Nasir al-Wuhayshi, head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in a still from an al Qaeda propaganda video released this week
Why The U.S. Government Is 'Trolling' Jihadists On Social Media -- Tim Hume, CNN
(CNN) -- "We don't negotiate with terrorists," has long been the standard refrain of governments when it comes to violent extremists.
But these days, in the realm of social media, at least, they are talking to them.
In recent years, the U.S. State Department has launched social media efforts to engage jihadists and their sympathizers online, contesting their claims with the intention of dissuading potential converts to Islamic extremism.
"We are actually giving al Qaeda the benefit of the doubt because we are answering their arguments," says Alberto Fernandez, coordinator of the State Department's Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC), which runs the program. "The way I see it is we are participating in the marketplace of ideas."
Read more ....
My Comment: Because of this blog I have been keeping taps on the rise of social media and the role that it plays in disseminating the message from those who use Islam to promote a violent form of Jihad. The growth of this medium for these groups has been astounding .... and what is even more astounding .... most Muslims have been silent in denouncing it. I have always said that to defeat groups like Al Shaabab or Al Qaeda it will have to be done in the forum of ideas .... and more specifically .... to have Muslims point out who these extremists are, and to denounce them publicly and vigorously 24/7. Unfortunately .... this is not happening.
3 comments:
Excuse me editor, but terrorism IS being denounced by us muslims.
Have you researched about it or just made an empty comment?
Look at this link. Dr zakir naik (a devout muslim speaks to hundreds of thousands of people at the same time (via TV) and did a talk more than a few time about How terrorism and islam are Two Completely different things.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qKr3OjGSKCI
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D7gRIPj6rYs
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-T6k6KDM0bQ
Do you really think that ALL of 2 billion muslims around the world will sit still whilst we are being bullied and picked on by the world?
Thank you for your links Salim.
All that I am saying is that not enough is being done. I have seen how much these Jihad forums have grown in the past few years .... clearly not enough is being done.
I have also noticed another disturbing trend that is not being properly covered by the Western press .... the growing Sunni - Shiite schism in social media. I guess the physical war among Muslims in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq would .... with time .... be waged in social media ... and I am now starting to witness that.
You are correct, not enough is being done. Its just that i thought you were trying to say that nothing is being done at all.
But remember that meddling with these terrorists agenda is a dangerous game and its not an easy task to tell al qaeda directly that what theyr doing is wrong. But still, it is everyone's job to denounce terrorism.
Post a Comment