IS releases jihad song in Mandarin for Chinese Muslims

BEIJING (PNA/PTI) -- For the first time, the Islamic State terror group has released its propaganda song in Mandarin calling on Chinese Muslims to wage Jihad, escalating pressure on security forces battling Uyghur militants in volatile Xinjiang province.

The four-minute song titled “We are Mujahid,” released on Sunday by the IS propaganda website Jihadology, contains lyrics such as “It’s our dream to die fighting on the battlefield,” “No power could stop us from moving forward,” “Pick up your weapons to revolt,” and “The shameless enemy would panic.”

The song has been released on the IS website to strengthen its presence in China by stepping up recruitment from among over 21 million of Chinese Muslims especially after the recent killings of Chinese nationals overseas, the state-run Global Times reported.

The IS website Jihadology describes itself as an “academic website that curates new primary source material from global jihadis” on its Twitter account.

“This is the first time that the IS has released a Chinese song to recruit members or inspire its followers,” Zhu Yongbiao, assistant director of the Institute of Central Asia Studies at Lanzhou University, told the daily yesterday.

Zhu said that the IS regards China as one of its major enemies considering China’s increasing efforts in cracking down on terrorism, not only in restive Xinjiang but also in seeking cooperation with neighboring countries.

“Another reason for claiming China as one of its main enemies is that as a selfclaimed spokesperson of its religion, the IS always includes China’s Xinjiang region as part of its ambitious plan to build a global caliphate, which the Chinese government’s policies make it hard to realize,” Zhu said.