Editor's Letter

The Media Matter

T

o better fight the West, aspir-
ing jihadists must hone their
promotional" (propaganda)
skills. This communications "adjust-
ment" must include tailored websites
and YouTube-like video sites.
So purports
a new article,
"The Heart
of the Matter:
The Reality
and the Role
of the Jihadist
Media," bounc-
ing through
Islamist Internet
Robert Sklar
forums, reports
Editor
Steve Emerson's
Washington-
based Investigative Project on
Terrorism (IPT) in a Jan. 11 dispatch.
The logic makes sense — and that's
scary. If Western governments don't
take heed of this pitch, the pool of
Islamists — Muslims transfixed by
inciting terror to achieve their religious,
cultural and political ends — certainly
will expand.
Communicating more "effectively"
(cunningly) would boost recruitment
of Western jihadis and plant terror in
Western souls through a "continuous
psychological media war" against the
West, writes article author Abu Sa'd al-

((

'Amili. It also, he says, would support
the combat theater of the jihadi war.
The theory is that the "infidel" no
longer would control the war with its
"misleading media tools" because
practitioners and supporters of jihad
would boast a battlefront with multiple
gates of jihadi dissemination. "Truthful
images of this jihad" would prepare
and recruit "new soldiers for jihadist
work through organized, regulated and
secure media efforts!'
The article, which Emerson found in
a jihadi news aggregator, "The Unjust
Media:' pushes for technologically
savvy, graphically sophisticated calls
to action by terror groups committed
to different fronts, but with the aligned
goal of "bringing the battlefield to
would-be warriors." Foreign funding
could be key to fresher equipment and
savvier operators.
The article has gotten traction via
Al Qaida's strategy to accentuate the
media battlefront while seeking to sta-
bilize the terrorist organization's lead-
ership, mission and direction.
Al-'Amili urges website managers
to grasp why their role "is considered
a strong prop and the flip side of the
coin of jihad." Secure, integrated jihadi
websites would help bind the far-flung
jihadists and protect identities of blog-
gers and viewers.

JN CONTENTS
I

Jan. 20-26, 2011

15-21 Shevat 5771

vol.

LWISHNE

CXXXVIII, No . 24

Cover Story on page 16

Arts/Entertainment
Business
Family Focus
Home
Israel Travel
Letters
Marketplace
Maze! Tov!
Metro
Obituaries
Opinion
Roundup
Spirituality

37
28
47
31
22
6
51
48
19
57
25
8
27

Notably, the article has roots in
botched missives. Emerson cites, for
example, the case of Mohamed Osman
Mohamud, who schemed to attack a
Christmas tree lighting ceremony in
Oregon, but was nabbed when the FBI
intercepted his unsecured e-mail to two
unindicted Pakistani associates.
I was struck by Emerson's reference
to Inspire, Al Qaida's English-language
magazine, which exhorts jihadi groups
to create a common video channel. The
move would punctuate the powerful
impact of online radicalization and
ultimately physical terror. This e-mode
of enlistment would appeal to non-
Muslims "who had been in the rank
of the enemy',' but who then embraced
Islam and became "the sincerest sol-
diers and most destructive against the
enemy" — such as the Guantanamo
prisoners, according to Inspire.
The future success of jihad no doubt
hinges on smart use of e-indoctrina-
tion and all that the Internet has to
offer.
Steve Emerson isn't exaggerat-
ing when he says: "'The Heart of the
Matter' shows that jihadi groups are
paying more attention to their Western
audiences — from potential terrorists
to terrorizing the American public!'
Make no mistake: Absolute vigilance
by the West is the strongest defense. 11

Sports

36
Staff Box/Phone List.... 6
Synagogue List
34
Thoughts
5
To Do!/Calendar
41
To Do!/Crossword
46
Torah Portion
33
World/Israel
22

Teen ee

center

•

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat: Friday, Jan. 21, 5:14 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Jan. 22, 6:19 p.m.*

Shabbat: Friday, Jan. 28, 5:23 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Jan. 29, 6:27 p.m.*

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
calendar. Havdalah practices may vary.
Consult your rabbi.

Columnists

Danny Raskin
Robert Sklar

38
3

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