The Revolution Muslim Method Proves Its Success

Revolution Muslim’s more explicit support for terrorist violence and its integrated and public-facing online efforts successfully cultivated a surge in American jihadist terrorist activity. RM became a premiere outlet for jihadism in the West. Followers were consumed and embedded in a community of the like-minded 24/7, as long as they had internet access. Seven of 23 terrorism cases from March 2009 to August 2010 had explicit links to ITS or RM.¹ By 2012, Gordon Kromberg, the prosecutor in Yousef al-Khattab’s case, noted that at least 15 individuals linked to Revolution Muslim had engaged in or attempted to engage in terrorism.² And arrests have continued since 2012.

Abdullah Faisal himself was indicted on August 26, 2017, for recruiting supporters and facilitating travel to ISIS.³ Nevertheless, because Revolution Muslim did not facilitate but rather promoted the ideology and camaraderie that typically precedes acts of jihadist extremism in the West, the actual influence of the organization may never be grasped in totality.

The following chart highlights the most significant terrorism cases linked directly to Revolution Muslim and the nature of that linkage.

Table 1: Cases Linked to Revolution Muslim

Revolution Muslim-linked cases were either passively linked to the group (i.e., the individual was not in active communication, but followed RM’s online presence) or actively linked (the individual had direct interactions with RM).

Revolution Muslim’s online efforts bore fruit. Several followers with passive engagement in RM propaganda online engaged in or attempted to engage in operational terrorist action.

On March 9, 2010, the U.S. government unsealed charges against Colleen LaRose, popularly known in the media as “Jihad Jane.”⁴ She and other conspirators planned to murder Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who had portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in caricature. LaRose was a white convert to Islam and a subscriber to Revolution Muslim’s YouTube channel.⁵

Abdullah Muhammad exploited media outlets such as the Russia Today television network to frame the case as part of a U.S.-led war on Islam and to promote conspiratorial views of law enforcement entrapment.⁶ He also attempted to distance RM from accusations that it was deliberately inciting homegrown terrorism, saying for example in an interview on Russia Today shortly after LaRose’s arrest that it represented “one case in many whereby they are trying to suggest there is incitement occurring over the internet, whether it was Jihad Jane or whether it was the case we saw earlier in the week with the 9/11 Truther. This is a movement to discredit alternative press and to keep the mainstream public reliant upon the mainstream media.”⁷

Meanwhile, terrorist organizations based abroad picked up on Revolution Muslim’s activity to further their ends. Anwar al-Awlaki, now embedded within al-Qaeda in Yemen, followed LaRose’s arrest with a statement that made the rounds of media outlets everywhere. On his blog, he wrote:

“In such an inhospitable environment [America], jihad is flourishing…. The jihad movement has not only survived but is expanding. Isn’t it ironic that the two capitals of the war against Islam, Washington D.C. and London have also become the centers of Western jihad? Jihad is becoming as American as apple pie and as British as afternoon tea.”⁸

Revolution Muslim frequently appeared in coverage of terrorism-related cases after LaRose’s arrest. The group’s enhanced notoriety helped draw interest from an increasing number of Americans.

On December 8, 2010, Antonio Martinez, a naturalized U.S. citizen and recent convert to Islam, was arrested for a plot to target the armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.⁹ Although, like LaRose, Martinez did not interact directly with Revolution Muslim, he was affected by both it and ALM’s ideology. He viewed a video of Osama bin Laden and multiple terrorist training camp video clips on the RM website,¹⁰ and mentioned support for Omar Bakri to a confidential informant.¹¹

Also in 2010, Paul “Bilal” Rockwood Jr. and his spouse, Nadia Piroska Maria Rockwood, were arrested for lying to investigators and collaborating on a kill list that included 15 specific targets.¹² Rockwood had become a follower of al-Awlaki and spent time at work viewing the Revolution Muslim website.¹³ At one point, he began researching explosives and remote triggering devices, and by 2009 began sharing ideas for committing acts of violence, “including the possibility of using mail bombs or killing targets by gunshot to the head.”¹⁴

Revolution Muslim’s success derived not only from its influence on passive viewers of its propaganda but also from its encouragement of those who actively interacted with the group, pushing them toward the decision to engage in jihadist terrorism.

Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi descent, directly interacted with Revolution Muslim online and in detail before being arrested for plotting to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. In February 2010, Ferdaus contacted Abdullah Muhammad by email to ask about the appropriateness of martyrdom operations. Abdullah Muhammad suggested that such operations could have “enormous benfits (sic) in a war of attrition.”¹⁵ In 2011, Ferdaus began speaking to undercover FBI agents, who he believed were al-Qaeda operatives, about his desire to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol using weaponized drones.¹⁶

Jose Pimentel was another “big fan of Revolution Muslim,” according to court documents.¹⁷ Pimentel reached out to register for one of Abdullah Muhammad’s online courses. They exchanged emails and held private phone conversations thereafter in which Abdullah Muhammad advised Pimentel on how he could merge his independent efforts with the broader Revolution Muslim network.¹⁸ Pimentel, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the Dominican Republic, vacillated between merely talking and preparing to act. His interactions with Revolution Muslim, both online and in the real world, furthered his commitment to violent action.¹⁹ In May 2009, he discussed going to Yemen for terrorism training and returning to the United States.²⁰ Soon thereafter, Abdullah Muhammad allowed Pimentel to post directly to RM’s newer Islam Policy website.²¹ Anwar al-Awlaki’s death on September 30, 2011, in a U.S. drone attack, seemed to hasten his operationalization. Pimentel started discussing plans for bombing a variety of targets, including post offices around the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan and police in New York and New Jersey.²² He was arrested on November 19, 2011, after he purchased components for bombs to use in the attacks.²³

Revolution Muslim’s efforts highlighted a developing transition in cases of homegrown violent extremism. Where the radicalization of earlier years occurred mostly through in-person interaction, online contact now seemed sufficient to promote radicalization to violence. The internet reduced temporal and spatial restrictions and enhanced the effects of Revolution Muslim’s innovative approach.

Revolution Muslim’s impact was not limited to the United States. In the United Kingdom, Anjem Choudary and other higher-level associates in ALM recognized the effect Revolution Muslim was having and tried to harness it. By doing so, they could promote a pro-al-Qaeda message while protecting themselves from British anti-terrorism legislation.

As a result, what might have been considered as Bakrism shifted to Bin Ladenism, with Revolution Muslim as the conduit. Choudary and Bakri began speaking alongside Faisal in online chat rooms²⁴ despite their previous reluctance to cooperate with him. Omar Brooks (Abu Izzadeen), a provocative ALM member from London and one of the group’s key street speakers, who had been incarcerated for terrorist incitement and fundraising,²⁵ also began speaking alongside Faisal and other Revolution Muslim affiliates.²⁶ SalafiMedia, another ALM outlet, forwarded material for posting on the RM website and YouTube channel.²⁷ SalafiMedia was managed by Abu Waleed, a longtime student of both Bakri and Faisal.²⁸

Revolution Muslim’s propaganda also inspired individuals to engage in jihadist terrorism in the United Kingdom. On May 14, 2010 Roshonara Choudhry, a 21-year-old recent dropout from King’s College in London, attempted to kill British MP Stephen Timms in a knife attack.²⁹ Timms had voted for UK participation in the war in Iraq, and Choudhry asserted that his killing would be revenge. “When a Muslim land is attacked it becomes obligatory on every man, woman and child and even slave to go out and fight and defend the land and the Muslims,” she explained.³⁰

Choudhry radicalized to violence online, through passive contact with Anwar al-Awlaki lectures and Revolution Muslim’s website.³¹ Abdullah Muhammad explained, “Roshonara Choudhry was the first one we realized had gone all the way up to the point of violence almost entirely by viewing content online.”³²

When Choudhry was sentenced to life in prison, Revolution Muslim administrator and ALM member Bilal Zaheer Ahmad posted to the Revolution Muslim website a list of British members of Parliament who voted for the Iraq War alongside a link to where British Muslims might purchase a knife like the one Choudhry used.³³ The day before her sentencing, Ahmad posted on Facebook: “This sister has put us men to shame. We should be doing this.”³⁴ Abdullah Muhammad had given Ahmad the password to RM and permission to post messages.³⁵ As a result, the two men were in close communication and collaboration. Given the UK’s strict laws on posting what could be defined as “hate speech,” Revolution Muslim provided a route through which to circumvent British restrictions, but Ahmad’s post crossed the line. The scandal surrounding his posting soon induced the domain name host to take down revolutionmuslim.com.

Abdullah Muhammad explained: “I was in frequent contact with Bilal Zaheer Ahmad. After he posted the threat against the MPs he reached out due to the fact the domain name shut down.”³⁶ Ahmad informed Abdullah Muhammad over email that,

“First of all I wish to apologise for the site closure … it was a result of being unable to contain my legitimate emotion at the sentence passed down to our sister – the purpose was to make those MPs fearful, so that they think twice before voting to rape our mothers or kill our brothers, or go onto our lands and try to steal our resources (as I’m sure you will empathise with!).”³⁷

Ahmad was arrested on November 10, 2010 for soliciting murder.

In early January 2007, Osama bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, released a statement online in response to the entry of Ethiopian forces into Somalia.³⁸ Al-Zawahiri called on jihadists to support and join Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, which went on to publicly align with al-Qaeda in 2012. Open and widespread warfare soon followed al-Zawahiri’s proclamation, and as Al-Shabaab gained battlefield success and established control of territory, it contemplated the declaration of an Islamic emirate, a smaller version of the caliphate that ISIS would later pronounce.³⁹

Foreign fighters flocked to join Al-Shabaab. Two of the first Americans to become involved, Omar Hammami and Daniel Maldonado, were both in direct communication with Yousef al-Khattab, cofounder of Revolution Muslim, over an online discussion forum, IslamicAwakening.com.⁴⁰ Maldonado would go on to become the first American charged for fighting with Al-Shabaab,⁴¹ while Hammami became a chief propagandist and field commander for the group.⁴²

Revolution Muslim blatantly called for support of Al-Shabaab and emigration to join the movement. In December 2008, Abdullah Muhammad published a two-year plan of action for Revolution Muslim and the organization’s supporters. In the piece titled, “By Any Means Necessary – In Pursuit of the Objectives Amidst Improving Odds,” he wrote:

The mujahedeen are still waging a successful jihad, but the majority of Muslims cannot foresee the justice of an Islamic State…. Revolution Muslim issues a challenge to Muslims across the globe to accept a role in working toward the establishment of the state. Say Somalia would be taken tomorrow. We have problems with piracy, drinking water, health care and political divisions. The world would pose an economic barricade with no foreign investment. The State has oil, resources, agricultural capabilities and a strategic location and the right crew with the right connections could come in with some serious policy recommendations, community organizing and etcetera and protect the State.… These are our objectives for the following two years.… Inshallah by the completion of two years heijra will be possible.”⁴³

Revolution Muslim followers soon heeded the call. For example, Mohamed Alessa and Carlos Almonte, two young men from New Jersey with longstanding ties to both ITS and RM,⁴⁴ were arrested for attempting to travel to Somalia in June 2010.⁴⁵ On July 21, 2010, Zachary Chesser (Abu Talha al-Amrikee), a 20-year-old American convert from Fairfax, Virginia, who was recruited by Abdullah Muhammad to help administer the RM website, was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Uganda en route to Somalia. He told federal agents that he intended to join Al-Shabaab as a foreign fighter and was charged with attempting to aid the group.⁴⁶

Somalia wasn’t the only field of jihad to which followers of Revolution Muslim attempted to travel. Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, an American citizen of Palestinian descent from Staten Island, regularly attended Revolution Muslim meetings in New York and posted content to the organization’s website.⁴⁷ On June 13, 2008, Shehadeh flew on a one-way ticket from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistani officials denied him entry. Shehadeh told investigators from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force that he traveled to Pakistan to attend university. However, Shehadeh instead intended to travel to the northern Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan in order to join al-Qaeda or the Taliban. He stated that he would have joined the Taliban “without a doubt,” expecting to “receive training in ‘guerilla warfare’ and ‘bomb making.’”⁴⁸

The most significant evidence of Revolution Muslim’s success in creating and defining a new Western jihadist method was its campaign against the writers of the popular cartoon satire series South Park. On April 14, 2010, in commemoration of the show’s 200th episode, the South Park writers portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a bear costume. The Revolution Muslim campaign began when Zachary Chesser posted a picture of Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker murdered by a jihadist terrorist in 2004, dead on a street in Amsterdam with a threat: “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”⁴⁹ On Twitter, Chesser emphasized, “May Allah kill Matt Stone and Trey Parker and burn them in Hell for all eternity. They insult our prophets Muhammad, Jesus, and Moses…”⁵⁰

In a subsequent phone call, Chesser told Abdullah Muhammad that the fatwa that called for the killing of Salman Rushdie after he published The Satanic Verses “was a tremendous help in radicalizing” Muslims in the United Kingdom and that the threat regarding South Park might have a similar impact on Muslims in the United States.⁵¹ As Revolution Muslim had hoped by embracing these provocative tactics, the threat stirred an international firestorm that thrust RM into the limelight and galvanized anti-Islamist sentiment in the United States. Months later, when Chesser was arrested for attempting to join al-Shabaab, Abdullah Muhammad fled to Morocco, where he continued to run the website for a time.⁵²

Increased law enforcement attention brought by Revolution Muslim’s activities posed problems for the group. In November 2010, Abdullah Muhammad, fearing legal repercussions, announced a rebranding of RM to Islam Policy.⁵³ It was an approach consistent with ALM’s own history of changing its name after being proscribed as an illegal organization, the changing the name of Muslims for Justice to the Islamic Thinkers Society, and even Osama bin Laden’s own advice to change al-Qaeda’s brand as its popularity declined in the Muslim world.⁵⁴ Abdullah Muhammad stressed that Islam Policy would be less provocative but that it would continue working to garner support for a future caliphate among those residing in the West.⁵⁵

Abdullah Muhammad was prescient that safe havens for jihadists and actual governance were on the horizon, but Islam Policy did not have an opportunity to contribute to that objective. On May 26, 2011, Abdullah Muhammad was arrested in Casablanca, Morocco, and set for extradition back to the United States. He ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to communicate threats and solicit murder related to threats made by Revolution Muslim and its associates against the South Park TV show.

However, Revolution Muslim’s effective disbandment in May 2011 as a result of Abdullah Muhammad’s arrest failed to disrupt an advancing online Western jihadist network. Abdullah Faisal kept propagandizing from Jamaica and the locus of ALM-related activity returned to Britain. In the context of the Syrian civil war, the network grew exponentially.