Jihadism and Communication Strategies (Research Paper Sample)

How Communications Help Radicalize and Inspire Jihad
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Abstract
The conduct of Jihadists is to spread anxiety and fear among its target. To realize their course, they make use of various communication strategies to disseminate their ideologies and recruit new members. The main methods of communication include digital magazines, videotapes, and the Internet. Equally, extremist makes use of money laundering, and fundraising to carry out their missions. Thus, the paper analyzes how communications help in radicalizing and inspiring Jihad.
How Communications Help Radicalize and Inspire Jihad
Numerous threats across the world such as global terrorism are as a result of radical Islam. Radical Muslims counter the economic and political authority of the West including their values, the reason behind Jihad widespread (Cohen-Almagor, 2012). Technology advancements have permitted Jihad to recruit individuals across the world. Terrorists and radicals make use of E-mail to communicate, find essential information and coordinate their anti-social and violent operations. Equally, Jihad websites contain a broad range of sections such as the religious sections that highlight the distinct ways of expressing Jihad, martyrdom aspects. Similarly, there is a section that explains those who can be their legitimate target (Cohen-Almagor, 2012). Additionally, there is a section that encourages recruits to participate in the war. Equally, the website provides recruits and potential readers with locations and names of sympathetic mosques and best routes to the battle zones. For these reasons, the internet is the main platform through which Jihadists conduct their communication, money laundering and fundraising activities to inspire jihad, radicalize and recruit followers.
Communication Strategies Utilized to Radicalize and Inspire Jihad
Groups like Al Qaeda are making use of various communication strategies to recruit followers as well as inspire and radicalize Jihad. The main communication strategies preferred include digital magazines, cell phones, and the internet. Al Qaeda is known for utilizing the internet to conduct its operations. For instance, the internet is used as a platform to trigger a revolt among the global Muslim community (Cohen-Almagor, 2012). The terrorist groups are led by individuals who are expertise in technology use whereas some are educated engineers. As a result, the terrorist groups utilize the internet to sensitize prospective recruits to join jihadist. The chat forums, the internet, cell phones and cassette tapes are utilized to disseminate propaganda and as tools for recruitment. These tools spread Jihad’s promise and myth to estranged Muslim youths who are in pursuit of a shared social identity (Cohen-Almagor, 2012).
Through the internet, living rooms are changed into radical madrassas where video and audio files of martyr’s testimony, songs, poetry, communiqués, and poetry are listened to. Scenes of wars, suicide bombings, and Koranic readings are downloaded. These videos project the message that there are two primary means of addressing Muslim grievances. The first one is to take part in Jihad in conflict zones, to be precise in non-Western countries and channel their efforts towards establishing the Caliph rule (Cohen-Almagor, 2012). Secondly, is to take part in violent Jihad against individuals considered an enemy to Islam. These are the main messages that are emphasized by the Jihadist online videos. Equally, via internet connections, a strong bond is created between the online Muslim communities. Through these virtual communities, isolated individuals connect with those who hold intense views. As a result, these isolated individuals spend much of their time with the virtual community rather than those in their immediate physical environment. For these reasons, the internet acts as a point of connection and networking between the dispersed individual and the terrorist groups.
Use of Digital Magazines
As a result of the desire to provide probable Jihads recruits with a course of action, motivation, and coherent message, the magazine is perceived as the perfect medium to disseminate extremist information via its community-building and editorial voice capability (Abrahamson, 2007). For instance, Al Qaeda utilized digital magazines to inspire recruitment messages and disseminate its ideology (Seib & Janbek, 2011). However, most of its magazines are written in Arabic language. However, some are designed in English for purposes of recruiting Westerners. In 2009, for example, the Al Mosul Network during the American-Iraq war printed a digital magazine titled" Defenders of the Truth" in hope to stimulate the American Muslims (Abrahamson, 2007). Equally, another magazine titled Jihad Recollections was also printed to enhance terrorist activity. However, potential recruits did not find the magazine attractive. Muslims youths in the West often find these magazines appealing.
The Influence of Magazines in Attracting Potential Recruits
Magazines exhibit the ability to unify its audience via the creation of communities using various topics. Equally, magazines activate and unify a group of readers. Despite the fact that circulating Al Qaeda magazine is impossible, its digital format and content create in its readers a sense of belonging to the Jihad mission (Abrahamson, 2007). The Al Qaeda magazine primary targets Muslims residing in the West, especially those who feel disadvantaged in their current residence or origin countries. These groups of individuals find the activities, and ideologies promoted by digital jihadist literature as a compelling way to address their perceived political and social injustices as well as personal issues. Emphasizing on Western Islamophobia and Western culture, jihad’s literature is an effective medium in recruiting potential jihadists (Europol, 2010).
How Fundraising and Money Laundering Help to Inspire, Recruit, and Radicalize Jihad
It is evident that crimes such as terrorism, radiological and nuclear material smuggling, corruption and money laundering are often interconnected (Cohen-Almagor, 2012). Equally, profits from a single illicit trade zone are used to enhance criminal complicity in various areas, and bad actors often collude to destroy communities, indirectly or directly. As such, there exist many transnational criminal groups involved in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, trafficking in arms and money laundering. Equally, money laundering has enabled various terror groups to raise funds that they use to recruit and radicalize people across the world. Similarly, money laundering has made terrorist organizations have an easy time in spreading corruption, crime and transnational terrorism (Cohen-Almagor, 2012).
Various terrorist groups get their funds using different methods via the internet. For instance, some terrorist groups make appeals through the e-mail or directly via their websites. Similarly, Laskar Jihad’s front pages featured information about its bank accounts so that contributions might be sent to enhance its objectives. Equally, Hamas circulated letters of appeal to different newsgroups via the e-mail seeking funds (Cohen-Almagor, 2012). Likewise, Hezbollah supplied information about its bank account to groups and individuals who solicit the group through e-mail. Moreover, Hezbollah posted information about its bank account directly on its various websites. Furthermore, some terrorist groups get funds through sell...