Project

The COVID Desk

Through in-depth text and video stories, Daraj and its network of media partners in the Middle East will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable sectors, including refugees, prisoners, healthcare workers, the elderly, and students. Some stories will have an accountability angle, including the lack of government transparency on COVID-19 testing and statistics, and the use of the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to increase surveillance and other repressive techniques. We will also examine how the pandemic has been used by radical movements to intensify their attacks.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Ammar Abd Rabbo

How COVID-19 Facilitated the Rebirth of Global Jihadism

Conditions created by the coronavirus form the perfect environment for radical movements. Not only did the Islamic State organization hurry to issue medical, ideological, and communicative instructions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also began to intensify its attacks from the organization's center in Iraq.