Cairo – The menace of the terrorist ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been rapidly growing to unprecedented levels. Despite intensified international military action and mobilization against the group, the group is still capable of gaining momentum on other forums, top of which is the World Wide Web. Several experts post activities of ISIS ( also known as IS or ISIL and Daesh in Arabic) on the ground that are closely interlinked to its online activities. How this is happening, and what are the ramifications of what is happening are important questions in any discussion of IS presence in the virtual world.
First and foremost, we have to admit that ISIS knows well how to promote itself through the internet. Many eastern and western observers have warned that IS ideology finds quite a vast audience through the internet and books. Once exposed to and convinced of ISIS manipulation of religion and self-victimization, two out five people are most likely to subscribe to its tenets, sympathize with its heinous atrocities or even join its ranks, according to recent studies. That’s why, IS’s favorite audience has always been ‘the youth’ and/or ignorant, simple-minded, gullible people who are just easy preys for its hunters.
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The recruitment process usually starts with some questions as: “Do you want to learn how to hold a gun or how to fight fiercely? Are you intrigued with the idea of being a freedom fighter? Are you sick and tired of being marginalized, disfranchised and impoverished? Now you may find your true vocation with us. Come join us for true success both here and the hereafter,” according to investigations with people who were exposed to such experience. Several fugitive members from within the militant group have come to lend credence to this, too.
According to experts, the only viable solution is ‘intellectual confrontation’. We have to understand that eliminating this terrorist group is not an easy task that one might take lightly. Rather, it would take ample time, conscientious efforts and patience on our part to reach the point when we can say, ‘good riddance’ after disposing IS remnants. IS menace haunts us wherever we go. It is not only limited to the battlefield as many would naively think, but it goes as far as into our homes, schools and computers.
The problem is that blocking this type of destructive thought is difficult for Egypt. We have to find better alternatives to halt the tide of IS indoctrination that endangers our youth on a daily basis. The internet has become a storehouse of lies and misconceptions that many people have fallen for.
Major General Dr. Ashraf Al-Saeed, former Head of the Information Department at the Ministry of Interior in Egypt, says that banning or blocking uploaded books is very difficult. He added that there are international conventions that prevent this, especially if the information broadcast is contrary to mainstream religion and beliefs. He pointed out that the problematic aspect of this issue lies in the way their messages are uploaded online. Militant groups use very benign, normal, non-flagged websites to disseminate their ideology and recruit youth into their ranks. These websites might be social, cultural, news, and/or religious websites that are not classified as terrorist-affiliated forums. Such maneuvering makes it very difficult to trace. Consequently, any decision to shut down such sites will be at the same time random and misinformed.
He added that if the whole website site is specifically dedicated to the IS group or generally disseminating extremist thought, it can be easily blocked. He noted that that the best way to counter these extremist ideas is to present a forcefully cogent thought or argument that would blow extremist thought out of the water. Spreading true Islamic thought is the panacea for all extremist ideologies.
Al-Saeed remarked that we tend to bear down hard on the religious institutions as the sole entity responsible for finding effective solutions. However, it is not as simple or easy as that. In fact, all governmental and private institutions, civil society organizations, media outlets and others have roles to play ranging from engaging in military operations to raising awareness.
Dr. Adel Amer, Professor of Public Law and Director of the Egyptian Center for Legal and Strategic Studies, stated that it is not possible to control social media networks that upload books or videos that belong to terrorists because we do not have the capabilities and means.
Egypt does not have the keys to that control as social network sites have become information-oriented. Those who have the keys to these sites are themselves those who fund and support these terrorist. “We are in the age when social networks are being employed to bring down states and not just to promote terrorism,” he lamented.
Amer continued: “In Ukraine, Latin America, Brazil and Venezuela, these tools are instrumental in guiding and educating people, while they are permeated by subversive activities and dominated by rumor mills in third world countries.”
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