Over the last 12 months, I examined the radicalisation processes of Islamist and far-right extremists-often from a closer angle than I felt comfortable with. The renaissance of these two archaic expressions showcase the concurrent rise of two dangerous counter-cultures that fuel one another. Today, the “Deus Vult” reference comes in many forms, ranging from Islamophobic tweets to explicit calls for a white jihad in dark corners of the internet, and vandalised mosques. Meanwhile “Allahu Akbar” (‘God is great’) has become the jihadist equivalent, since the Kouachi brothers were heard shouting the Islamic prayer term during their attack on Charlie which killed 12 people in January 2015. When the moderator of the pro-Trump Reddit forum The_Donald posted “Meme Magic Friday: Deus Vult Edition” in May 2016, this set off a series of viral memes used by white supremacists to express their hatred towards Islam. In recent years, the term resurfaced among far-right activists, often in reaction to jihadist violence. Literally ‘God wills,’ this Latin battle cry was used by Pope Urban II to declare the first Crusade in 1095. In December 2016, the words “Deus Vult” were sprayed on a wall outside the Islamic Education Trust mosque in Cumernaud, Scotland.

When you deus vult just right