LONDON // Support for ISIL is stronger among Arabic speakers in the West than those living at the heart of the zones of conflict, according to researchers who studied months of SOCIAL media messages and online comments.
More than two million blog posts and messages were analysed by Voices from the Blogs, a team of academics from Italy’s Milan university.
They found little trace of the extremists convincing Syrians, with 92 per cent of tweets, online forum messages and blog postings showing clear disapproval of ISIL and its self-styled state covering parts of the country and Iraq.
Favourable comments also represented a minority view in postings originating in other Middle Eastern countries: just under 20 per cent in Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
But in Belgium, from which the extremists’ combat in Syria and Iraq has drawn one of the highest proportions of citizens among European countries, supportive views were expressed in 31 per cent of the content analysed.
The researchers found higher levels only in Qatar – nearly 48 per cent – and Pakistan (35 per cent).
Backing for ISIL also appeared in messages and blogs posted in Arabic from the UK (nearly 24 per cent), Spain (nearly 22 per cent) and France and the United States (respectively just under and just over 21 per cent).
The researchers believe they have conducted the world’s first major scientific analysis of Arab speakers’ support for, or hostility to, ISIL. They studied Facebook, Twitter and blog content for more than three months from July.
“We think that these findings confirm one of the main lessons of our analysis,” Luigi Curini, a political scientist and member of the Milan team, told The National.
“The negative sentiment towards ISIS [ISIL] grows as we approach the front line. Indeed, countries located on the frontline – Iraq, Syria – or nearby –Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, but also Israel and Iran – display higher levels of opposition against ISIS.
“The comments are instead less negative in countries located far away from the frontline. This is true both for Arab, for example Qatar, and Islamic countries such as Indonesia, but the same happens in some western countries, for example Belgium.”
Mr Curini felt support for ISIL in Arab-speaking communities located far from the areas of conflict was probably influenced by their detachment from risk of violence, war and retaliation “but also because their civil rights and freedoms are not put in danger by the ISIS advance”.
In contrast, Arab speakers living close to the theatre of combat feared the loss of their own freedom and independence and had closer experience of the violence committed by ISIL.
The researchers concluded that ISIL aggression did not amount to either a religious war or a so-called “clash of civilisations”.
Although 36 per cent of positive comments cited “defending Islam” as a motivation, this was seen by the team as referring to nationhood as well as faith. Twice as many comments and blogs mentioned state-building as talked about revenge against the West.
Moreover, a high minority of negative comments – almost one in three – condemned ISIL for “using the Islamic religion as a shield for pursuing political aims: seizure of power and ruling a state”, Mr Curini said.
One tweet seen by researchers stated: “They are tyrants and have marred Islam. Every day ISIS makes Islam wear the mask of a barbarous sexual monster.”
Mr Curini added: “It is not by chance that the main battlefield, nowadays, involves the Islamic Kurdish people.”
He said one social media message, summarised as “who is with ISIS is also against Islam”, made the point that for many Muslims, the extremists were effectively anti-Islam.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
THREE
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
