Rendering of the Article “cyber Jihadists and Their Web”

Rendering of the article “Cyber jihadists and their web” 

This article is entitled “Cyber jihadists and their web”. It was written by Beatrice Berton and Patryk Pawlak and published in 2005.

The subject under analysis is a rapidly expanding phenomenon known as cyber jihadism.

The basic idea of the article under consideration is an international threat posed by the terrorists’ use of the Internet, and possible solutions of this problem.

The article starts with the description of strategy used by jihadists in order to reach out to people from all over the world to join their ranks and fight under their banners. Social networks, online services and magazines – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, Kik and others – are used to promote a global jihadist message and to spread information about the jihadists.  

The authors analyze the Internet as a tool for Al-Qaeda to recruit new members, raise funds, and conduct new types of attacks which don’t involve explosives or bullets. A study by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence confirms that jihadists document the conflict in real-time by posting videos and pictures on social media, thereby rendering the tools an essential aspect of the war effort. A detailed content analysis of Inspire carried out by researchers at the University of Maryland suggests that the magazine uses religious arguments and provocative quotes from prominent American figures to radicalize potential recruits based in the West.  

Women and young girls are increasingly being targeted by jihadi recruitment. The dream of becoming a ‘jihadi poster girl’ has prompted some teenagers from Western countries to join ISIL. They are often lured by pictures posted online which seek to depict an ideal life within the areas under the group’s control.

The authors stress that cyber-jihadists resort to the same tactics as cyber-criminals, conducting phishing attacks or purchasing online details of stolen credit cards, in order to finance themselves. In addition, cyber-jihadists use the internet to raise funds directly. Al-Qaeda’s global fundraising network, for instance, is built on charities and NGOs that largely communicate with their donors through social media and online forums.

The journalists concentrate on possible solutions of the problem of cyber jihadism. An explicit and unquestioned commitment to keeping the internet open, safe and secure – as stated in the Cybersecurity Strategy of the European Union – could be just (part of) the solution. This will require, however, an unwavering commitment to the freedom of expression and the openness of the internet – and governments should learn to make better use of existing technologies like crowd sourcing or big data intelligence.