Back
About RSIS
Introduction
Building the Foundations
Welcome Message
Board of Governors
Staff Profiles
Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
Dean’s Office
Management
Distinguished Fellows
Faculty and Research
Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
Visiting Fellows
Adjunct Fellows
Administrative Staff
Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
RSIS Endowment Fund
Endowed Professorships
Career Opportunities
Getting to RSIS
Research
Research Centres
Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
Centre of Excellence for National Security
Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
Research Programmes
National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP)
Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
Other Research
Future Issues and Technology Cluster
Research@RSIS
Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
Graduate Education
Graduate Programmes Office
Exchange Partners and Programmes
How to Apply
Financial Assistance
Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
RSIS Alumni
Outreach
Global Networks
About Global Networks
RSIS Alumni
Executive Education
About Executive Education
SRP Executive Programme
Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
International Programmes
About International Programmes
Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS)
International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
Publications
RSIS Publications
Annual Reviews
Books
Bulletins and Newsletters
RSIS Commentary Series
Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
Commemorative / Event Reports
Future Issues
IDSS Papers
Interreligious Relations
Monographs
NTS Insight
Policy Reports
Working Papers
External Publications
Authored Books
Journal Articles
Edited Books
Chapters in Edited Books
Policy Reports
Working Papers
Op-Eds
Glossary of Abbreviations
Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
RSIS Publications for the Year
External Publications for the Year
Media
Cohesive Societies
Sustainable Security
Other Resource Pages
News Releases
Speeches
Video/Audio Channel
External Podcasts
Events
Contact Us
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University
  • About RSIS
      IntroductionBuilding the FoundationsWelcome MessageBoard of GovernorsHonours and Awards for RSIS Staff and StudentsRSIS Endowment FundEndowed ProfessorshipsCareer OpportunitiesGetting to RSIS
      Staff ProfilesExecutive Deputy Chairman’s OfficeDean’s OfficeManagementDistinguished FellowsFaculty and ResearchAssociate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research AnalystsVisiting FellowsAdjunct FellowsAdministrative Staff
  • Research
      Research CentresCentre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)Centre of Excellence for National SecurityInstitute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      Research ProgrammesNational Security Studies Programme (NSSP)Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP)Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      Other ResearchFuture Issues and Technology ClusterResearch@RSISScience and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      Graduate Programmes OfficeExchange Partners and ProgrammesHow to ApplyFinancial AssistanceMeet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other eventsRSIS Alumni
  • Outreach
      Global NetworksAbout Global NetworksRSIS Alumni
      Executive EducationAbout Executive EducationSRP Executive ProgrammeTerrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
      International ProgrammesAbout International ProgrammesAsia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS)International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
  • Publications
      RSIS PublicationsAnnual ReviewsBooksBulletins and NewslettersRSIS Commentary SeriesCounter Terrorist Trends and AnalysesCommemorative / Event ReportsFuture IssuesIDSS PapersInterreligious RelationsMonographsNTS InsightPolicy ReportsWorking Papers
      External PublicationsAuthored BooksJournal ArticlesEdited BooksChapters in Edited BooksPolicy ReportsWorking PapersOp-Eds
      Glossary of AbbreviationsPolicy-relevant Articles Given RSIS AwardRSIS Publications for the YearExternal Publications for the Year
  • Media
      Cohesive SocietiesSustainable SecurityOther Resource PagesNews ReleasesSpeechesVideo/Audio ChannelExternal Podcasts
  • Events
  • Contact Us
    • Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
      rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
      rsis.sg
      rsissg
      RSIS
      RSS
      Subscribe to RSIS Publications
      Subscribe to RSIS Events

      Getting to RSIS

      Nanyang Technological University
      Block S4, Level B3,
      50 Nanyang Avenue,
      Singapore 639798

      Click here for direction to RSIS

      Get in Touch

    Connect
    Search
    • RSIS
    • Publication
    • RSIS Publications
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) – Volume 17 Issue 02
    • Annual Reviews
    • Books
    • Bulletins and Newsletters
    • RSIS Commentary Series
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
    • Commemorative / Event Reports
    • Future Issues
    • IDSS Papers
    • Interreligious Relations
    • Monographs
    • NTS Insight
    • Policy Reports
    • Working Papers

    Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) – Volume 17 Issue 02
    Ghada Soliman, Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan , Abdul Basit, Gulizar Haciyakupoglu, Yasmine Wong

    12 March 2025

    download pdf

    The Nexus of Misinformation, Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories with Violent Extremism

    In a hyperconnected world, the decentralised flow of information on social media has mainstreamed conspiracy theories, allowing violent extremists to recruit and radicalise young people by weaponising misinformation and disinformation campaigns. The World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risk Report 2024 outlines misinformation and disinformation as the top short-term risks to states around the world. The far-right riots in the United Kingdom in August 2024 following the Southport attack exemplify the nexus of disinformation with violent extremism.

    The role of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories as radicalising agents becomes even more acute against the backdrop of a meteoric increase in online self-radicalisation among young people, as noted in the UN Monitoring Committee on ISIL and Al-Qaeda’s 35th report. Alarmingly, the age of online radicals is not only getting younger, including minors and teenagers, but “the gestation period from radicalisation to activation” has also gotten shorter.

    The impact of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories with reference to violent extremism varies across regions and countries. Countries with high digital literacy rates and robust laws and policies against misinformation, such as Singapore, are better positioned to address such a threat. However, for fragile states such as those in South Asia and the Middle East, the security challenges from online radicalisation are stark, especially as people consume unverified and malicious information less critically.

    Against this backdrop, the current issue features four articles examining the role of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories in facilitating and fomenting violent extremism in Syria, the UK, South Asia, and Singapore. In the first article, Ghada Soliman examines the role of disinformation campaigns in the battle for influence and power in post-Assad Syria. Disinformation in support of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) emerged in the lead-up to the operation that took Damascus and have since proliferated to improve the group’s credibility as a legitimate and unifying authority. However, disinformation campaigns against HTS also exist, as other groups, such as the Southern Operation Room, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the Islamic State terrorist group, continue to vie for power. Disinformation campaigns will likely persist amidst this rivalry, obfuscating public perception and further polarising communities in Syria.

    In the second article, Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan discusses the disinformation campaign by far right groups that underpinned one of the worst violent riots in the UK in recent times. The violent riots of July and August 2024 marked the high-water point for far right violence in the UK in the last two decades. The riots erupted in the aftermath of a stabbing attack in Southport on 29 July. Initial social media posts falsely identified the attacker as a recently arrived Muslim immigrant, sparking attacks on Islamic sites. Subsequently when it was revealed that the attacker was a man of Rwandan Christian background, the violence expanded to broader anti-immigrant aggression. The article examines how far right disinformation on social media instigated these attacks. It explores the UK far right’s transition from structured organisations to decentralised networks and analyses disinformation on Telegram and X, focusing on narratives targeting Muslims, immigrants, and Jewish communities.

    In the third article, Abdul Basit explores the link between disinformation, conspiracy theories, and violent extremism in South Asia. Through anti-minority rhetoric, theories about superpower intervention in the region, or anti-vaccination sentiments, extremist groups in the region have exploited conspiracies to legitimise their violent cause and radicalise others. The author highlights how disinformation and conspiracy theories have become integral components of violent extremists’ toolkits in South Asia, enabling groups to recruit, fundraise, and call for violent action.

    In the fourth article, Gulizar Haciyakupoglu and Yasmine Wong note that while Singapore has been spared from the types of disinformation triggered violence seen in other parts of the world, Singapore is not immune to disinformation campaigns or the possibility of disinformation triggered violence. The authors point to various instances of disinformation in Singapore that were meant to influence perceptions on various issues, organisations and communities. Even where disinformation does not lead to physical violence, it causes trauma and psychological harm. The authors make a case for broadening interpretations of violence to include psychological violence.

    HTML Article Versions

    Ghada Soliman – Disinformation and the Battle for Influence and Power in the Emerging Post-Assad Syria

    Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan – From Disinformation to Violence: The UK Far Right and 2024 Riots

    Abdul Basit – Disinformation, Conspiracy Theories and Violent Extremism in South Asia

    Gulizar Haciyakupoglu and Yasmine Wong – The Question of Misinformation-Triggered Violence in Singapore: The Interplay between Misinformation, Faultlines and Violence

    Categories: Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses / Conflict and Stability / Terrorism Studies / Europe / South Asia / Southeast Asia and ASEAN / Middle East and North Africa (MENA) / Global

    The Nexus of Misinformation, Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories with Violent Extremism

    In a hyperconnected world, the decentralised flow of information on social media has mainstreamed conspiracy theories, allowing violent extremists to recruit and radicalise young people by weaponising misinformation and disinformation campaigns. The World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risk Report 2024 outlines misinformation and disinformation as the top short-term risks to states around the world. The far-right riots in the United Kingdom in August 2024 following the Southport attack exemplify the nexus of disinformation with violent extremism.

    The role of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories as radicalising agents becomes even more acute against the backdrop of a meteoric increase in online self-radicalisation among young people, as noted in the UN Monitoring Committee on ISIL and Al-Qaeda’s 35th report. Alarmingly, the age of online radicals is not only getting younger, including minors and teenagers, but “the gestation period from radicalisation to activation” has also gotten shorter.

    The impact of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories with reference to violent extremism varies across regions and countries. Countries with high digital literacy rates and robust laws and policies against misinformation, such as Singapore, are better positioned to address such a threat. However, for fragile states such as those in South Asia and the Middle East, the security challenges from online radicalisation are stark, especially as people consume unverified and malicious information less critically.

    Against this backdrop, the current issue features four articles examining the role of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories in facilitating and fomenting violent extremism in Syria, the UK, South Asia, and Singapore. In the first article, Ghada Soliman examines the role of disinformation campaigns in the battle for influence and power in post-Assad Syria. Disinformation in support of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) emerged in the lead-up to the operation that took Damascus and have since proliferated to improve the group’s credibility as a legitimate and unifying authority. However, disinformation campaigns against HTS also exist, as other groups, such as the Southern Operation Room, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the Islamic State terrorist group, continue to vie for power. Disinformation campaigns will likely persist amidst this rivalry, obfuscating public perception and further polarising communities in Syria.

    In the second article, Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan discusses the disinformation campaign by far right groups that underpinned one of the worst violent riots in the UK in recent times. The violent riots of July and August 2024 marked the high-water point for far right violence in the UK in the last two decades. The riots erupted in the aftermath of a stabbing attack in Southport on 29 July. Initial social media posts falsely identified the attacker as a recently arrived Muslim immigrant, sparking attacks on Islamic sites. Subsequently when it was revealed that the attacker was a man of Rwandan Christian background, the violence expanded to broader anti-immigrant aggression. The article examines how far right disinformation on social media instigated these attacks. It explores the UK far right’s transition from structured organisations to decentralised networks and analyses disinformation on Telegram and X, focusing on narratives targeting Muslims, immigrants, and Jewish communities.

    In the third article, Abdul Basit explores the link between disinformation, conspiracy theories, and violent extremism in South Asia. Through anti-minority rhetoric, theories about superpower intervention in the region, or anti-vaccination sentiments, extremist groups in the region have exploited conspiracies to legitimise their violent cause and radicalise others. The author highlights how disinformation and conspiracy theories have become integral components of violent extremists’ toolkits in South Asia, enabling groups to recruit, fundraise, and call for violent action.

    In the fourth article, Gulizar Haciyakupoglu and Yasmine Wong note that while Singapore has been spared from the types of disinformation triggered violence seen in other parts of the world, Singapore is not immune to disinformation campaigns or the possibility of disinformation triggered violence. The authors point to various instances of disinformation in Singapore that were meant to influence perceptions on various issues, organisations and communities. Even where disinformation does not lead to physical violence, it causes trauma and psychological harm. The authors make a case for broadening interpretations of violence to include psychological violence.

    HTML Article Versions

    Ghada Soliman – Disinformation and the Battle for Influence and Power in the Emerging Post-Assad Syria

    Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan – From Disinformation to Violence: The UK Far Right and 2024 Riots

    Abdul Basit – Disinformation, Conspiracy Theories and Violent Extremism in South Asia

    Gulizar Haciyakupoglu and Yasmine Wong – The Question of Misinformation-Triggered Violence in Singapore: The Interplay between Misinformation, Faultlines and Violence

    Categories: Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses / Conflict and Stability / Terrorism Studies

    Popular Links

    About RSISResearch ProgrammesGraduate EducationPublicationsEventsAdmissionsCareersVideo/Audio ChannelRSIS Intranet

    Connect with Us

    rsis.ntu
    rsis_ntu
    rsisntu
    rsisvideocast
    school/rsis-ntu
    rsis.sg
    rsissg
    RSIS
    RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    Getting to RSIS

    Nanyang Technological University
    Block S4, Level B3,
    50 Nanyang Avenue,
    Singapore 639798

    Click here for direction to RSIS

    Get in Touch

      Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
      Privacy Statement / Terms of Use
      Help us improve

        Rate your experience with this website
        123456
        Not satisfiedVery satisfied
        What did you like?
        0/255 characters
        What can be improved?
        0/255 characters
        Your email
        Please enter a valid email.
        Thank you for your feedback.
        This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
        OK
        Latest Book
        more info