Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Internet Use by Terrorist Organizations
I recently read a very interesting article which addresses the topic we will be discussing in class tomorrow. In the article, a 21-year-old American is spreading propaganda of violent Islamic groups from his parents' home in North Carolina. Although the article states that there is no evidence that he is doing anything illegal, it is alarming to think that there could be many people with similar views close to home. We have no way of knowing if any such activists will one day commit an act of terrorism to further spread their message. The fact that he is a U.S. citizen proposes new threats to domestic security. As terrorist groups successfully recruit using new tools like the internet, their efforts to spread their message are facilitated. These new recruits do not have to worry about traveling into the United States, passports, papers, etc. Another interesting note in the article about terrorists using the internet is that "Since the beginning of the year, Al Qaeda’s media operation, Al Sahab, has issued new videotapes as often as every three days. Even more come from Iraq, where insurgents are pumping them out daily." Terrorists are using sophisticated techniques to indoctrinate and recruit, and I believe that they will be more successful as these technological tools provide avenues to "new fields" of recruitment.
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4 comments:
The internet has readily provided a forum from which various criminal activity can take place (both domestically and internationally). I personally have never understood why people interact through chat rooms and things of that sort(I find it to be a great waste of time)...the reading for today made it abundantly clear that far more people than I initially thought participate in chat rooms which take up hours of their time each day (blogging has also made this very easy...I'm just saying). I also find it incredible that young people trust those who hide themselves completely and who, in turn, are able to manipulate young Muslims so that they (the young Muslims) become more radical in their views. However, for those who may lack real social interaction their virtual life allows radical elements of various groups to affect them.
On an interesting side note--Illicit crime in general, and not just the recruitment for terrorist organizations, is made easier through globalization--An interesting book to read is on the "5 Wars of Globalization" (Prof. Payne will have to help me on the author and the actual title because it is escaping me now) which refers to variations of organized crime....
Yikes! This is a disturbing article. Like Luke, I never realized the amount of time people spend in chat rooms or blogging on the internet and how much it can effect them. This article seemed to emphasize what we discussed in class today about what kind of individuals terrorists groups are looking to recruit via internet. Here is this young kid who goes to a peaceful Islamic organization "EFY" for a week and he leaves on fire. Because of the internet he is able to contact non-peaceful Islamic groups who start feeding him their propaganda. Now he feel like it is his mission in life to serve this group. I wonder what would have happened if this guy had never had the internet. Would have his zealous fervor died out after a while? Or would have tried some other way to get in contact with an extreme Islamic group? It seems like it might have just died out, but b/c of the internet he has become way involved with this Islamic terrorist group. Scary!
Good embedded link, Matt. Thanks.
Luke -- the author is Moisés Naím .
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