This is ISIS-chan, a crowd-sourced anime character that has become a popular anti-ISIS meme on social media.
ISIS-chan is a teenage girl with green hair.
She's peaceful and anti-extremist.
She seriously loves melons.
ISIS-chan's goal is to bring peace and melons to ISIS members, and to teach them that knives are for cutting fruit, not violence.
My presence is not intended to encourage terrorism. I wish peace and melon and a lot of happiness. #ISIL #ISIS
ISIS-chan was created by Japanese social media users in January as part of the widespread online response to ISIS releasing a video threatening the lives of two Japanese hostages.
After ISIS killed both of the hostages, the creators of the movement became even more determined to make ISIS-chan spread throughout the world.
The knife should be used for melons. ナイフはメロンのために使うべき。 #ISISクソコラグランプリ #ISISイラスト化祭り #ISIL #ISIS #داعش #الدولة_الإسلامية
The de facto leader of the ISIS-chan movement, a Japanese activist known as @isisvipper, describes the anime girl as a "weaponized meme" to "disturb" the extremist group's propaganda.
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By drawing cute images of ISIS-chan and Photoshopping her into images released by the extremist group, activists aim to manipulate search results so that their images show up instead of ISIS propaganda and gory execution images.
The more we talk about this cutie #ISISchan with the keyword #ISIS, the less terrorists' messages appear on the web!
According to the ISIS-chan movement's leader, anybody who wants to be a part of the anti-ISIS meme team is welcome.
@KeminWang everyone part of team Here ：） @BBCWorld @BBCNewsbeat #ISIS #ISIL #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS_chan
There are, however, rules for drawing ISIS-chan. Above all, the images should be about ISIS, not Islam or Muslims.
#ISISちゃん とのお約束【ルール】 ・イスラムの教義をバカにしない ・アッラー、ムハンマドさん題材はダメ ・人質の扱いは気をつけましょう #ISISイラスト化祭り #ISISクソコラグランプリ #isis #isil #Deash
But if you follow those rules, anything else goes.
ISIS-chan can be adorable.
ISIS-chan can be badass.
ISIS-chan can be anything you want her to be!
Seriously. Anything.
Some people have even created enemies for ISIS-Chan — these include the president of Syria and his fangirls.
ISIS-chan has many animal friends, who appear to love melons as much as she does.
8月8日は #InternationalCatDay !!猫アイシスちゃんの画像をどうぞ #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS_chan #ISIS
犬アイシスちゃんまとめ #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS_chan
Photoshopping ISIS-chan into ISIS propaganda images is also very popular.
何度だって、縫ってみせる（＾ω＾）I'll sew the stuffed toy !! @nsrosk @isisvipper #ISIS #ISISchan #ISISちゃん #ISIL
Demand more melon #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS_chan #ISIS #ISIL #daesh 29005732
Peel Melon #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS_chan #ISIS #ISIL #daesh 28740531
cool evening with ISIS chan #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS_chan #ISIS #ISIL #daesh 46819376
Also popular? Photoshopping ISIS-chan and ISIS fighters to resemble popular Japanese girl band AKB48.
ISIS48 has bananas🍌 (via somebody) #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIS #داعش #الدولة_الإسلامية #ISIL #Daesh 975562
And photoshopping ISIS-chan body pillows into images of militants.
Anti-ISIS activist @GenKnoxx, an American, has been working with the Japanese creators of ISIS-chan to spread the movement into English-speaking countries, she told BuzzFeed News.
ICYMI - #ISISchan is an anti-ISIS meme created by Japanese and drawn by many. Feel free to draw her! #ISISchanIsUs
"There are two kinds of people," @GenKnoxx told BuzzFeed News. "Those who see the horrific images of what ISIS does and avoid seeing more/thinking about it. And those who see those images and decide they have to do something."
See this #ISISchan? Someone made it. It's a statement against #ISIS. You can DO THIS too. ↪️Take a side↩️. https://t.co/iT9wuTUFDf
"ISIS-chan is a relatively safe way to do something," she said. "It's a way to make an anti-ISIS statement."
フルーツ草食系女子。Fruit herbivorous girl. #ISISちゃん #ISISchan #ISIL #Deash #ISIS #IslamicState #داعش #الدولة_الإسلامية #الدولة
"[Isis-chan] is a nice simple character who would like to help those confused ISIS people understand what knives are for," @GenKnoxx said. "She's very kind."
Many Americans are confused because #ISISchan is shown cutting MELONs but she teaches #ISIS knifes are for fruit/veg.
The activist recently shared a comic by cartoonist Bonni Rambatan that speaks to why the green-haired anime girl is inspiring art from people around the world.
Above all, @GenKnoxx said, "ISIS-chan is a symbol of peace."
Killing people is not OK. #ISISchan is a messenger of peace to all. #ISIS #ISIL #IS #Daesh #knivesareforcuttingmelon