Winning the hearts of Islamic State鈥檚 potential recruits
As it began to lose more territory last year in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State (IS) posted a 55-page document online that aims to entice Muslims to operate on its behalf 鈥� as 鈥渕edia operatives鈥� 鈥� in spreading its radical and violent message in the digital universe. 鈥淢edia weapons [can] actually be more potent than atomic bombs,鈥� one passage states.聽
After translating the document, researchers at King鈥檚 College London issued a report this week that offers an important recommendation: To counter the group鈥檚 attempt to deputize Muslims as propagandists will take more than showing the negative aspects of IS, such as the dismal life for its jihadi fighters or its misguided ideology. 鈥淸R]efuting the Islamic State鈥檚 claims to legitimacy is not enough 鈥� and will never be enough 鈥� to degrade its brand,鈥� the report says. Rather, potential recruits, who may be young Muslims looking for a life purpose in a chat room or on social media, must be offered positive messages that meet their needs and prevent their radicalization.
Governments, in fact, 鈥渟hould learn from the way in which the Islamic State galvanizes and sustains voluntary activism in its name,鈥� write the researchers at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King鈥檚 College.
The IS document is a media strategy that spells out how to tell a rosy narrative about IS 鈥� despite its losses of land and fighters 鈥� in what is fast becoming its new front line: an information war.
The document also tells how to use the news industry鈥檚 desire for 鈥渃licks鈥� and ratings to recycle the group鈥檚 point of view, its videos of terrorist attacks, and other messages, or what is called 鈥渕edia projectiles.鈥�
Online tech giants such as Facebook and Google have been assisting Western governments in taking down the group鈥檚 propaganda. And the United States and its European partners produce online content to tear down IS. While that has helped stem recruitment by IS, the militant group hopes to keep alive its cause by enlisting an army of online messengers. The best defense should indeed be counternarratives that offer聽constructive聽ways聽for Muslims to build peaceful and free societies.聽
