ISIS declares 'Season of Terror' in vile Christmas call for attacks on Christians and Jews

ISIS flag (Image: Getty)

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has released a chilling Christmas message to the West, urging followers to turn the festive season into what it calls a "season of terror" and encouraging attacks on Christian and Jewish communities. The message appeared in the terror group's newsletter and is laced with explicit threats, religious extremism and violent incitement. It praises previous atrocities committed by ISIS and attempts to justify murder as a religious duty.

In the publication, ISIS extremists celebrate fear in Western cities and boast that Christmas and Jewish holidays have become periods of heightened anxiety due to terrorist threats. The group claims Western governments are now trapped in a permanent state of alert, sneering that festive events are surrounded by armed police, concrete barriers and intelligence operations because of the threat posed by Islamist terror.

In one section, the newsletter says: "For all battles begin and end in the field of Tawhid (monotheism), which is the starting point and the path, and without it, the nation will remain captive to ignorance. This is a call to the youth of Tawhid everywhere to make the Christian and Jewish holidays a season for proclaiming Tawhid and disavowing polytheism, standing against it with both word and sword, pursuing the eloquent word and supporting the Book with the sword."

The two men accused of the deadly antisemitic Bondi beach attack may have been inspired by ISIS (Image: Getty)

The article attempts to legitimise violence using extremist interpretations of Islamic scripture and urges supporters to see Christian and Jewish holidays as opportunities for bloodshed rather than celebration. It praises past terror attacks carried out during Christmas periods, including the 2016 Berlin Christmas market terror attack, in which a truck was driven into crowds, killing 12 people.

As the newsletter continues: "Engage in the crowds of Christians and Jews in the heart of Europe, America, and the Jewish state, running them over with buses, beating them, and smashing them with heavy hammers. And remember, knights of Da'wah and Jihad, that these attacks targeting Christian and Jewish holidays are the highest form of separation from these camps."

The newsletter also mocks Western counter-terror efforts, claiming that no amount of security will end what it describes as an escalating campaign of fear.

"The bad news for Crusader governments is that there is no hope of ending this state of alert and terror," the group claims, boasting that attacks will continue year after year.

Founded in 2004 and declaring a so-called caliphate in 2014, the Islamic State has seen its territorial grip in Iraq and Syria collapse. According to the International Centre for Counter-terrorism (ICCT), at its peak, the group commanded up to 80,000 fighters, including more than 42,000 foreign terrorists. By mid-2025, that figure had fallen to an estimated 1,500–3,000 in the region. However, despite its decline in the Middle East, ISIS has expanded globally and remained the world's deadliest terrorist organisation by the end of 2024. Following the loss of its caliphate in 2019, the group restructured into a network of semi-autonomous affiliates, with IS-Khorasan emerging as the most dangerous branch, linked to major attacks across Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and beyond.

Security experts say messages such as the newsletter are designed to radicalise lone actors, inspire copycat attacks and spread fear rather than reflect the group's real capabilities. British and European security services remain on high alert during the festive period, with police patrols increased around Christmas markets, transport hubs and places of worship. Authorities say anyone who encounters extremist material online should report it immediately.