‘Global Day of Jihad’ Rumors Have Set Off a Dangerous Wave of Misinformation

'Global Day of Jihad' Rumors Have Set Off a Dangerous Wave of Misinformation
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Threats of violence against Muslims are being made by American far-right figures in response to what they perceive to be a planned “global day of jihad” today.

The threatening language is in response to remarks made by Hamas founder and former leader Khaled Meshaal to Reuters on Wednesday. The Arab world should demonstrate on October 13 in favor of the Palestinians, Meshaal urged, before adding, “To all scholars who teach jihad… to all who teach and learn, this is a time for the application [of theories].”

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Meshaal expressly called for protests in “the Arab and Islamic worlds,” but his remarks were rapidly misinterpreted online as calling for a “global day of jihad,” which is not the language he used.

These misconstrued remarks have been weaponized by right-wing lawmakers & influencers to imply that Hamas is preparing attacks against non-Muslims in the toxic stew of falsehoods and disinformation that has been spreading online in the days following Hamas’ attack on Israel. This most recent wave of online misinformation now poses a risk of escalating into physical violence.

Users of popular platforms like X, formerly Twitter, as well as pro-Trump discussion boards and extreme Telegram channels frequently declared that they would be carrying firearms today. Some stated they would be ready to use those firearms if or when they encountered Muslims. Racist slurs were frequently used to refer to Muslims.

Some police departments in US cities, notably New York and Los Angeles, have responded by announcing that they will increase the number of officers on the force to prevent any potential violence. Some schools in the US and the UK have canceled classes “out of an abundance of caution” or owing to worries about “an international day of rage.”

Due to two different acts of violence that occurred today in France and China, the situation has gotten worse.

The Israeli embassy in Beijing has confirmed that a diplomat was stabbed outside the embassy in broad daylight. Witnesses in Arras, France, claim that an attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” while stabbing a teacher to death in front of the school where they worked.

Right-wing figures are disseminating videos online that claim to depict both attacks but which WIRED was not able to independently verify as evidence that the “global day of jihad” is indeed happening.

The FBI’s director, Christopher Wray, made an effort yesterday to reassure the Jewish community in the US that any threats are taken seriously. During an update on domestic security advice following the Hamas attacks, he said, “I am not, in any way, trying to worry you, but I want you to feel confident that the FBI is very definitely paying attention. “We continue to be on the lookout for any potential for violence inspired by this event.”

This morning, the terms “jihad” and “day of rage” were both trending on X after receiving support from well-known accounts, including one run by Georgia’s hard-right politician Marjorie Taylor-Greene. “Why don’t we just go home and regroup next week if we aren’t going to vote for a Speaker today? While I’m at home, I’ll get ammunition, Greene wrote on X.

Under the alias DC Draino, former Hollywood attorney Rogan O’Handley, who is now a prominent figure on the far right, falsely stated that Hamas had called for “an international day of terrorism.” “I will not be altering 1 thing about my daily life because I will not let terrorism win,” stated O’Handley, who has 1.1 million followers on X. “I will, however, have a spare magazine. Stay safe, everyone.

Numerous posts highlighting Meshaal’s remarks and the possible threat posed by the “day of jihad” were discovered by WIRED on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, but there was little proof of threats made against Muslims on those platforms. Charlie Kirk, a well-known host of a right-wing podcast, stated yesterday on Instagram: “Day of Jihad? Arm up.” 34000 people have liked the post. Kirk’s post prompted a comment from Meta, who did not reply.

It appears that X is trying to limit search results for the terms “global day of jihad” and “jihad,” which both returned no results when WIRED looked on mobile, desktop, and in multiple regions, amid the flurry of threats, misinformation, and actual acts of violence. Despite the fact that a search on X for “jihad” turned up no posts, it did suggest three users to follow, the first of which was US Vice President Joe Biden.

When WIRED asked X for a response on the threatening behavior on its platform or the dearth of jihad-related search results, X did not provide one.

Right-wing accounts on the internet are calling for violence, echoing extremist groups’ violent responses in the days immediately following the start of the conflict.

While several right-wing organizations have published anti-Muslim content and called for violence against Muslims, many others have intensified their antisemitism and are publishing threats of violence towards Jews.

The Texas chapter of the extreme group the Proud Boys called for the “extermination” of the Jewish people in a Telegram post, using numerous antisemitic epithets to refer to Jews.

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