Overview

“Hallie Sheikh” is a Twitter personality and propagandist for ISIS.Hallie sheikh, Twitter, accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh. She is purportedly a young woman living in ISIS-controlled territory.Hallie sheikh, Twitter, accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh. In her Twitter bio, she describes herself as “Muslim, coffee addict, advocator 4 peace, propagator of islam, refuting western propaganda against islam!”Hallie sheikh, Twitter, accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh.

CEP has followed Hallie Sheikh as she uses Twitter to promote violent jihad and propagandize for ISIS.Hallie sheikh, Twitter post, June 17, 11:16 a.m., accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh/status/611236105787195392. Sheikh also espouses a sectarian ideology, tweeting that Shiites are not true Muslims.Hallie sheikh, Twitter post, June 16, 9:42 p.m., accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh/status/611031141924126720.  Scattered throughout her Twitter feed are smatterings of her day-to-day life, as she tweets personal anecdotes such as, “I am sooo sleepy I don’t want to go to work.”Hallie sheikh, Twitter post, June 17, 6:22 a.m., accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh/status/611161898067853312.

CEP has tracked Hallie Sheikh under her various previous accounts. In response to the December 2014 Sydney hostage attack, Sheikh wrote under her @Haliisheikh account that she “can[’]t be bothered” with Australians and that the attacks were “[r]epurcussion” for the Australian government’s “war against Islam.”CEP, “EXTREMIST REACTION TO #SYDNEYSIEGE,” Storify, December 2014, https://storify.com/CEP/extremist-reaction-to-sydneysiege. She also said that Australia “is a shit country I hear they are slaughtering pigs and putting it in front of masjids and writhing graffiti on masjids!”CEP, “EXTREMIST REACTION TO #SYDNEYSIEGE,” Storify, December 2014, https://storify.com/CEP/extremist-reaction-to-sydneysiege.

In May 2015, Hallie Sheikh used Twitter in an attempt to exploit racial tensions in Baltimore, hijacking the #BaltimoreRiots discussion to propose the institution of sharia. CEP, “Extremists Use #BaltimoreRiots To Spread Propaganda, Recruit New Members,” Storify, May 2015, https://storify.com/CEP/isis-extremists-user-baltimoreriots-to-spread-prop

In June 2015, Hallie Sheikh was operating under the Twitter handle @hallie_sheikh.Hallie sheikh, Twitter, accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh In her first post on this account, she bemoaned her previous suspensions.Hallie sheikh, Twitter post, June 10, 11:24 a.m., accessed June 19, 2015, https://twitter.com/hallie_sheikh/status/608882517517582336.