Well, it didn’t take long.

The threat by IS to execute two Japanese hostages, Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto, in retaliation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pledge in Israel to help fight Islamic terrorism has already inspired an internet meme.

It comes amidst speculation that the original video posted by IS is actually a fake. In it, Goto and Yukawa are dressed in orange jumpsuits while a knife-wielding man says they will be killed unless a $200 million ransom (the amount Japan committed to fight IS) is received within 72 hours.

is terrorist capture japanese kenji goto haruna yukawa execute ransom

The hashtag #ISISクソコラグランプリ is seeing a lot of spoof images featuring the posing alleged Islamic State militant and his two captives, but with “extra” flourishes. (The meme hashtag — “shitty collage grand prix” — is a common one for sharing funny images online among Japanese netizens.)

These are a few of the many examples that have appeared so far, some of which are very inventive.

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof disney

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof

Here the hostages hold point cards for an electronics store.

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof yodobashi camera point card

Now the three have become the big personae non gratae of 2014: scientist Haruko Obokata, politician Ryutaro Nonomura, and composer Mamoru Samuragochi.

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof Haruko Obokata politician Ryutaro Nonomura composer Mamoru Samuragochi

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof

Surely this isn’t allowed for an Islamic State soldier? They are holding Tenga “onacup” sex toys!

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof tenga onacup

Two of the three have become certain famous North Koreans posing for a photo.

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof north korean kim

Their faces are now decorating an itasha.

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof itasha

Dreaming of okonomiyaki

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof dream okonomiyaki

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof

islamic state japanese hostages meme internet spoof

When two lives are potentially in the balance, is this incredibly coldhearted? Or is it the only possible reaction to such a mindless act as to threaten to murder two innocent people for something their government has done?

Arguably, if the IS video does turn out to be a fake, then laughing at the extremists is the best policy. But if it’s real and Yukawa and Goto are killed (or are already dead), then the joke will definitely no longer be funny.

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6 Comments

  • scottd January 21, 2015

    I don’t find any of this the least bit funny. Wow, what a bunch of insensitive douchebags.

  • bl1nd January 21, 2015

    if you look at the isis responses they are not amused. “will you be laughing after we kill them?” so on the one hand you want to say this is a correct response to their “PR” tactics which demand to be taken seriously– we must not take them seriously! or rather be seriously unserious. indeed it is a bit of a crazy response, overcome with grief at the insanity of it all, is it any wonder the responses seem insane? not many people want to incite violence on themselves, but are we to just accept the fear and seriousness that they want from us? they think they have a monopoly on violence and that violence alone in a relatively unviolent world will get them taken seriously. I think we should show them that violence is not enough to be taken seriously when you are so detached from reality in your extreme beliefs.

  • Chun Jiuqien March 21, 2015

    Hey! m9(゚∀゚) Immoral Sex~♪(プギャーーーッ) m9(´m`)=3

    >The Khilāfah was not in need of the money
    >and knew fully that the Japanese would never
    >provide the sum, but it had decided – by this
    >demand – to humiliate the arrogance of this
    >Japanese government…
    http://media.clarionproject.org/files/islamic-state/islamic-state-dabiq-magazine-issue-7-from-hypocrisy-to-apostasy.pdf
    >islamic-state-dabiq-magazine-issue-7-from-hypocrisy-to-apostasy

    臭せえな・・・豚の臭いがするZ!!(ー(●●)ー;)ヾくんくん
    こら! 豚!! アブ・バクル・アル・バグダディ・アル・フッセイニ・アル・クレシ!!!
    m9(゜∀゜) テメエは豚臭せえんだよ! (゜Д゜)オエッ

    (´・ω・`)
    ( ヽ ヽ ;,チュイィィィン
    /⊂〓(*‘ω|二二⊃ ・,’
    ( / ̄ と.、 i
    しーJ
    أبو بكر البغدادي ↑ Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Quraishi

    أنت على حق.
    دينكم هو الخطأ.

    pdf版(*^ヮ゚)σσ(http://www.geocities.co.jp/WallStreet/7659/smt/statements/smt20141224c.pdf)

    m9(゚∀゚)Идиот!> номенклату́ра
    נומנקלטורה עמלק
    Ceterum autem censeo, IS …Oh♪ I missed(笑)( ̄▽ ̄)ヾ Nomenklaturam esse delendam.

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