Terror and extremist groups are increasingly using music and memes as a propaganda and recruitment tool to build, sustain and spread their legacy. In this Fivecast analysis, we show how ISIS-related online activity exemplifies this trend.
TIMELY TRENDS—WITH A TWIST
In the Muslim world, a nasheed is a religious song typically performed by a munshid (performer) to praise God and convey Islamic beliefs, practices, etiquette, or lessons. Most nasheeds serve peaceful religious purposes, however, many have become trending audio for non-Muslim-related content related to violent extremism. Trending nasheeds are a great example of how content can take on a new meaning across social media.
Right now, a nasheed titled “Ana Maradun” is trending alongside a viral meme that depicts French soccer player Kylian Mbappé as a dictator. This meme emerged once his fanbase depicted him as a figure who influences players and individuals around him.
Graphic: Google Search @Rezonclips on YouTube posting viral Meme
The meme looks harmless at first, but it demonstrates how fast an audio clip can gain reach once users attach it to familiar content. Though this meme was created by an unknown actor likely for comic effect, extremist groups like ISIS exploit the same trend cycle and they embed ideological messaging into music, memes, or short-form video content.
Instagram @nasheedchannel post depicts ISIS flag and famous nasheed “Jundallah”
Since at least 2014, ISIS has weaponized the nasheed tradition, adapting its rhythms and melodies to promote jihadist ideology rather than religious devotion. The group intentionally produces memorable content that followers can easily repeat and share, transforming propaganda into material that spreads organically.
MULTILINGUAL MEDIA STRATEGY
ISIS further amplifies its reach through a sophisticated and dominant multilingual media strategy, producing nasheeds in multiple languages to target non-Arab audiences and expand recruitment beyond the Arab world. To support this effort, ISIS has established language-specific propaganda media arms, including the Al-Hayat Media Center, which creates, translates, and disseminates French-speaking ISIS content.
Fivecast LUNEX datasets are expertly curated by intelligence analysts and integrated across our product suite to embed insights on global threat networks directly into investigations.
A Fivecast LUNEX-identified ISIS-affiliated account posted images of ISIS members; the related activities highlighted a comment by an ISIS-affiliated user who asked for the name of the song used in the post in Arabic. Instead of responding in Arabic, an affiliate replied in French: “Avance Avance,” which translates to “Progress Progress” in English. The song was first published by Al-Hayat, using French to recruit individuals based in France to join their movement.
Graphic: Media activity + ONYX techniques to monitor use of nasheeds on social media
The French nasheed promotes jihadist messaging by urging believers to fight and destroy those who reject its extremist values, emphasizing action with “no hesitation.”
This interaction stood out because the response did more than identify a song. It showed how ISIS-linked users can use music to connect supporters, reinforce group identity, and circulate propaganda across language communities.
TIMELY INTEL AMID TACTICAL EVOLUTION
Although major platforms have banned this nasheed, ISIS supporters likely downloaded copies before the bans took effect and continue reposting them under new accounts, using multiple languages, and across different online communities. This pattern proves that removal efforts can limit the song’s visibility but cannot fully stop extremist audio from resurfacing once it is already in circulation; analysts can use Fivecast ONYX media collection to track this resurfacing, flagging ISIS-affiliated nasheeds as they reappear and identifying the specific individuals and accounts responsible for keeping them in circulation.
As social media moderation plays catch-up to extremist content, groups like ISIS will adopt new methods to amplify their message. By tracking that tactical evolution, surfacing relevant insights and delivering curated datasets, Fivecast LUNEX enhances investigations to enable confident decisions and effective action.
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