Huroof
| Huroof | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Original author |  Islamic State |
| Developer | Al-Himmah Library |
| Release | 2016 |
| Operating system | Android |
| Available in | Arabic |
| Type | Learning game |
Huroof (Arabic: ŘŘąŮŮ, lit.â'letters') is an Android application produced by the Islamic State, specifically the Al-Himmah Library[1]. It is targeted towards children as an educational tool to learn the Arabic alphabet, with the purpose of recruiting them to support the Islamic State and its practices.[2][3]
Application
[edit]Huroof uses child-like visuals on the main menu,[4] and contains multiple in-app games for learning the alphabet.[5] Many of these reference jihadist concepts, including imagery of weapons (including missiles, tanks, cannons, and swords)[6] and violent images,[7] as well as Islamic State imagery such as the flag of the Islamic State[8] and nasheeds from Ajnad Media Foundation.[9]
Reportedly, Huroof was released via Telegram channels affiliated with the Islamic State, as well as other file sharing websites.[10] Though not the first mobile app released by the Islamic State, Huroof is the first to target children.[11]
In-App Games
[edit]In one of the games available in the Huroof app, the player listens to a radio displaying the Al-Bayan logo and learns the Arabic alphabet while a nasheed plays.[12] In another, the player writes letters and numbers while a small child explains what they are. A third game shows the player images and asks them to choose which letter the image's subject starts with.[13]
References
[edit]- â Reisinger, Don (11 May 2016). "ISIS Has launched a mobile appâFor children". Fortune. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- â Hunt, Elle (11 May 2016). "Islamic State releases children's mobile app 'to teach Arabic". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- â Framer, Robbie (16 February 2017). "J Is For Jihad: How The Islamic State Indoctrinates Children With Math, Grammar, Tanks, and Guns". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- â Lloyd, Peter (12 May 2016). "Islamic State alphabet app educates kids with pictures of guns, bullets, rockets". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
When the app Huroof â an Arabic word for alphabet â launches, its appearance looks harmless at first, colourful and bright like any other children's app.
- â Moore, Jack (11 May 2016). "ISIS releases mobile app to teach child recruits Arabic". Newsweek. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- â "IS dấy bảng chᝯ cĂĄi báşąng... vĹŠ khĂ" [IS teaches alphabet by... weapons]. BĂĄo Tin tᝊc (in Vietnamese). Vietnam News Agency. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- â ThĂ nh Luân (16 May 2016). "IS ra ᝊng d᝼ng dấy tráşť em biáşżt váť tĂŞn láťa vĂ xe tÄng" [IS releases app to teach kids about missiles and tanks]. Thanh NiĂŞn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- â Dearden, Lizzie (12 May 2016). "Isis releases app for children to 'learn Arabic Alphabet' using jihadist songs and cartoons of weapons". The Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- â Weiss, Caleb (11 May 2016). "Islamic State launches mobile app for children". Long War Journal. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- â "ISIS launches smartphone app 'Huroof' to turn kids into jihadis". India TV. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- â Suryakusumah, Nur Ikhsan (16 May 2016). "Kini ISIS Punya Aplikasi Android untuk Anak-anak" [ISIS now has an Android app for kids]. Inilah (in Indonesian). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- â Vale, Gina (2018). "Cubs in the Lions' Den: Indoctrination and recruitment of children in Islamic State territory". International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation. 1 (1): 19â21.
- â Segal, Oren (13 May 2016). "New ISIS App One of Many Efforts to Indoctrinate Children". ADL. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
