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The self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Daesh) employs a complex online media strategy to recruit targeted demographics. Its success has exacerbated conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and elsewhere, and has become a concern for the international community. The Carter Center (the Center) is working to counter Daesh’s recruitment propaganda efforts by undertaking in-depth analysis of its recruitment media, including video, print and social media. This report examines the use of Qur’anic verses in 256 of
Daesh’s propaganda videos. The use of these verses in Daesh propaganda are analyzed by frequency, partial or full ayahs, and whether they are Madani or Makki. By examining Daesh’s manipulation of the Qur’anic text to claim religious legitimacy, this analysis can serve as a resource for religious and community leaders’ understanding of Daesh’s recruitment strategies. This is imperative for effective counter-messaging and rejecting Daesh’s misinterpretation of the Qur’an to justify political violence.

This new report, a product of the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s new Quant Lab, is a systematic study of over a million posts over the past eighteen months on the world’s leading incels forum. By stripping language down to mathematics, we can eke out trends that provide real insight into incel communities. Our Quant Lab researchers studied an active community with thousands of members, some more active than others, that attracts a wider audience who make millions of visits a month. Analysis of their discourse shows this core group poses a clear and present danger to women, other young men, and reveals an emerging threat to our children.

This study explores the beliefs, narratives and ideologies that lead to violent radicalism underpinned by an abusive interpretation of Islam, with a view to understanding of the causes and remedies for violent radicalisation. The research was conducted through analysis and empirical data collection through 145 stakeholder and primary fieldwork interviews in four Member States; Denmark, France, Germany and the UK. The interview sample was intended to capture the diversity of the Muslim ‘field’ in each country as far as possible

Hash Sharing Working Group:  As technologies, content, and types of violent extremist and terrorist groups change, GIFCT continuously reviews its definitions and parameters to evolve in line with trends and member needs. This group reviewed GIFCT’s Hash-Sharing Database inclusion criteria and proposed enhancements to improve its transparency and accuracy. The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) worked with GIFCT to produce a set of concrete recommendations for Enhancing Transparency and Accuracy in GIFCT’s Hash-Sharing Database. GIFCT will be implementing recommendations throughout 2025 to ensure the database remains effective and impactful in cross-platform counterterrorism efforts.

Incident Response Working Group: GIFCT conducted a robust multistakeholder review of its Incident Response Framework (IRF) to better reflect the needs and feedback of key stakeholders and draw on lessons learned from prior activations. Widespread concerns about the potential rise in AI generated content around terrorist attacks, and the increasing prevalence of violence associated with accelerationist movements or self-mobilized radicalization informed discussions aimed at updating the IRF. Working with the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) GIFCT undertook a comprehensive review and expert dialogue series which resulted in the report Future-Proofing GIFCT’s Incident Response: Addressing Societal Harms, and will inform GIFCT work in updating the IRF in 2025.

Gaming Community of Practice: The Gaming Community of Practice (GCoP) was formed to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation among practitioners in the gaming industry alongside global experts. The group aimed to inform the development of best practices and guidance to prevent terrorists and violent extremists (TVE) from exploiting games, gaming-adjacent services, and the gaming community. Leading members of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) produced a series of outputs based on Working Group meetings to guide online gaming companies in better awareness of TVE threats and how to counter them. Galen Lamphere-Englund worked with GIFCT to produce a report on Prevent, Detect, and React: A Framework for Countering Violent Extremism on Gaming Surfaces as well as an annotated 2024 Resource List: Violent Extremism, Radicalization, and Gaming. Rachel Kowert and Sarah Chittick produced a brief guide for companies on Threat Surfaces in Games: Challenges and Best Practices. The group’s gaming platforms also explored how best expanded threat signal sharing could evolve, which will take form further as GIFCT’s Investigator’s Community of Practice in 2025.