A news broadcaster affiliated with the terrorist group ISIS has released an Android app that teaches children the Arabic alphabet — and it's full of references to weapons and jihad.
Al Bayan Radio, which broadcasts ISIS propaganda on radio waves in the Middle East and through its Android apps, made the app available to supporters on the encrypted messaging app Telegram and other platforms ISIS commonly uses. The app isn't available on the Google Play store, but can be accessed through files shared online.
This app is the latest step in Al Bayan's expansion — the radio network broadcasts on FM frequencies in the Middle East, but has also recently released other Android apps and Telegram channels that distribute its propaganda to a wider audience.
The Long War Journal explained how the kids' app works:
The app has games for memorizing and how to write the Arabic letters in addition to including a nasheed (a cappella Islamic songs) designed to help teach the alphabet. The lyrics in the nasheed are littered with jihadist terminology, while other games within the app also include militaristic vocabulary with more common, basic words. Words like 'tank,' 'gun,' and 'rocket' are among the first few taught within the application.
The alphabet app is not the Islamic State’s first mobile application, however it is the first to be directed exclusively to children. The jihadist group has also produced several videos from many of its proclaimed provinces showing children being trained for jihad or being indoctrinated at Islamic State-ran schools. Other videos have shown children being involved in beheadings and executions of prisoners held by the Islamic State.
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