Skip to content
What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'? episode artwork

Aug 2, 2026 27 min

What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'?

from The Documentary Podcast Hosted by BBC World Service

The extremist content quietly spreading on TikTok and Instagram, targeting unsuspecting young people. Through what is disguised as innocuous lifestyle content, supporters of jihadist groups like IS and al-Qaeda reach audiences outside their echo chamber. This is a recruitment drive that signals a move from direct operational instructions to “do-it-yourself jihad", with the aim of potentially inspiring lone wolf attacks. The Global Jigsaw explores the tactics used to obscure and evade detection, the challenges this poses for platforms, and how it has become a relentless game of whack-a-mole. Find out more about BBC Monitoring on our website: monitoring.bbc.co.uk Contributors: Mariam Soussi, Mina al-Lami Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'?

0:00 27:27

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of The Documentary Podcast?

This episode is 27 minutes long.

When was this The Documentary Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on August 2, 2026.

Can I download this The Documentary Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.