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“We are in a battle, and more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media.”
– Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda 2nd in command (2005; source)
The Islamist propagandists’ jihad against the U.S. military, explained
The Final Battle: Muslim apocalyptic movements like al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other jihadi groups are winning an information war that the West barely recognizes exists
By Richard Landes, Tablet Magazine, August 31, 2011
The High Price of Asymmetric Warfare
By David Gerstman, Legal Insurrection, April 12, 2013
MEMRI Special Report: Global Islamic Media Front Instructs Islamists to Infiltrate Popular Non-Islamic Forums to Spread Pro-Islamic State Propaganda, June 2007 (source)
(The following is copied from the MEMRI page) Recently, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) announced a new comprehensive media campaign titled “The Battar Media Raid to Defend the Islamic State [of Iraq] (ISI),” whose declared purpose is to repel the intensive campaign against the ISI by Arab and Western media agencies and to stop the increasing military campaign against the ISI by Sunni organizations in Iraq. In a message titled “The Battar Media Raid: How to Participate? How to Help? What Is My Role?” the GIMF announces the beginning of the campaign and provides a detailed description of the campaign’s goals and ways of accomplishing them, including infiltrating non-Islamic forums for the purpose of posting pro-ISI propaganda. (Report is available to MEMRI subscribers here.)
Excerpts of this report, obtained from other sources:
As part of the campaign to foster anti-war sentiment among Westerners, and more specifically among Americans, a member of the Al-Mohajroon Islamist website with the username Al-Wathiq Billah instructed mujahideen in how to infiltrate popular American forums and to use them to distribute jihad films and spread disinformation about the war. […]
“There is no doubt, my brothers, that raiding American forums is among the most important means of obtaining victory in the fierce media war… and of influencing the views of the weak-minded American who pays his taxes so they will go to the infidel American army. This American is an idiot and does not [even] know where Iraq is… [It is therefore] mandatory for every electronic mujahid [to engage in this raiding].”
“Obviously, you have to register yourself using a purely American name… Choose an icon that indicates that you are an American, and place it next to your nickname [in the forum].” … You should post your contribution there… This should include films of the mujahideen in Iraq, mujahideen publications in English, and images and films of the Americans’ crimes, [such as] killing unarmed civilians in Iraq… etc.”
You should invent stories about American soldiers you have [allegedly] personally known (as classmates… or members in a club who played baseball and tennis with you) who were drafted to Iraq and then committed suicide while in service by hanging or shooting themselves…”
“Also, write using a sad tone, and tell them that you feel sorry for your [female] neighbor or co-worker who became addicted to alcohol or drugs… because her poor fiancé, a former soldier in Iraq, was paralyzed or [because] his legs were amputated… [Use any story] which will break their spirits, oh brave fighter for the sake of God…”
“People of jihad have to create a media war that goes parallel to the military war. They should not be short on anything because we see the effect the media has on the nation and people in supporting or denouncing,” the group [the Al-Qaeda Media Committee] said.
– U.S. Department of Defense publication, “The Nature of the Enemy,” October 17, 2006; cited by Global Security.
Dead U.S. Soldier in Anti-War Video ‘Alive and Well’, By Rhonda Schwartz and Maddy Sauer, ABC News, January 10, 2007. Excerpts:
An Iraqi insurgent propaganda video, containing what is described as a Christmas message from a U.S. soldier taped just before he was killed, appeared on dozens of Web sites and on the al Jazeera network. But a lot about the video does not add up, including the fact that ABC News found the supposedly dead soldier is “alive and well” and present for duty, according to a U.S. Army spokesman at Fort Campbell, Ky.
“There are a whole bunch of lies on that tape,” said Lt. Col. Ed Loomis at Fort Campbell. “It is nothing but a total fabrication.” A producer at al Jazeera said it would change its description of the video after learning from ABC News that the soldier was not dead.
The tape begins in dramatic form with the title “Lee’s Life for Lies.”
It is supposedly a Christmas greeting from a U.S. soldier, Specialist Lee Kimball Tucker, sent to his family in Florida before he was killed. The voice identified as Tucker says he and his fellow soldiers became violent and reckless searching for insurgents.
“The crimes by our soldiers during break-ins started to merge, such as burglary, harassment, raping and random manslaughter,” says the voice. “Why are we even here? The people hate us.” […]
Laura Mansfield, an Arabic language analyst and publisher of a newsletter “Strategic Translations” that tracks jihadi websites, said this is a new trick in the jihadists’ propaganda campaign.
“This is part of a very shrewd campaign to reach a U.S. audience, soldiers and voters,” she said. “It is in English and forgives most soldiers and Americans, calling on them to help end the war.”
More at Jawa Report.
More coming.
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