Videos

9. US • Canada • Belgium • Netherlands • Denmark • Kyrgyzstan • Thailand • Malaysia • EU • Kenya • Northern Syria (Rojava/Syrian Democratic Forces) • Iraq • Kosovo • Albania Country Partnerships

10. Focus groups held in Jordan, Kosovo, Central Asia and US – open lively discussions - useful to diagnose issues • ICSVE Trains Teachers, Police, Prison Workers and CVE workers how to use them for prevention and interventions • Used by a prevent counselor to stop a 13 year old hell bent on traveling to Raqqa • Used by ICSVE staff to confront an ISIS emir in Iraqi prison who hung his head in shame and admitted “We were wrong, we gave a bad face to Islam.” • Currently being used on five continents by counselors, police, teachers, CVE and prison workers. Face-to-Face Interventions

11. Online Results

12. Breaking the ISIS Brand is not enough • Need to Redirect viewers into suitable solutions to psycho-social problems, concerns over geo-politics, frustrations over discrimination and marginalization, misconceptions about Islam, etc. • Direct those in need of help to individual face-to-face care just as ISIS does! • The Real Jihad website - TheRealJihad.org Redirect - TheRealJihad.org

13. Jordan & Foreign Fighter Travel Since 2011, upwards 40, 000 foreign fighter joined in the conflict in Iraq and Syria 11,000 from the Middle East Jordan, second or third in the world, with over 3,000 travelers, many of them leaders in al-Nusra, and what became Islamic State Jordan one of the highest on a per capita basis in the world

14. Unemployment • Frustrations with governance • Proximity to Syria and to the terrorist groups operating there • Spread of militant jihadist ideologies • Strong identification with Sunni victims in nearby sectarian conflicts • Anger over sectarian conflicts witnessed during Iraq war and currently in Syria and Iraq (Speckhard, 2017). Motivational Factors - Jordan

15. “ “There is radicalization in Jordan, people promoting it here in Zarqa, and they promise jannah. In the [unregulated] mosques they promote these ideas” “ ISIS wants a chain reaction. They don’t look at one individual. They look at how they can recruit hundreds.” “It is difficult to counter this [radicalization] as there are many recruiters” “Credibility of the video [defector] is there, because it is coming from an adult. Children believe adults” “We should raise awareness as children are easily attracted” “We want Caliphate, though not ISIS’ version of Caliphate” “Syrian refugees coming in bring their own version of radicalization Focus Group Testing: Zarqa & Irbid (n=54)November 2016

16. Video: Promises of ad-Dawlah12-07-17-12-31/17

17. Video: Rewards of Islamic State 07-15-18-08-15/18Video: Rewards of Islamic State 07-15-18-08-15/18

18. “Excellent work for awareness” • “ Even those who joined Daesh and fled from them…there’s no safety from them” • “ America is the godfather of terrorism” • “ It is necessary to slay, kill, explode and destroy until you win. What religion do you belong?” • “ We really believe you, you are not ignorant [defector]. But you are the enemy of Islam” • “ISIS=GID” • “ This isn’t Islam” • “ Those who distort images of Islam are wrong…but there is a big conspiracy against Islam that will be revealed by God” • “ I don’t understand the message…Is it to defend or criticize Islam?” • “ The video lies ..to eliminate the Sunnis and Sunni cities…fabrication and distortion in a cancerous way” Sample Comments: Promises of ad-Dawlah Campaign (translated from Arabic)

19. Our ICSVE Team Email - AnneSpeckhard@ICSVE.org Web: www.ICSVE.org YouTube YouTube.com/ICSVE