Rumiyah (magazine)

This article is about the online magazine published by the Islamic State. For the city in Persia, see Weh Antiok Khosrow.
Rumiyah
Rumiyah (Issue 1)
CategoriesOnline magazine for propaganda
FrequencyApproximately monthly
FounderIslamic State
Founded2016
First issueSeptember 5, 2016 (2016-09-05)
Final issueSeptember 9, 2017 (2017-09-09)
CountrySyria (under Islamic State)
Based inRaqqa
LanguageArabic, Bosnian, English, German, French, Indonesian, Turkish, Uyghur, Urdu

Rumiyah (Arabic: رومية, romanized: Rūmīyah, lit. 'Rome') was an online magazine used by the Islamic State (IS) for propaganda and recruitment. It was first published in September 2016 and was released in several languages, including English, French, German, Russian, Indonesian, Bosnian and Uyghur.[1][2]

The magazine replaces Dabiq, Dar al-Islam and other magazines that were released until mid-2016. Analysts attributed the change of name partly to the imminent loss of the town of Dabiq to a Turkish-led military offensive, which occurred in October 2016.[3][4][5][6]

The name Rumiyah (Rome) was a reference to a hadith in which Muhammed said that Muslims would conquer both Constantinople and Rome in that order.[7][8]

Like Dabiq, each issue opens with a quote attributed to Abu Hamza al-Muhajir: "O muwahhidin, rejoice, for by Allah, we will not rest from our jihad except beneath the olive trees of Rumiyah (Rome)."[4]

The first issue was released after the death of IS spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, who was featured heavily in the magazine.[1] In October 2016, Islamic State released the second edition of the magazine in which it justified attacks against non-Muslims, including detailed descriptions of how to carry out knife attacks on smaller groups of people and argued that jihadists throughout Muslim history have "struck the necks of the kuffar" (unbelievers) in the name of Allah with "swords, severing limbs and piercing the fleshy meat of those who opposed Islam." The magazine advised its readers that knives are easy to obtain and to hide and that they make good, deadly weapons where Muslims might be regarded with suspicion.[8]

  1. ^ a b "In New Magazine 'Rumiyah,' IS Calls for Lone-Wolf Attacks in Australia, West". SITE Intelligence Group. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  2. ^ McKernan, Bethan (6 September 2016). "Isis' new magazine Rumiyah shows the terror group is 'struggling to adjust to losses'". The Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  3. ^ Wright, Robin (2 December 2016). "After the Islamic State". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b Joscelyn, Thomas (17 October 2016). "Town of Dabiq falls to Turkish-backed forces". The Long War Journal. Public Multimedia Inc. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  5. ^ Sengupta, Kim (19 December 2016). "Isis indoctrinating children to plan attacks on Big Ben, Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty". The Independent. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  6. ^ Gambhir, Harleen (December 2016). "The Virtual Caliphate: ISIS'S Information Warfare" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  7. ^ Weiss, Michael (9 August 2016). "An ISIS Plot to Blow Up Notre Dame Cathedral—and Rule the World?". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company LLC. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  8. ^ a b Wright, Robin (26 November 2016). "The Hand of ISIS at Ohio State". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved 4 April 2017.