Mia Khalifa says Islamic State threatening to behead her

Lebanese-American ex-porn star Mia Khalifa says Islamic State (IS) threatened to behead her in gruesome mocked-up execution photos, Mail Online reported.

Khalifa - a former top-ranked performer on the adult website PornHub - says the bloodthirsty terrorist group sent her the photos through social media.

Threatened by IS, Khalifa says in a recent interview with The Sports Junkies that she won't give the extremists what they want: "You can't show weakness. That’s exactly what they’re looking for. I really try and just make it look like it rolls off, but I’ll admit, it gets to you after a while."

Khalifa moved from Beirut, Lebanon, to the US at the age of 10 before moving to Miami, where she's currently based.

The 21-year-old history graduate's brief stint in the porn industry drew criticism from many, including those in the Middle East who branded her a 'disgrace' to the region. The sale of erotic materials is banned in nearly every Muslim country except Lebanon and Turkey.

She has since re-tweeted the abuse sparked by those who have issues with her Middle Eastern origins.

Many took issue with a scene from one of her videos showing her having intercourse while wearing a hijab, part of traditional female Muslim dress, describing it as 'problematic and gross'.

One Twitter user threatened her head "will be cut off soon", while another warned her she would be "the first person in Hell fire".

Mia Khalifa says she is 'never stepping foot in India'

Khalifa - who comes from a Christian family - told The Washington Post in 2015 that she was surprised this scene in particular caused anger and was meant to be satirical.

"There are Hollywood movies that depict Muslims in a much worse manner than any scene I have featured in."

She also came under fire for her tattoos relating to Lebanon, including the opening line from the Lebanese national anthem and another of the Lebanese Forces Cross, which is meant to "show solidarity with my father's political views after a bombing in Lebanon in 2012".

Critics accused Khalifa of shaming Lebanon by appearing in adult movies with these tattoos on her body.

'They’re embarrassed I’m 'claiming' them - as if I had a choice. I was born there,' she told Newsweek in 2015.

She also admitted to the publication that her parents at the time had stopped speaking with her because of her career choice.

"I’ve dragged their name through the mud,' lamented Khalifa. "I feel guilty for dragging them into this and having all their friends know now that it’s on Lebanese media. But that was never my intention."

Khalifa now makes her living covering sports and pop culture through her own channel on the live-streaming service Twitch.