4 ms·

ISIS supporters send death threats to Twitter staff, co-founder Jack Dorsey

22 points by dimillian 12y ago

seren 12y ago
This is the first example I can remember of a "War on a Service". But likely not the last.
bluedino 12y ago
I would seriously be worried if I were in their shoes after the attacks in Paris.
- venomsnake 12y ago
  I would not. The Charlie Hebdo attacks were other beer. Plotting an attack on a isolated continent is much harder than in country in which you have 10% of the population willing to at least listen to you. To organize attack on US soil you need to traffic people trough the border, make them get supplies inside US and deal with the generally more aggressive corp sec in US than in EU.
  - bluedino 12y ago
    >> To organize attack on US soil you need to traffic people trough the border, make them get supplies inside US and deal with the generally more aggressive corp sec in US than in EU. It's been done before.
  - pimlottc 12y ago
    > The Charlie Hebdo attacks were other beer. Is "other beer" an expression in some language?
nailer 12y ago
This is an old threat that Twitter staff are aware of. Buzzfeed and the sites that link to them are doing Isis' jobs for them by broadcasting the command.
- Red_Tarsius 12y ago
  You're absolutely correct. News source uses ISIS uses news source...: the former spreads propaganda, the latter finds new stuff to fill the holes between commercials. We also know that many people have joined ISIS because of such stories of bravado. theverge should know better.
  - sremani 12y ago
    That is called media echo-chamber. It is hard work to verify and validate the story and the sources, but its too easy to just refer the other guy in small font and link.
Red_Tarsius 12y ago
Their institution takes Quran literalism to a whole new level, yet ISIS is very hypocritical. Any food, clothes, house, weapon, computer they use/consume is made by their enemy. They're spoiled children who play their worst instincts off as a deeper belief.
- espadrine 12y ago
  In all likelihood, they use russian weapons, chinese computers, indian clothes and local food. Are you expressing the inaccurate belief that everything in the world is made in your country? What Daesh does is not wrong because of the Quran. Saying it is implicitly allows what they do if they weren't religious fundamentalists. The biggest victims of Daesh are the countless members of the local population. This ordeal is not about America, and so it does not make Daesh hypocritical; just brutal, gruesome and totalitarian.
  - toong 12y ago
    According to this Qoura answer [1], they are using American weaponry after all, which they got from what was left behind in Iraq: [1] http://www.quora.com/Why-are-ISIS-militants-driving-Texas-made-Toyota-trucks-apparently-modified-for-U-S-Special-Forces http://www.quora.com/Why-are-ISIS-militants-driving-Texas-ma...
  - bstar77 12y ago
    "Are you expressing the inaccurate belief that everything in the world is made in your country?" This is a little passive aggressive, don't you think? ISIS' enemy is anyone that embraces western culture. I don't think Red_Tarsius was referring to any single country.
    - pcl 12y ago
      Additionally, they make extensive use of Twitter itself.
  - markyc 12y ago
    In all likelihood, they use russian weapons, chinese computers, indian clothes and local food. russians, chinese, indians, and even muslims are all tagged as IS enemies if they don't subscribe to their particular view of the world
S_A_P 12y ago
I just cant imagine what sort of upbringing could lead to a mass of people who think that murder and war are the first and best options. This is a religious war but their religion isnt islam, its violence.
- SEJeff 12y ago
  It is Wahhabism, a more old school and brutal form of Islam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabism
  - nashashmi 12y ago
    Hardly even. Scholars across many schools of thought have condemned ISIS. Even the university that the leader is believed to be from has condemned him.
    - SEJeff 12y ago
      That doesn't mean they still aren't intimately connected. The fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims is about as old as it gets. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5717157 http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5717157
- JonnieCache 12y ago
  These may help: http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-idea-of-isis-history-and-future-of.html http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-idea-of-isis-histo... http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-west-v-isis-air-strikes-just-mean_6.html http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-west-v-isis-air-st... You will also find the new adam curtis film, Bitter Lake, informative. TL;DR its not just to do with religion, its to do with history, and a lot of stuff.
- cdahmedeh 12y ago
  The religion started in the atmosphere of war. That vibe leaks out into the minds of Muslims of all kinds from moderate to the extremist even if it's indirect. I recall being taught about the victories of Islamic conquests through the ages starting with the Muslim-Quraysh wars. In Islam, war is seen as a reality of human existence, and as a valid means to deal with perceived injustice, oppression, etc. Finally, martyrdom in Islam guarantees one into paradise... The problem with Islam is that it's extremely malleable. You can pick and choose your sources, scholars and books and have an Islam of your own. Each one has their side, and accuses the other of taking things out of context, or having an incorrect understanding. Some Muslims make heavy use of the No true Scotsman fallacy. The former allows one Muslim to basically slide on the scale, from a nominal Muslim to an member of ISIS. You just need someone convincing enough to show you a few prophetic traditions, sound charismatic enough and revive your faith in the religion.

22 points by dimillian 12y ago

seren 12y ago

This is the first example I can remember of a "War on a Service". But likely not the last.

bluedino 12y ago

I would seriously be worried if I were in their shoes after the attacks in Paris.

venomsnake 12y ago
I would not. The Charlie Hebdo attacks were other beer. Plotting an attack on a isolated continent is much harder than in country in which you have 10% of the population willing to at least listen to you. To organize attack on US soil you need to traffic people trough the border, make them get supplies inside US and deal with the generally more aggressive corp sec in US than in EU.
- bluedino 12y ago
  >> To organize attack on US soil you need to traffic people trough the border, make them get supplies inside US and deal with the generally more aggressive corp sec in US than in EU. It's been done before.
- pimlottc 12y ago
  > The Charlie Hebdo attacks were other beer. Is "other beer" an expression in some language?

nailer 12y ago

This is an old threat that Twitter staff are aware of. Buzzfeed and the sites that link to them are doing Isis' jobs for them by broadcasting the command.

Red_Tarsius 12y ago
You're absolutely correct. News source uses ISIS uses news source...: the former spreads propaganda, the latter finds new stuff to fill the holes between commercials. We also know that many people have joined ISIS because of such stories of bravado. theverge should know better.
- sremani 12y ago
  That is called media echo-chamber. It is hard work to verify and validate the story and the sources, but its too easy to just refer the other guy in small font and link.

Red_Tarsius 12y ago

Their institution takes Quran literalism to a whole new level, yet ISIS is very hypocritical. Any food, clothes, house, weapon, computer they use/consume is made by their enemy. They're spoiled children who play their worst instincts off as a deeper belief.

espadrine 12y ago
In all likelihood, they use russian weapons, chinese computers, indian clothes and local food. Are you expressing the inaccurate belief that everything in the world is made in your country? What Daesh does is not wrong because of the Quran. Saying it is implicitly allows what they do if they weren't religious fundamentalists. The biggest victims of Daesh are the countless members of the local population. This ordeal is not about America, and so it does not make Daesh hypocritical; just brutal, gruesome and totalitarian.
- toong 12y ago
  According to this Qoura answer [1], they are using American weaponry after all, which they got from what was left behind in Iraq: [1] http://www.quora.com/Why-are-ISIS-militants-driving-Texas-made-Toyota-trucks-apparently-modified-for-U-S-Special-Forces http://www.quora.com/Why-are-ISIS-militants-driving-Texas-ma...
- bstar77 12y ago
  "Are you expressing the inaccurate belief that everything in the world is made in your country?" This is a little passive aggressive, don't you think? ISIS' enemy is anyone that embraces western culture. I don't think Red_Tarsius was referring to any single country.
  - pcl 12y ago
    Additionally, they make extensive use of Twitter itself.
- markyc 12y ago
  In all likelihood, they use russian weapons, chinese computers, indian clothes and local food. russians, chinese, indians, and even muslims are all tagged as IS enemies if they don't subscribe to their particular view of the world

S_A_P 12y ago

I just cant imagine what sort of upbringing could lead to a mass of people who think that murder and war are the first and best options. This is a religious war but their religion isnt islam, its violence.

SEJeff 12y ago
It is Wahhabism, a more old school and brutal form of Islam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabism
- nashashmi 12y ago
  Hardly even. Scholars across many schools of thought have condemned ISIS. Even the university that the leader is believed to be from has condemned him.
  - SEJeff 12y ago
    That doesn't mean they still aren't intimately connected. The fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims is about as old as it gets. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5717157 http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5717157
JonnieCache 12y ago
These may help: http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-idea-of-isis-history-and-future-of.html http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-idea-of-isis-histo... http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-west-v-isis-air-strikes-just-mean_6.html http://wartard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-west-v-isis-air-st... You will also find the new adam curtis film, Bitter Lake, informative. TL;DR its not just to do with religion, its to do with history, and a lot of stuff.
cdahmedeh 12y ago
The religion started in the atmosphere of war. That vibe leaks out into the minds of Muslims of all kinds from moderate to the extremist even if it's indirect. I recall being taught about the victories of Islamic conquests through the ages starting with the Muslim-Quraysh wars. In Islam, war is seen as a reality of human existence, and as a valid means to deal with perceived injustice, oppression, etc. Finally, martyrdom in Islam guarantees one into paradise... The problem with Islam is that it's extremely malleable. You can pick and choose your sources, scholars and books and have an Islam of your own. Each one has their side, and accuses the other of taking things out of context, or having an incorrect understanding. Some Muslims make heavy use of the No true Scotsman fallacy. The former allows one Muslim to basically slide on the scale, from a nominal Muslim to an member of ISIS. You just need someone convincing enough to show you a few prophetic traditions, sound charismatic enough and revive your faith in the religion.