iPads, hair gel and KitKats fuel 5-star jihad in Syria

Beirut: British Al Qaida sympathisers are using Twitter and other social media to promote “five-star” jihad in Syria, and to keep diaries and blogs of their experiences there.

The rush of foreign jihadists to Syria from America, Britain and other parts of Europe, has given rise to a new phenomenon where fighters use public internet platforms to recruit members, post eulogies for martyrs, send messages to loved ones back home and provide advice to would-be volunteers.

This is holy war in the 21st century. Unlike the more ascetic campaign in Afghanistan in the Eighties, where fighters embraced Osama Bin Laden and were cut off from the outside world for months, nights in Syria can be spent online gaming, chatting to family in the UK or watching Al Qaida videos on the internet connection that is provided at their sleeping quarters.

“The three top travel items that jihadists are saying are needed for Syria are toilet paper, a first aid kit and an iPad,” said Shiraz Maher an analyst from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, who has been closely following the jihadists’ online activity.

“Many of these guys have come from Western societies and are used to using Twitter and other media. Twitter is a useful instant platform through which they share information. They put a lot of stock on media and public engagement. Maybe social media has permeated all our lives.”

The Daily Telegraph has been following the Flickr account of Abu Qa’qaa’, a jihadist in Syria who is believed to be British, who runs question-and-answer sessions for would-be volunteers, mostly from the UK.

Analysts have said they believe the account to be genuine. An iPad or “something with Wi-Fi”, he wrote in a recent post, is essential, along with soap and hair products (“My Afro is melting,” he wrote). The jihadists believe they have it so good in Syria, that the phrase “five-star jihad” has become common parlance online. One widely circulated tweet read: “A brother who was in Mali couldn’t change clothes or shower for two months here it truly is a five-star jihad.”

In response to a question on his Flickr account about whether Syria really was “the best place on Earth” as other jihadists had suggested, Abu Qa’qaa’ replies: “Honestly every single word I say is the truth. Look at the beauty of this, this morning I was sat in front of a fire place with an actual fire and cups of tea.” It is, analysts say, an effective recruiting tool.

“The idea of the five-star jihad is specific to Syria. They are saying this luxury won’t last forever, come and use it now,” said Maher. “Compared to the privations of living in Kandahar, these guys in Syria are tweeting pictures of KitKat bars and Red Bull drinks. They know they are going to die, martyr themselves for jihad, but they are saying that on the way, you might as well ‘have a break, have a KitKat’.”

Social media was helping facilitate the transfer of Britons to Syria, Maher said. “When the English speakers tweet, the number of hits they get, from people in the UK, is huge, with many asking, ‘How can I get there?’ If someone has no contacts in the area, they can make contact with a jihadist in Syria via social media, and get the transfer process started”.

Abu Qa’qaa’s Flikr account, which is entitled The Remedy of the Heart, reads like an “Agony Uncle” column for radical extremists. In one message, a contributor explains he wants to be with a girl (“I know it’s haram [irreligious] but I’m so weak!” he writes), and is torn between marrying her or travelling for jihad to Syria, “the land of honour”. Abu Qa’qaa’ replies: “Leave and either Allah will bring her to you or give you better.”

Another man explains he wants to travel to fight in Syria, but only if he will be guaranteed he will be able to get married there. Abu Qa’qaa’ replies: “Lol. There’s plenty of sisters here. Marriage is always on the go. We all want to get married here.”

Analysts have noted that many of the people following English-speaking jihadists, and an increasing number of those volunteering to travel to Syria, are women. The platforms are also increasingly being used to announce the deaths of comrades in a development that Steven Stalinsky, the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute has termed the “martyrdom tweet”.

“Martyrdom tweets, where jihadists post pictures of comrades and messages who have been killed, is a phenomenon that started just over a year ago from Syria. At first there were a handful. Now it’s impossible to keep track because everyone is doing them,” he said.

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2013