ISIS has its own gift shop in Istanbul now. (AFP/File)
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You can now get your own ISIS-themed mug, t-shirt or headband, all at a local Istanbul Islamic clothing store. And while it sounds strange enough, stranger still is the fact that the owner of the shop is neither a member of the militant Islamic group, or even a supporter. But that doesn't stop him from promoting the products on Facebook.
Journalist Joseph Dana found the ISIS merchandise in an Istanbul clothing store called Islami Giyim, or "Islamic Clothing." And while the shop's owner declined to identify himself in print, his reasons for stocking the ISIS-themed items came as a surprise.
In Dana's translated interview with the shopkeeper, he said supplying this fanfare had a simple motive behind it — sales.
"I am responding to a market demand," the shopkeeper said. "This is Islamic clothing, what else can I say?"
Dana says it's not all that surprising such merchandise has emerged. As he says: "for a state hell-bent on a puritanical and bigoted form of Islam," the militant group has " an incredibly savvy marketing and branding campaign."
After all, the ISIS militant campaign has also been busy on social media. So what's next, ISIS-themed greeting cards?