Since 2004, Samir Khan has maintained several blogs which he has used to distribute English translations of Al Qaeda materials, links to videos produced by terrorist groups, and original commentary in support of violence. The following is a sampling of these blogs.
Inshallahshaheed
Khan's current blog, Inshallahshaheed, launched in August 2009, describes itself as a "blog geared towards Jihad" that aims to revive "the love, spirit and knowledge of Jihad" and to inform Muslims about the "affairs in the battlefields from the perspective of the Mujahideen."
One section of the blog provides original essays, including one titled "Being practical about partaking in the Global Jihaad & its roles," which discusses ways for Muslims to partake in jihad if they are unable to physically go to the Middle East to fight. These ways include making financial donations and helping to spread propaganda.
The "about" section of Inshallahshaheed features a list of Muslim extremists and terrorists, who are described as "scholars of Islam... whom we take knowledge from." It includes former Al Qaeda in Iraq commander, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in June 2006, Abu Layth al-Libi, a top Al Qaeda commander killed in January 2008 during an American aerial attack in Pakistan, and Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Muslim cleric living in Yemen who was designated by the U.S. Treasury in July 2010 for being a "key leader" of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In addition to Khan, several other Americans have contributed to Inshallahshaheed. One was Zachary Chesser, using the name Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee. Chesser, who was arrested in July 2010 for attempting to travel to Somalia to fight with the terrorist group Al Shabaab, not only contributed to Khan's blog, but also distributed jihadist materials and promoted violence against non-Muslims through a variety of other online platforms, including social networking sites and extremist message boards.
Abdullah as-Sayf Jones, the former leader of Revolution Muslim, a fringe anti-Semitic Muslim organization that justifies terrorist attacks and other forms of violence against non-Muslims, was another contributor. A third contributor to Khan's blog goes by the alias Abu Stratigiyyah. Khan has described Abu Stratigiyyah as a blogger who "likes to write on subjects related to warfare, strategy, and a wide range of political subjects."
The first blog that Khan operated, launched in 2004, also went by the name Inshallahshaheed.
Revolution
Prior to the launch of the Inshallahshaheed blog in August 2009, Khan maintained a blog titled Revolution, which was hosted by the Islamic Network and featured terrorist propaganda, including links to videos of attacks against American soldiers and Iraqi forces in Iraq.
Many of the videos on the blog were produced by Al-Furqan Media Productions, which is run by the Islamic State of Iraq's Ministry of Information. The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) is an umbrella organization composed of several Sunni insurgency groups affiliated with Al Qaeda. Al-Furqan creates downloadable video clips glorifying terrorism and encouraging violent jihad, as well as written materials.
In one posting on Revolution, Khan explained his views about democracy and Islam's attitude toward non-Muslims: "Islam denounces Democracy, Islam denounces Christians and Jews, Islam denounces the corruption of the disbelievers upon the earth, and Islam is coming to crush the armies of disbelief and smash the false governments and religions of the world to bring humanity from darkness into light."
Revival
Khan's blog Revival, which described itself as a venture of "a handful" of Sunni Muslim bloggers who "follow the Salafi Jihadi" creed, was launched in December 2007 and hosted by the Islamic Network, a blog hosting network that also hosted Revival's predecessor, inshaAllahshaheed, and its successor, Revolution.
Revival claimed to provide information about "the lands of Jihad," describing itself as "a channel against the Western media since they only bring lies and deception." The "about" section of Revival featured a list of Muslim extremists and terrorists, who were described as "scholars of Islam in this age whom we follow and support." It included former Al Qaeda in Iraq commander, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in June 2006, and Abu Layth al-Libi, a top Al Qaeda commander killed in January 2008 during an American aerial attack in Pakistan.
Another section of the blog provided original essays calling on Muslims to take up arms against Western democracies. One of the essays - part of a series called "The Love for Jihad" - encourages Muslims to become mujahideen, or holy warriors. "O Believing Mujahid! Don't let Shaytan [Satan] fool you into other Islamic careers when the Lord of Mercy has given you the ability to obtain His Mercy through warfare and martyrdom." Another essay in the series declared, "We hate America and her allies for the sake of Allah and we supplicate to Allah that He destroys them completely."
Revival also produced its own terrorist propaganda video, available on YouTube and elsewhere. A link to the video, which celebrated jihad, was posted on Revival on January 21, 2008. The video, titled "We are the Mountains," featured footage of attacks against American forces from both mainstream and terrorist sources. It included graphic images and was accompanied by an English language song encouraging Muslims to "come to the jihad." The song also said, "The men you will be facing are of a certain kind who love to taste their deaths as you love to taste your wines…We're soldiers of religion…The best raised in this nation who establishes the truth and fights against the evils their people and their troops. We'll never compromise and never negotiate. The only thing between us and you is the AK."
