The multiple suicide bombings by Islamist terrorists in Istanbul Ataturk Airport on Tuesday mark the latest installment in Islamic State (ISIS)-instigated attacks designed to commemorate the month-long Islamic holy season of Ramadan.
In a video released on May 21, the Islamic State summoned jihadists in the United States and Europe to carry out terror attacks during what a group spokesman promised would be “the month of conquest and jihad.”
Islam’s month of Ramadan began on June 5 this year and will finish the evening of July 5. Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad, on a night known as “The Night of Power.”
Since Ramadan began, jihadists have carried out lethal attacks in Orlando, Afghanistan, Kenya, Lebanon, and now Istanbul, Turkey.
In the ISIS video calling for such attacks, spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani urged jihadists to “get prepared, be ready … to make it a month of calamity everywhere for nonbelievers … especially for the fighters and supporters of the caliphate in Europe and America.”
A report issued by the Overseas Security Advisory Council warned that the ISIS threat could be credible because of the religious motivation to sacrifice oneself during this sacred time.
“According to Islamic practice, sacrifice during Ramadan can be considered more valuable than that made at other times, so a call to martyrdom during the month may hold a special allure to some,” the report stated.
Jihadist attacks during Ramadan are nothing new and underscore the religious motivation for the carnage.
ISIS declared the creation of the so-called Islamic Caliphate during Ramadan in 2014.
During Ramadan 2015, Islamic jihadists carried out deadly attacks in France, Syria, Kuwait, Syria, Somalia, and Tunisia.
A number of these attacks occurred on the same day on three different continents, a day that journalists dubbed “Bloody Friday.”
As happened earlier this year, in 2015, Islamic State leader Abu Mohammad al-Adnani had released an audio message urging jihadists to carry out attacks during the month of Ramadan.
“Aspire to battle in this noble month,” al-Adnani said.
Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome.
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