For 20 years, ISD has delivered field-leading threat detection, analysis and real-world strategies to combat terrorism, extremism and authoritarianism - in all their ideological forms.

Islamist Extremism

Islamist Extremism presents a politicised supremacist vision of Islam that is antithetical to democracy and human rights. Since the Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda’s high water mark a decade ago, Islamist Extremist movements are in a state of flux, spreading across a broad range of violent and political groups globally. We track and respond to these evolving threats using a range of tools and approaches, as well as trying to reach an increasingly young cohort of digital supporters.”

September 28, 2026

Islamic State’s decentralized digital ecosystem

ISD's Moustafa Ayad spoke to CNN about the digital ecosystem IS exists in today.

Islamist Extremism

September 17, 2026

25 years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains perennially online: The group’s digital ecosystem in 2026

Islamist Extremism, Tech Accountability and Safety, Threat Analysis and Prevention

September 8, 2026

Generation ‘Slop Jihad:’ The decentralized ‘media jihad’ gets sloppy

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

August 21, 2026

Recent arrest shows Islamic State’s continued relevance

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

August 2, 2026

Anti-LGBTQ+ hate in extremist movements

Anti-LGBTQ+, Islamist Extremism, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse

July 29, 2026

Five lessons from the Islamist extremist attack on Berlin Pride

Anti-LGBTQ+, Islamist Extremism

July 27, 2026

Where Islamist and far-right targeting of queer people meet

Anti-LGBTQ+, Far-Right Extremism, Islamist Extremism, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse, Terrorism and Extremism

July 13, 2026

Extremists are using AI to build propaganda — and plan attacks

Emerging Technologies, Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

March 11, 2026

Islamic State group activity in the US in 2025

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism, Threat Analysis and Prevention

Further Reading

July 3, 2025

Twenty years on: Responses to Islamist terrorism in the UK since 7/7

Catalysed by the 7/7 bombings, UK counter-terrorism focused on Islamist groups but now faces diverse threats.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

July 2, 2025

Twenty years on: Assessing the UK Islamist terrorism landscape since 7/7

This article examines how the Islamist threat in the UK has developed, shifted and persisted since the 7/7 London bombings 20 years ago.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

April 10, 2025

ISD’s Moustafa Ayad examines emerging tactics of young IS supporters

Moustafa Ayad explores how a younger generation of Islamic State supporters is innovating online—and what practitioners can do to keep pace.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

February 12, 2025

A decade after the ‘Caliphate’: The state of the Islamic State online

An in-depth investigation into the Islamic State’s online ecosystems across the open web, social media platforms, and messaging applications.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

December 20, 2024

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a proscribed Islamist group, pursues nationalist jihad, distinct from IS and al-Qaeda's global caliphate ambitions.

Islamist Extremism

November 28, 2024

A resurgent and diversifying threat: Islamist extremist violence in Germany in the wake of October 7

Analysing the rise in Islamist extremist attacks targeting Germany since Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.

Islamist Extremism, Threat Analysis and Prevention

November 28, 2024

A spectrum of threats: Islamist extremism online in Germany post-October 7

Examining the risks presented to Germany by the contemporary online landscape of Islamist extremism.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

September 13, 2024

From message boards to TikTok: al-Qaeda’s two decades of internet exploitation

For over two decades al-Qaeda has had a thriving online presence, ISD's Moustada Ayad explains why this long-term problem doesn't need to be one.

Islamist Extremism, Tech Accountability and Safety, Threat Analysis and Prevention

July 18, 2024

The ‘original sounds’ of terrorist leaders: A TikTok feature enables terrorist content to flourish

ISD found that speeches by IS and al-Qaeda leaders are easily found on TikTok through simple searches, even after removal, due to TikTok’s ‘original sound’ feature.

Islamist Extremism, Tech Accountability and Safety, Threat Analysis and Prevention

June 18, 2024

Pro-Islamic State outlet using CNN and Al Jazeera branding to boost reach

Executive Director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Moustafa Ayad, spoke to WIRED about ISD’s investigation on a pro-Islamic State (IS) network.

Islamist Extremism

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