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websites has made it nearly impossible for law enforcement personnel to
contain the scope and spread of an insurgent’s message. Most Internet Service
Providers (ISP) don’t even know that their servers contain this type of
information. The sheer volume of data, coupled with the fact that ISP owners
often contract with other companies for the maintenance of their sites, allow
web page content to be easily overlooked. If the ISP providers discover
unacceptable content and shut down the websites, the insurgents can easily
move their websites to alternative locations.
As a result, the Internet has become a communication and ideological
paradise for insurgents. One recent book titled The 39 Principles of Jihad by
Mohammad Bin Ahmad Al-Salem (a possible pseudonym) on the principles of
jihad (a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty) emphasized this
notion. Principle 34 of the book’s 39 principles of jihad was “electronic jihad.”
That is, waging war via the Internet. Believers are called to join a jihad through
participation in Internet forums. Participants are asked to defend Islam and the
Mujahideen, to preach Jihad, and to encourage Muslims to learn more about
their duty. 95
Countries battling insurgents need to examine the use of the Internet
from a new angle. For the past ten years, Westerners have considered the
Internet to be a part of their operating environment. They have understood its
impact on democratic politics and assumed that other countries would use the
Internet in a similar manner. Two problems stand in the way. First is the
problem of legal regulation of the Internet—what can and cannot be shown, and
how it can be used. Insurgents do not face this limitation. They use the Internet
as they see fit without political or legal restrictions. Second, Westerners
underestimate, or simply cannot comprehend, the Internet’s impact on
disadvantaged societies and its ability to mobilize and empower the
disenfranchised. Insurgents try to boost their images with their targeted
audiences by boasting online about bombings and killing hostages. They can
also offer logic and legitimacy for their actions based on religious or
ideological sources. Perhaps a new focus is needed on regions, ideologies, and
religions instead of countries.
It is clear that there is a need for a closer look at all of these issues as
the Internet is currently being used to reach a mass base. Insurgent websites are
truly the planning and motivational grounds for future conflicts and battles.
95 Joel Leyden, “Al Qaeda: The 39 Principles of Holy War,” Israel News Agency, 4
September 2003 as downloaded from http://www.israelnewsagency.com/Al
Qaeda.html.
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