Side by side seals
Opinion Analysis
Part 2: The Shared Risks of Nationalist Indoctrination, and How To Combat Them
The first part of this analysis took a look at how two distinct examples of U.S. and MENA extremism, one Christian-identifying and the other Islamic-identifying, compared in ideology. While other types of extremism exist in the United States, the political and ideological similarity between the U.S. example and the MENA example showed the most overlapping similarity, which is why they were selected for analysis. This second part will now break down the similarities of these two groups further, and analyze their overlapping tactics and the associated risks from each.
By understanding the common beliefs and world views of radicalized groups, citizens can better understand the social demographics at the highest risk of being targeted by the overlapping interests of extremist groups. Then, the public can better equip the public with ways to counter the risks to protected classes from the hate crimes that emerge from nationalist activism.
State Sponsors of Terror
Many terror organizations receive weapons, funding, and training from states such as Iran, Qatar, and Syria. Iran is often viewed as the largest state sponsor of terrorism. Currently, the US State Department considers four counties as state sponsors of terror: Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
Anti-LGBTQ+
Much like far-right extremist groups in the US and Europe, Islamic extremist groups are opposed to the LGBTQ community. Islamic terror groups, such as ISIS, have publicly demonstrated hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community They view homosexuality as a grave sin and a violation of their interpretation of Islamic law (Sharia). They consider same-sex relationships and non-conforming gender identities to be immoral and punishable offenses.
These groups have been known to carry out brutal acts of violence, including executions and public punishments, against individuals perceived as engaging in same-sex relationships or displaying non-binary gender identities. Such actions are justified by these groups based on their distorted understanding of religious teachings and their desire to enforce their own strict interpretation of Sharia.
Recruitment
An interesting report by 'One Struggle' looked at common recruitment strategies and demographics between Domestic Violent Extremists and Salafi-Jihadis organizations. Both groups recruit in spaces filled with groups of at-risk youth. They tend to engage them with pop culture, digital communities, and memes instead of in-person human interaction. Gamification is a prominent method of recruitment in the far-right space. However, the Jihadi movement utilized this tactic first.
According to Global Network on Extremism and Technology, research conducted over twenty years ago mentions that after the 9/11 attacks, there was a specific interest in studying gaming related to jihadists. The United States Government 9/11 Commission highlighted how flight simulators and video games were used to enhance knowledge of airplane models and functions, as well as identify security vulnerabilities through in-game interactions.
Far-right extremists seem to admire jihadists by copying their recruitment methods and terror tactics. Imitation, as the saying goes, can be the sincerest form of flattery. This is seen in their use of various tactical methods as well as gamification, first used successfully by Islamic Extremist organizations. For example, although ISIS pioneered and agitated for vehicle ramming attacks, this is now a common far-right extremist tactic to target protestors they see as enemies.
According to a report by the National Defense University, online radicalization is not limited to devout Muslims and gullible individuals. It affects a wide range of people in terms of education, age, gender, and financial status. The key factor is a sympathetic attitude toward the extremist cause and a sense of something missing in their lives. Conditions of inequality and political frustration contribute to radicalization, particularly among those who sympathize with the oppressed and seek solidarity. Both men and women driven by feelings of despair, humiliation, and outrage over injustice can be drawn to extremist ideologies, often triggered by emotionally impactful videos of innocent victims.
The Islamic State used video games to further its narratives and end-goals by seeking to ignite a 'Holy War' or 'Holy Jihad'. Trailers using clips from the popular Grand Theft Auto video games, while not created by ISIS, were leveraged as propaganda. In a modified game, Salil al-Sawarim, (Clashing of Swords) users could play as ISIS members engaged in combat against American forces in carrying out their "call to jihad".
The game served not only as a tool to radicalize and recruit people online, but to show them that "this can be you in reality, if you join us in Syria." According to reports, there's little doubt that ISIS recruited foreign adventure-seekers looking for excitement and glory – convincing them to take the game offline and play for real. These games, sophisticated videos uploaded to YouTube, and the desire to be part of a bigger community were all helpful in radicalizing and recruiting men and women, the disenfranchised, the religious and the secular, the rich and poor, foreign nationals, and those seeking martyrdom.
Hamas
Hamas, the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), is a militant Islamic group and spin-off of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. It was founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Azziz al-Rantisi.
Hamas gained control of the Gaza Strip by defeating its rival party, Fatah, in the 2006 elections. It is the largest militant group in the Palestinian territories and is considered the most capable. It is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union due to its armed opposition against Israel. Their tactics include suicide bombings, kidnappings, stabbings, assassinations, and rocket attacks.
Hamas targets all Israeli citizens and fires its missiles against civilian targets. Hamas receives funding, missiles, and training from Iran and has support from Syria, Qatar, and Turkey. Iran's ardent support for Hamas might seem contradictory since Iran is a Shia state and Hamas is a Sunni organization. While a cease-fire ended their 2021 conflict, experts predicted future violence between Hamas and Israel. The conflict, which includes rockets fired from Gaza, continues to the present day. Hamas is currently expanding its influence in the West Bank.
Hamas has a political wing and an armed militant wing, named the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Although, according to leader Sheikh Ahmad Yasin there is no difference between the two, stating that "Hamas is one body".
Hamas clearly does not consider its members to be terrorists. Others might agree. In one Washington Post article, a writer wrote that, since Hamas is a "nationalist movement" engaged in "some social work," the perpetrators of Palestinian suicide and other attacks should be described in the press as "militants" or "gunmen," as opposed to the "terrorists". An Associated Press article referred to Hamas militants, actively engaged in terror attacks, as "Activists". As expected, there was disagreement and push-back from other journalists.
Hamas, according to its official website, views itself as a moderate organization and "national Palestinian movement that works with the rest of the Palestinian people and with all national and Islamic factions and bodies and people of conscience all over the world on resisting the Israeli occupation as well as liberating the Palestinian land, Jerusalem, and Islamic and Christian holy places, securing the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland and establishing a sovereign Palestinian State."
Hamas's own words seem to contradict its claim that it is a "moderate organization." According to Article Thirteen of the Hamas Covenant: "Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Abusing any part of Palestine is abuse directed against part of religion. The nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its religion. Its members have been fed on that. For the sake of hoisting the banner of Allah over their homeland, they fight. "Allah will be prominent, but most people do not know."
Reports by The Washington Institute, show that Hamas wants to transform the relatively secular Palestinian society into a politically extreme society of religious zealots.
Despite its claims to the contrary, Hamas is an antisemitic organization. CounterExtremism.com reported that in July 2014, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, recalled "how the Jews used to slaughter Christians, in order to mix their blood in their holy matzot. This is not a figment of imagination or something taken from a film. It is a fact, acknowledged by their own books and by historical evidence. It happened everywhere, here and there." This is the same blood libel claims made by American Domestic Extremists and Antisemites throughout history.
It is important to note that Hamas does not have the full support of the Islamic world. This is due to the way it treats those under its rule. Recently a respected Islamic Council issued a Fatwa against Hamas, citing its abuse of Palestinians. The council did not condemn Hamas's attacks on Israel.
Recruitment
Hamas thrives in a relatively small area and operates at the grassroots level. This is different from other terror groups, and Hamas is good at it.
Hamas social welfare programs, "da'wah", play a significant role in the terrorist activities orchestrated and sanctioned by Hamas leaders and commanders. Within the Palestinian territories, these institutions, including mosques, schools, orphanages, summer camps, and sports leagues, form a comprehensive network that is involved in incitement, recruitment, indoctrination, logistical support, and operational assistance for activities like weapons smuggling, reconnaissance, and suicide bombings. Additionally, they provide jobs to field commanders and serve as hiding places for fugitive operatives.
Overt Operator spoke with one Israeli Military Intelligence officer with extensive experience and knowledge on the topic. He stated that Hamas recruiting is based on finding the right motives for the individual. This is based on factors such as revenge, glory, anger, ideology, economics, religion, and/or being forgiven for past wrongdoings. The officer noted that "You'll be surprised how powerful the recruiters are. They manipulate emotions and turn them into actions".
Indoctrinating Children
Hamas is not shy about recruiting children. Hamas has been able to radicalize children to believe that the only life worth living is that of a martyr. In 2001, the Islamic Society in Gaza organized a graduation ceremony for 1,650 children from its kindergartens. Disturbing photographs from the event depict preschoolers wearing military uniforms, and holding toy rifles.
One image captures a five-year-old girl simulating bloodied hands in reference to a violent incident in Ramallah, while another child dresses up as Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, with other children portraying suicide bombers. Below is a recent example of these ceremonies.
From the graduation ceremony at Zeina Model Life Kindergarten in al-Bureij, central Gaza Strip, May 27,2023, Twitter
The social-welfare aspect of Hamas is a major reason the group continues to gain members. By positioning themselves as "activists:" with the well-being of Palestinians in mind and the goal of Palestinian control over all lands controlled by Israel, i.e., the destruction of Israel as a state, Hamas continues to be the biggest name in a deadly game.
Patriot Front
Recently one group has stood out among white Supremacist groups. It has made a name for itself by holding unpermitted flash rallies, marching in military-like formations carrying shields, wearing khakis and white masks, defacing public property, harassing the LGBTQ+ and African American community, and spewing ethnocentric propaganda that originated from white supremacy and Christian-identifying ideologies. This is the Patriot Front and, with 40 branches nationwide, they have been one of the most active white Nationalist domestic extremist groups in the past few years. However, according to recently leaked chats, the group might only have between 200-300 active members.
The Patriot Front emerged in 2017, following the "Unite the Right" (UNR) rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was ruled as legally responsible for violence and spreading racist indoctrination by a jury in Virginia. Although numerous individuals on the extreme right in America expressed support for the rally, its violent nature was seen by some as a public relations disaster for the white nationalist movement, likely leading to increased scrutiny from law enforcement. It is led by Thomas Ryan Rousseau.
The Patriot Front was formed because of infighting among Vanguard America members. According to the Antidefamation League Rousseau's camp preferred to promote "American Nationalism" and advocate for a racist ideology that had more appeal to American conservatives. Accordingly, Patriot Front's logo includes an image of a fasces, the original symbol of fascism (a bundle of sticks featuring an ax) encircled by thirteen stars as "an American symbol of revolutionary spirit." Its colors are red, white, and blue which links to the group's American origins.
Vanguard America believes America should be a nation exclusively of Western European heritage. Their slogan, "blood and soil"(German: Blut und Boden) refers to the idea that only Americans with pure, "white blood" possess any legitimate bond with "American Soil". While the term predates the rise of the Nazi party, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum it became a foundational element of Nazi ideology.
During the "Unite the Right" (UNR) rally in Virginia, chants of "blood and soil" were a public declaration in support of white supremacy and Nazism. The group's website bloodandsoil.org, now redirects to the Patriot Front's website. This is apparently a result of Rousseau taking over the site after the UNR Rally.
While the Patriot Front might fall under the Accelerationist category, the founding members wanted to forge a fresh path by disseminating propaganda that advocated for their interpretation of emerging American fascism. They claim loyalty to America as a nation but look to form a new state, one that advocates for the "descendants of its creators," namely Caucasian Christian-identifying men.
The Patriot Front aimed to recruit individuals who were worried about immigration and what they perceived as an ever-growing Jewish influence. They avoided discussing violence online but used vandalism and intimidation to create fear. They wore masks and employed secretive communication methods. Recently, these methods were leaked and revealed.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, members of Patriot Front frequently use racial slurs, idolize Adolf Hitler, and privately share violent imagery targeting Black people, migrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and Jews. Despite its hard line against the LGBTQ community which it sees as a moral abomination, one Patriot Front member, Jared Boyce, recently plead guilty to possessing child pornography.
One of their "actions" openly reveals their distrust and hatred of Jews.
Patriot Front displays of anti-Zionist ideology
"Those of foreign birth may occupy civil status within the lands occupied by the state, and they may even be dutiful citizens, yet they may not be American. Membership within the American nation is inherited through blood, not ink. Even those born in America may yet be foreign. Nationhood cannot be bestowed upon those who are not of the founding stock of our people, and those who do not share the common spirit that permeates our greater civilization, and the European diaspora."—From the Patriot Front Manifesto
Patriot Front members consider themselves a part of "the greatest nationalist activist organization in the world." Members refer to themselves as "activists."
Recruitment
So, how does the Patriot Front attract new members? The Patriot Front boasts a professional-looking website complete with updates, events, access to its social media channels, and a place to buy the promotional materials ('promat") they are required to disseminate as part of their membership. Much like other domestic hate groups and Islamic terror organizations, the Patriot Front has a strong digital footprint. They record their actions and proudly post them to their platforms.
The group operates on several social media platforms that anyone can access through its website making contacting and engaging with the group easy.
Recently leaked documents obtained by UnicornRiot.Ninja, provide valuable, unfiltered insight into the Group and its members. While contacting the group might be easy, becoming an actual member is not as straightforward. The group requires certain qualities of its potential members.
Potential recruits are asked a series of questions that include their political affiliation, their worldview, what they see as the greatest threat to America, how they found out about the Patriot Front, and what historical figure had the greatest influence on them. Not surprisingly most considered the Jews to be the greatest threat to America and that Adolf Hitler had the strongest influence on them personally.
UnicornRiot has been able to reveal that the Patriot Front preys on teenagers, recruiting members through the internet who are still legally minors, indoctrinating them with white supremacist ideology, and even encouraging them to lie to their parents so the group can transport them across state lines for fascist events. According to the chats, while the group's official policies require members to be at least 17 ½ years old to join, it actually "goes by a case-by-case basis" with some members being recruited below that age.
In a leaked photo (September 9, 2017) of Patriot Front members posting with flags, a child of approximately 11 years old can be seen giving a Nazi salute (at left). Photo taken inside the American Pavilion at Veterans Park in College Station, Texas.
The Patriot Front is willing to pressure minors into committing to participating in the group's "actions". During a meeting of the Pacific Northwest division of Patriot Front, there was an exchange between Network Director Colton Michael Brown, who posts in RocketChat as 'ND – John WA,' and a 17-year-old member. After Brown tells the minor he's expected to attend an "action," but refuses to give him any details due to "operational security," the minor states clearly that he can't leave the state because he's a minor.
The interview continues with Brown pressuring the minor; "Why does that matter?" Brown responds. After repeated pressure from Brown, and other group members, he eventually concedes.
Teaching a young child to box.
From Patriot Front Telegram
Chat logs also presented the Patriot Front as a group of men struggling to expand membership and being harassed by their leadership to maintain physical fitness, show up to events and contribute financially to the cause of white supremacy. Members must purchase their own promotional materials directly from the organization's leader. For some, this is a financial hardship. It also shows how the group uses social media to make itself seem larger than it is.
Community Outreach
Similar to the way in which Hamas engages in social welfare programs through their sponsoring of summer camps, clinics, and schools, Patriot Front members participate in social outreach programs to win the hearts and minds of members in their communities. Members participate in food drives, disaster relief efforts, workshops, and family outings. This allows people outside the group to see the good work they do for their community. It also helps members reinforce their belief that they are a force for positive change.
Patriot Front members have documented themselves serving the community and helping with repairs after natural disasters.
Military Training and Combat Conditioning
Like Hamas, fitness, combat readiness, and firearms training are important so that the group can achieve its goals. The site shows videos of members training in hand-to-hand combat and physical conditioning.
As one might conclude, the Patriot Front poses a palpable danger due to their extremist ideology, the potential for inciting violence, their commitment to promoting hatred, and their ability to mobilize Americans against those they view as a threat to their idealized version of America.
Patriot Front Telegram Channel
Final Thoughts
Domestic Extremists and Islamic Jihadists share much in common. The term Domestic Extremism might be misleading. While American and European Extremists seek to force their ideology domestically, there is still a troubling international component. We have seen that Jihadi groups, like ISIS, have attracted foreign nationals to fight abroad. At the same time, many far-right extremists have gone abroad searching for military experience that they could bring back to their home countries.
Hamas and the Patriot Front are both extremist groups that promote radical ideologies and employ tactics of intimidation and violence to achieve their goals.
Both groups look to recreate a society that conforms to their ideology. They are both conservative, religious nationalists. Neither group views themselves as extremists or terrorists. Hamas views itself as "a popular, patriotic Palestinian, Islamic movement that resists the Zionist occupation", It sees its members as part of a resistance movement that does not interfere in the affairs of others and acts only with the Muslim population's interests in heart. Members of the Patriot, in turn, see themselves as proud American "activists" that merely seek "a return to the traditions and virtues of our forefathers". Both groups maintain a network of social institutions to support their activities. Both groups are willing to recruit and indoctrinate minors.
Additionally, they both espouse hateful and discriminatory beliefs, targeting specific groups such as Jews, migrants, LGBTQ individuals, and racial minorities. While their specific ideologies and contexts differ, the similarities lie in their extremist nature, tactics of intimidation, and the propagation of hatred and division.
The two groups do however operate in different theaters: Hamas operates within the Palestinian Territories; the Patriot Front operates on American Soil. Luckily the Patriot Front still does not possess the same arsenal of long-range weaponry, it does not blow up buses, shoot at cars with the intent to kill, kidnap citizens or engage in assassinations.
However, due to the group's racist and violent ideology, there is legitimate cause for concern in Western society that the group's actions may escalate to the same violent exploits of their jihadist counterparts.