Religious indoctrination via digital media has resulted in Indian youth joining the ISIS. What is ISIS and its mission? How can ISIS be dangerous for the internal security of our country?

Digital radicalisation and ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also called ISIL or Daesh, is a Salafi-jihadist terrorist organisation that seized territory across Iraq and Syria and declared a so-called 'caliphate' in 2014. Its self-proclaimed mission is to establish a transnational Islamic caliphate governed by an extreme interpretation of Sharia, erasing existing nation-state borders and demanding allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

Why ISIS is dangerous for India's internal security

• Online radicalisation: slick digital propaganda and social media recruit vulnerable, alienated youth without physical contact.
• Returning fighters and lone wolves: trained returnees and self-radicalised individuals can execute attacks with little coordination.
• Communal polarisation: its ideology seeks to inflame sectarian divisions and undermine India's pluralism.
• Sleeper modules: agencies have detected recruitment networks and module plots across several states.
• Regional spillover: the ISIS-Khorasan Province in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region raises proximate threats.

Countering the threat

India relies on intelligence-led policing by the NIA and state agencies, counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation programmes engaging families and community leaders, monitoring of online content, and international cooperation on foreign fighters. Ultimately, addressing alienation, promoting inclusive narratives and community partnership are as vital as enforcement in immunising youth against indoctrination.