Jessica Roy
Jessica Roy is a writer and editor who splits her time between New York and Paris. Previously, she served as Elle magazine’s digital director and the news editor at New York Magazine’s The Cut. Her book “American Girls: One Woman’s Journey Into the Islamic State and Her Sister’s Fight to Bring Her Home” will be published by Scribner in January 2024.
Latest from Jessica Roy
On TikTok, an Unlikely Call to Islam Emerges
Whatever is motivating some social media influencers to make a public display of conversion to Islam — and however authentic such conversions may be — the trend goes beyond a purported crisis of personal faith. It comes intertwined with politics, war and propaganda.
The Two Faces of TikTokers Promoting Syrian Tourism
Whether wittingly or not, many young Syrian influencers on TikTok are putting a Gen Z-friendly sheen on content that happens to sound a lot like pro-Assad propaganda. This content isn’t appearing in a vacuum: It’s cropping up at a time when Assad himself is on a nonapology tour of sorts, with the Arab League accepting him back into their good graces.