Islamic State launches app explicitly for children

The app, named Huroof, is made to teach children Arabic alphabets

Making an unprecedented move, the Islamic State’s (ISIS') ‘Library of Zeal’ has launched an app, specifically targeting children, reported Middle East Eye.

According to the Quartz, the announcement of the launch was made on the group’s presumably favourite messaging app, the Telegram. This messaging app has over 62 million users and sends out 10 billion messages every day. A Berlin based start-up, which considers Edward Snowden as its hero, has been trying to shut down the app and the entire Telegram network.

The app, named Huroof (Arabic for alphabets), is made to teach children Arabic alphabets and words in not so subtle way. The screenshots of the app reveal that the word and the image used to teach are of bombs, rockets, tanks, guns etc.

The move is seen as a method to promote the jihadist ideology using technology. This is not the first time that ISIS has launched an app. 

It has functional apps and two news portals that spread the propaganda of the group. However, it is the first app explicitly for children.

The Long War Journal has posted several screenshots of the app. In the screenshots, the Arabic alphabets are explained in great detail with graphic representation. For example, bullet in Arabic is Talaqa, the Arabic alphabet is Toye. One can see the alphabet highlighted in the word, along with the animated graphic of a bullet, specifically designed to attract children’s attention. 

This app has various music themes and games that help the children to memorise the alphabets quickly. It has a nasheed, a cappella Arabic song, that teaches children the alphabets. It is filled with jihadist terminology and games have been infiltrated with military jargon.

ISIS has been very active on the internet and has posted several videos showing the training of children in the territories it holds. In other videos, it shows the involvement of children in beheadings and mass execution of its prisoners.