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 17, 2026

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

Twenty-five years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains online, adapting its decentralized ecosystem across platforms, messaging services and AI.

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

July 29, 2026

Five lessons from the Islamist extremist attack on Berlin Pride

Anti-LGBTQ+, Islamist Extremism

March 11, 2026

Islamic State group activity in the US in 2025

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism, Threat Analysis and Prevention

March 10, 2026

The 2025 Annual Review of Plots and Attacks Across the US

Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism, Threat Analysis and Prevention

February 26, 2026

Coordinating Through Chaos: The State of the Islamic State Online in 2026

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

February 26, 2026

As platforms pull back moderation, Islamic State contents grows in reach

Islamist Extremism

January 17, 2026

Morocco’s Religious Diplomacy: Soft Power, Sovereignty and the Politics of Faith

Islamist Extremism

December 23, 2025

Bondi Beach: The hallmarks of an Islamic State attack 

Antisemitism, Islamist Extremism, Threat Analysis and Prevention

Further Reading

November 23, 2021

Left or right? Islamism at the center of a culture war lacking religious representation

UnHerd cites our report "Islamogram: Salafism and Alt-Right Online Subcultures" to better explain the overlap between Salafi Gen Zers and leftism.

Far-Left Extremism, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

November 16, 2021

Islamogram: Salafism and Alt-Right Online Subcultures

This report provides an ethnographic deep dive into an emerging online Salafi ecosystem, referred to by its members as ‘Islamogram’.

Far-Right Extremism, Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

November 16, 2021

Gen-Z & The Digital Salafi Ecosystem: Executive Summary

This is a summary of research into the online Salafi ecosystem, providing a cross-platform snapshot of content across English, Arabic and German

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

November 16, 2021

Understanding the Salafi Online Ecosystem: A Digital Snapshot

A digital snapshot of the rapidly shifting online Salafi ecosystem across social media and its intersection with Gen-Z identities.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

November 16, 2021

Gen-Z and the digital Salafi ecosystem

ISD's research provides a digital snapshot of the evolving Salafi online ecosystem and its impact on Gen-Z identities.

Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Islamist Extremism

November 15, 2021

Theoretical Overview: Gen-Z & the Digital Salafi Ecosystem

This theoretical briefing contextualises ISD’s research into the online Salafi ecosystem within key political and terminological debates.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

November 15, 2021

Methodology: Gen-Z & The Digital Salafi Ecosystem

This methodology paper provides an overview of ISD’s research approach for our data-driven snapshot of the Salafi digital landscape.

Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

August 27, 2021

The far-right and alt-right find common ground with the Taliban

ISD’s Moustafa Ayad provides insight to the New York Times in this piece on "Right Wingers who Admire the Taliban."

Far-Right Extremism, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Islamist Extremism, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse

August 2, 2021

Pro-Trump social media platform inundated with Jihadist propaganda

ISD’s Moustafa Ayad shared with POLITICO various findings relating to the rapid exploitation of the social media network Gettr by ISIS.

Gaming and Alternative Platforms, Islamist Extremism, Tech Accountability and Safety, Terrorism and Extremism

May 27, 2021

The Islamic State’s imagined community

This Dispatch explores links between the largest online Islamic State archive and real-world cases, proposing policy considerations.

Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism

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