Internet and Terrorism: The Technology to the Service of the Yihad

Within the terrorist groups that exist in the world, independently of their particular ideologies, the corresponding ones to yihad Islamic perhaps they are organized and who better benefit they have obtained from the use of Internet. Until the point to be able to affirm that she is one of the tools indispensable for the fight against its enemies. Much more still if the inferiority of conditions considers (economic, of infrastructure, amount of cash, etc.) in which are in crossed his against the western world.

According to a work of analysis made by the investigators Javier Jordán and Manuel Torres, Internet it has made possible the Islamic groups to him to intensify the work on fundamental questions for its organization like terrorist group, thus obtaining homogeneity and identity of group. The analysts detail, with extreme importance, the particular work who have done through Internet on vital questions like they are the indoctrination, the training, the information dissemination and the communication between the different cells that are scattered by the world.

INTERNET LIKE INDOCTRINATION INSTRUMENT

Of documents seized in the occasion of the attacks perpetrated in Madrid in 11-M, only 19 they corresponded to manual operative related to the attack and the 167 rest belonged to diffusion of ideology related to the islamismo and the combat with the western world.

The diffusion of this type of material, without Internet of by means, he had been much more slow and complicated. The indoctrination is not an element to despise within the terrorism: it reinforces the sense of property to a group, it gives a legitimacy frame them to the actions that make and, mainly, it gives a theoretical support them to recruiters to approach more people its movement with solid and convincing arguments.

"THE EMOTIONAL REINFORCEMENT"

Through Internet, the leaders spread to images, texts and videos so that the other members in other parts of the world can see the questions that are undergoing their brothers in Iraq by the North American invasion or the Palestinians in their fight against Israel. There assassinated children, devastated populations and other aberrations see themselves that do not do more than to urge the rebellion. These documents appeal to the empathy, insisting to put themselves in the place of which they suffer and to raise the arms in their defense.

But in the same way that spreads images and videos where the suffering of the Islamic community at the hands of the West can be appraised, also exhibit material showing their "profits". It is common that between the cells referring archives are distributed 11-S of New York, to the attack of 11-M or other terrorist acts. The fundamental objective of this is to raise the moral and to instigar to make the same, categorized like "military trophies" these images referred to those lamentable events.

TO FEEL TO THE TERRORISM LIKE WAR

Internet has been crucial in the training of present and future "soldiers2 of yihad Islamic. Through the network they are distributed manual operative that is fundamental for the terrorist actions: in them it is explained like putting a pump, like fleeing, what to make in case from police halting and many other basic details for those who exert or will exert the direct actions that the organizations consider.

But, there am the peculiar thing here, also within this "training online2 that occurs them to the dispersed cells by different places (that they go from different points from Europe, to Morocco, Yemen, Iraq and Somalia, among others), include elements that they directly do not have to do rather with the terrorist fight but with thematic like the nuclear weapons of massive destruction, the war of guerrillas or the ambushes. Questions that do not have so much to do with the terrorist fight, that is semi-individual, but with a war. But this is the intention: to make feel the terrorists who yihad is a war. With other elements and objectives, but a war after all.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION: TWO CRUCIAL QUESTIONS

Another one of the important papers that it has played Internet for the terrorism it is the facilitación of information. Rather, the benefit that the armed groups to information available in the network have removed to him. It is that the soft "objective" denominated ones - commercial synagogues, centers, Christian and Jewish discotecas, schools, bus-stations, etc. - offer in their own Web sites data like direction, closing and aperture time, visits virtual the installation and other details that can be to them from extreme utility to the executors at the time of attacking those objectives.

Also Internet it is fundamental at the time of contacting. The deprived sphere, that is to say, between such integral of the network, the messages via electronic mail have become fundamental matter for the communication between the factions who are in favor dispersed of the world. Mainly the exchange of information between the cupolas. They can do it easily, without leaving signs right away and.

But, as well, the network has facilitated much the diffusion of the actions and principles, by means of pages terrorist Web or videos (in fact, groups or vindicative members of such activities, videos have raised YouTube, that can arrive to be seen by any person), and is that anyone with a minimum of technical knowledge can raise a Web a Internet and to do it of attractive and cautivante way. All this, in addition, with the possibility of doing it without leaving signs compromising.

Another one of the important elements of the terrorist activity that place setting has been seen with Internet it is the agile pursuit of the impact of the activities that they themselves have made. It is obvious that it matters to them what the world is saying of them and by this same one they consult to newspaper the most important chains of the world to observe the vision that the West deposits on the involved groups in yihad. The rapidity with which the means generate updated information and the necessity of the media to also inform to newspaper plays its favor.

THE MOBILE TELEPHONE: A NECESSARY ENEMY

Outside the cybernetic field, but intimately bound with the new technologies, the movable telephone is an ally indispensable for the terrorist organizations. But it is an ally that can become the worse enemy in a matter of seconds.

Before the modern developed techniques of pursuit, the movable telephones are generally those that end up exposing to the criminals. A minimum negligence in the use of a phonecard on the part of a terrorist can be the key indication that it takes to his halting.

THE CYBERSPACE. FUTURE BATTLEFIELD?

It little turns out feasible to think about future "cyber-war" between the Islamic terrorist world and the West. Since, until the moment, the cybernetic attacks that they have perpetrated have been of magnitudes such as to consider them of importance. But this does not assure, far from it, that the tendency in the future is modified.

Considering the incipiente and advanced dominion that the Islamic world is reaching of the technology - thanks to globalización- it is no wonder, in the future, they consider to take yihad to a virtual land. Still more considering the ciber-employee who is becoming the western world. The global economy is depositing very many confidence in Internet and this can become a fundamental fact so that the members of yihad Islamic try to deteriorate to their enemies economically.

But, what paper plays definitively Internet in the development of the terrorism? Neither the more nor less than an augmentative roll of the potentialities of the terrorist surroundings, since it has been left patent throughout this report. An ally that allows and facilitates many questions him that, otherwise would become troublesome.

Then, seeing and considering the importance that the network plays in the global terrorism. Would be possible to attribute the advance of the organized violence to Internet? Of no way. The terrorism would exist anyway and continue applying its forces with or without her. This is clear.

They are the dicotomías that bring implicit all the liberties, in this case the infinite routes of expression that offers Internet. On the one hand, he is all beneficial and the positive one that entails. But by the other, the bad - and dangerous use of means. Done the law, done the trap, says an old proverb. And thus it is like the technology, without wanting it, has been determining in the development from something so lethal and frightful as it is it the terrorism.

By Carlos Cabezas López

(http://www.casoabierto.com)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

JORDAN, Javier; Torres, Manuel R. "Internet y actividades terroristas: el caso del 11-M". El profesional de la información, 2007, marzo-abril, v.16, n.2, pp. 123-130.

JORDAN, Javier. "El terrorismo en la sociedad de la información. El caso de Al Qaida". El profesional de la información, 2002, julio-agosto, v.11, n.4, pp. 297-305.

SILM, Bouchaib. "The internet and Al Qaeda how Bin Laden uses Technology for his cause". Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies. [Consultado:16-11-2007]. Available in: http://se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent?serviceID=7&fileid=94DA8A6B-AC89-C3EC-A9DF-6C1A061D40A6&lng=en