Abstract:
ISIS have been enabled to expand their jihadi war further than the realms that exist within the borders of Iraq and Syria through the Internet. The decentralised form of their online campaigns has taken on a central facet of the wave of ‘New Terrorism’, as there exists a system of networked structures that grant the extremist organization the ability to coordinate them seamlessly on the Interweb. Employing the use of the ‘documentary research method’, the thesis is founded upon established documents in the academic field. It is the form of separated cells that differ from the ways of Old terrorism which consisted of a hierarchical structure that allow ISIS’s media model to have the level of fluidity it does on the Internet and its social media websites. In this way, ISIS has set a precedent for future terrorism and it is their successful engagement in the online domain that has provided a new framework for ‘jihadi propaganda machines’
Keywords: Islamic State, Internet, network structure, jihadi, Caliphate, global jihad, online followers, (new or old) terrorism, online technologies
Glossary of terms:
Tawid- the oneness of God
Jihad- Arabic word meaning “struggle”. Used in reference both spiritually and in armed conflict
Nasheeds- an Islamic religious chant
Mujahideen- a Muslim fighter waging military Jihad
Fajr Al- Basha’ir- Dawn of Glad Tidings
Kufaar- infidels, unbelievers
Acknowledgements:
To my mum and dad, for bringing me to this country to have a better life and fighting to ensure I get every opportunity that a child should receive: thank you. I could not love two people more. To dad, even though you work in construction, every time I come through the door, you tell me something about the politics going on in the world because first of all, you’re a badass who I’m sure would have made an amazing politician and second of all, because you always think it could be relevant to this degree. I’ve spouted much information you’ve told me in seminars. You have a way with words and speaking to people that I believe I inherited from you. To my mum, who sat with me and taught me English, thank you for being strict and patiently waiting until it no longer became a chore for me. Sorry for annoying you so much when you physically had to remove books from me in order to make me eat (A Series of Unfortunate Events marathon was needed. Forgive me!)
To my brother and his fiancee Jade: now that I have your attention, when is the wedding? It’s only been what: 7 years? Get cracking but don’t do it near my graduation date please. We can’t both share the Facebook limelight that month. We have to figure out some kind of rota around this. Thank you for letting me stay at your house for the remaining five days leading up to the deadline. I’m sure you were quite scared when you find me furiously typing away in the dark at 2am in the morning and for dealing with all the emotional outbursts when I couldn’t find the right word to write in a sentence.
To my dissertation supervisor, Dr Michelle Bentley: thank you for knowing when to be there as a friend versus when you knew I needed a good shake up and did the equivalent of slam your hands on the desk and tell me how to turn things around for the better. For the record: I did! Even though the line is fine between teacher and confidant (ha, I used Google synonyms to give me another word for friend. I didn’t want it to become too soppy. Plus, confidant seems more secretive), you understood when to be which of them at exactly the right time. I am forever grateful to you for deciphering my nervous wreck emails and actually understanding my questions and then answering them. You helped me bridge the gap with a lot of things.
Introduction:
The practice of internet facilitated communications such as social media by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS) has facilitated the fast rise of the extremist organization and changed the dynamics of global fight against terrorism. Nearly every continent in the world has received invitations to join the ranks of ISIS. Followers are not required to go to the warzone in the Middle East. Based purely on the online connections they have can they effectively distribute propaganda, recruit potential soldiers and establish their online presence.
As executive chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, meticulously states, “The internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy we've ever had”. It is precisely this undetermined factor of the Internet, that has relatively known supervision, that is the grounds for ISIS to create a podium that attracts attention of online users. The way in which terrorism has shaped the Internet has called for policymakers and government to address the growing nature of illicit use of the service that have directly aided extremism and radicalisation. In the online pandemonium of noise and a flood of information, ISIS have been able to strengthen their infrastructure due to their logistical, calculated acts. Having seen the advent of terrorist activities online, it is imperative to understand, at a time where the horrors of extremist activity are so readily available, how and why exactly it is that ISIS have become ‘social media pros’ in order to combat them.
The Internet can and has been exploited by terrorists for the purpose recruitment, propaganda, fund-raising and cyber-terrorism, proving itself to be a prized form of communication and incitement for the purposes of extremist radicalisation and ultra violence. The rise of the Islamic State has intensified this online strategy. ISIS has demonstrated greater social media sophistication and proven to be more strategic online. The scale and intensity of its online operations is much greater than previous terrorist groups.
Aims:
The dissertation examines how ISIS have become a new form of terrorism specifically due to cyberspace. It will also seek to refine understandings of what constitutes New Terrorism on the basis that that the ‘cyber’ element has set a precedence for ‘new waves’ of terrorism. It aims to clarify that it is not the technology itself that has catalyzed terrorist activity. Rather, it is ISIS specifically that have been one of, if not the, most successful terrorist organizations to exploit technological devices and the online arena to further the aims of the group as it seeks to spread and promote its ideology. The dissertation seeks to understand why ISIS has been the most prosperous at commandeering the use of the Internet and how this, in turn, has reshaped notions of terrorism in itself.
Literature review:
The zealous debate between the notion of ‘Old terrorism’ and ‘New Terrorism’ juxtaposes ideas of emerging threats and developing factors that have contributed towards terrorist acts. These include, but are not limited to proponents such as: political aims, tactics and motives. Cyberspace has allowed these factors to be received in a new light. The following literature review will be split into several sub-categories in order to highlight key areas of distinction between traditional notions of what constitutes as terrorism and New Terrorism. As Lacquer succinctly states, “terrorism is largely a matter of perception, of historical, social and cultural traditions, and of political calculus” (1999:36). Thus, an analytical evaluation of these factors is required to legitimately classify ISIS under paradigms of new terrorism due to cyberspace.
New terrorism has in large been shaped by the use of technology in activities conducted by malicious non-state actors. Concern over the illicit use of offensive information warfare (OIW) operations by terrorist organizations has caused concern for the national security of states (Valeri and Knights, 2000:15). The Internet contains a multitude of information essentially makes it a ‘digital library’ (Weimann, 2010), its resources ranging from books to governmental reports and resolutions, to blueprints of buildings. Information that aids terrorist plots are broadly available online and can help further their efforts to conduct attacks. The challenge presented by this is that basic information on buildings such as airports and nuclear power plants is the most easily accessible online and not only this, it is legally obtainable. This information strain presents a plethora of difficulties that did not exist before the creation of the Web as it would be counterproductive to remove information that has already been put out onto the Internet, but also there is a lack of control over who can and cannot view certain documents. The transparency that exists online is a ‘free for all’ for all users of the Internet, but terrorists have used this ability for data mining purposes that enhance their goals.
Terrorist justification for resorting to violence has been enforced by portraying ‘incumbent