ISIS Propaganda Predicts Return Of Ghaznavi, Bin Qasim

The latest edition of the ISIS online propaganda magazine, 'Voice of Khurasan', its first after the Lok Sabha elections in India, has prophesied that warriors like Muhammad bin Qasim and Mahmud Ghaznavi who are among the first Islamic invaders in the subcontinent will come again to teach a lesson to the Indian government and oppressors of the Indian Muslims.

The magazine claimed that these warriors would attack Indian cities and destroy 'polytheists and their idols'.

On the condition of anonymity, a senior officer from a central intelligence agency said that ISIS online propaganda serves as a playbook, citing historical events such as those involving Ghaznavi and bin Qasim to encourage followers to emulate their acts like targeting religious sites, like the 2002 Akshardham temple attack, the 1984 Golden Temple attack, the Amarnath Yatra, or the recent attack on a bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims in Raeesi, Jammu and Kashmir.

The propaganda urges attacks on temples or pilgrimage sites, taking devotees hostage and destruction of temples. The latest edition indirectly assigns tasks, suggesting either lone-wolf attacks or giving instructions to radicalised youth groups.

Sources said that the propaganda magazine was trying to manipulate, brainwash, and instigate individuals for anti-national operations, urging them to choose the path of jihad and hijra to seek revenge.

The article claims that the Indian government targets Muslims and labels Prime Minister Narendra Modi as anti-Muslim. The magazine further said that during the election campaign, Modi referred to Muslims as infiltrators, and a BJP candidate publicly referred to Muslims as insects and two-legged animals. They claim that the land originally belonged to Islam and that it has been 'encroached' by other faiths.

ISIS accuses BJP leaders of making derogatory comments about Islam on various platforms, including TV, social media and in speeches.

“What is important is how it is gradually influencing the minds of youth and the community. It is planning to create new patterns of terrorism, ranging from biological attacks to lone wolf attacks,” the source said.

The significant concern is that its form of terrorism has no defined shape, specific targets or borders, which poses a serious challenge for agencies. Recently, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested four terrorists who were Sri Lankan citizens and associated with ISIS. They were allegedly on a mission to carry out terror activities in India following the directions of their Pakistan-based handler. This digital indoctrination by ISIS is the most significant threat at present because it enables ISIS to fund individuals from one country through a third party and carry out terrorist activities orchestrated by a handler in another country.