The Islamic State (IS) promotes the month of Ramadan as a time of increased spiritual rewards for terror attacks, asserting that its followers should "yearn for martyrdom" during this time. The group and its supporters thus reserve attacks, military advances, announcements, and leadership speeches for this time, making Ramadan a month of high safety and stability concerns in various regions.

In 2008, German nationals Jurgen Kantner and Sabine Merz were sailing not far from the Gulf of Aden when they were captured by Somali pirates.The two were released safely, only to be confronted once again in November 2016 during an excursion off the coast of the southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi, this time by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). Members of the Philippines-based jihadi group attacked the sailing partners, killing Merz and capturing Kantner on November 7, 2016.

2016 was another year of conflicting narratives regarding the Islamic State (IS). On one end, the Obama administration continued to mischaracterize the threat, painting a picture of IS in retreat amid ongoing attacks from coalition and Iraqi forces. On the other end, there was reality, which spoke loudly to anyone willing to listen.

As news broke on 28 November of Somali-born refugee Abdul Razak Ali Artan's attack at Ohio State University, so followed the recurring narrative of the sad new normal. There was the attack method: in this case made with a knife and vehicle, two approaches instructed by the Islamic State (IS) in weeks prior via video and magazine guides disseminated on social media.

When observing Ahmad Khan Rahami’s history, the 28 year old’s bombings in New Jersey and New York seem like a fitting manifestation. There’s his long stay in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region, his history of violence, his reportedly intensified piety, and his father’s claim that he “told the F.B.I. to keep an eye on him.”