For decades Arab/Islamic groups have been considered cool with the Hipster set. In the 70’s and 80’s the PLO was considered hip. In the 90’s and 2000’s al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah were considered hip and cool. Now the coalition group of al-Qaeda splinters, ex-Saddam Baathists and Chechens known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham are now the cool kids on the block.
Seeking to capitalize on the coolness of ISIS, T-Shirts and hoodies promoting the group and featuring their fighters are now being sold. The organization’s success has made them into cultural icons with Hipsters.
Its social media savvy has made Isis a “terror brand” to rival al-Qaida, with supporters worldwide following the brutal exploits of the Islamist group through its Twitter updates or even downloading the group’s own app.
Now supporters can show their loyalty to the group by sporting a T-shirt or hoodie emblazoned with the group’s black and white jihadist logo, after the items went on sale on Facebook.
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Kaos Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (Isis) sells T-shirts under the outdoor wear/sporting goods section with the name Isis alongside pictures of Kalashnikov rifles and a globe, presumably signifying the group’s plans for world domination.
The name ISIS alone is catchy as it is the same name of an Egyptian goddess. On social media, ISIS has gain many followers especially among Hipsters who view the group as revolutionary and cool. The Hipsters and their various incarnations throughout time always love totalitarian movements and ISIS extreme draconian social stances against women and gays does not faze the Hipsters. For them its about the image of ISIS as a revolutionary group taking on the established order that makes this group now Hip!
I would not be shocked if in the coming months some Hipsters take the shahada and join ISIS. They will make videos of themselves fighting for ISIS to impress their fellow Hipsters and appear as cool. There will probably be musicals about ISIS in the near future.
This guy above will replace Che on Hipster T-shirts.
Tags: 3rd Iraq War, Syria War, The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham, The Popular Culture
