Why are jihadis happy with Trump’s travel ban?

Radicals are now claiming that the US president’s travel ban will prompt more Muslims to join jihad

A video titled,'The Americans will turn on the Muslims, has gone viral in jihadi circles following the ban on all immigration and visa holders who are citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. The executive order issued by American President Donald Trump, is the most talked about subject in jihadi circles today.

The video which is being circulated across jihadi groups is of Anwar al-Awlaki, the powerful cleric of the al-Qaeda. The video shows the late Awlaki speaking about how the war should be against the Americans as they would sooner or later turn on Muslims.

The Islamic State handles and social media groups too are debating the Trump imposed ban. "Use this as a recruitment tool," says one group recruiters to their followers. Another channel, the Telegram which is used most by the IS has termed Trump as the 'best caller to Islam." It may sound strange, but the IS message reeks of sarcasm. The IS operative explains that Trump's birth would give birth to many new believers.

The IS has termed Trump as an evil crusader and wants its followers to use the issue to recruit as many people as possible. Intelligence officials say that the ban imposed by Trump could have a flip side to it as well. It is already being used as a recruitment tool. America is being portrayed as an evil crusader and the IS now says that this issue has led to a battle between the West and Islam.

While Trump says that this is a war against terror, the IS and Al-Qaeda sympathisers have described as a war against Islam. There will be a lot of propaganda on this front say security experts. By using such heavy words such as 'war against Islam', the IS may manage to capture the imagination of many which in turn could lead to heavy recruitments, officials also point out.

Security officials also point out that while the IS is losing ground in Iraq and Syria, such propaganda may increase its strength in the cities of Europe and America.

OneIndia News