Marketing Terrorism

The Iranian regime operates many Arabic-language Internet sites to spread its radical Islamic ideology to the Arab and Muslim populations around the world

The Iranian regime makes a great effort to export Khomeini’s radical Islamic ideology. One of its objectives is to advance Iran’s aspirations for hegemony in the Middle East and another is to support its political ideology and propaganda campaign against the United States and Israel.
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Terrorism and Internet: Hezbollah’s widespread use of the Internet as a means to distribute anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish, and anti-American incitement as part of the war for the hearts and minds (as at December 3, 2006)

As part of the war for the hearts and minds waged by Hezbollah, the organization, similarly to Hamas, makes extensive use of the Internet.
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Hamas’s new satellite television channel: a step forward in Hamas’s battle for hearts and minds

A Hamas-operated satellite broadcasting station named “The Light of Al-Aqsa” (Saraj al-Aqsa ) started broadcasting on October 15 in the afternoon. For the time being, the station airs archive footage of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and songs of religious character. The station will broadcast from Dubai (where the station manager, Ziyad al-Hasanat, is based) and the
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Hezbollah publications found during the second Lebanon war in south Lebanon inculcate the radical ideology of the Islamic revolution in Iran

Hezbollah publications found during the second Lebanon war in south Lebanon inculcate the radical ideology of the Islamic revolution in Iran, and glorify jihad, shahada (death as a martyr) and the personality cults of the Ayatollah Khomeini and ‘Ali Khamenei.
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Hezbollah’s Shi’ite youth movement, “The Imam al-Mahdi Scouts,” has tens of thousands of members

Hezbollah’s Shi’ite youth movement, “The Imam al-Mahdi Scouts,” has tens of thousands of members. According to captured documents, they are indoctrinated with the principles of radical Iranian Islam. That indoctrination includes the personality cult of Iranian leader ‘Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah’s “battle legacy;” national Lebanese symbols are minimized.
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Documents captured during the second Lebanon war reveal how Hezbollah raises funds and at the same time furthers its propaganda and indoctrination campaign, stressing the younger generation.

Leaflets related to fund-raising for Hezbollah and the organization’s indoctrination of the Lebanese population (particularly the Shi’ite population) were captured from Hezbollah terrorists in the villages of ‘Aita al-Sha’ab and Aita’run during the second Lebanon war. The leaflets and other documents captured were issued by a Hezbollah institution called the Islamic Resistance Support Association.
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Marketing Terrorism

Terrorist organizations around the world have successfully exploited the media revolution of the past decade. They use state-of-the-art communications technologies to market terrorism to large target audiences around the world, disseminate their threats, promote their activities and recruit sympathizers and supporters. By marketing terrorism, they try to shape public opinion and influence the global political and media agenda.

One of the tools used extensively for marketing terrorism is the Internet. The Internet is an ideal means for marketing terrorism: it is decentralized, it cannot be controlled or restricted, it is not censored, and all those who wish to do so have access to it. From the perspective of terrorist organizations, their special structure makes communication via the Internet even more important and useful. The loose and fluid network of squads, units and sub-groups, which is characteristic of modern terrorist organizations, makes the Internet an ideal and essential tool for marketing terrorism and for communication between and within terrorist groups.

The use of the Internet for marketing terrorism, especially social networks, enables organizations to market terrorism and its messages without censorship restrictions, using the freedom of expression law, bypassing geographical barriers and evading the difficulties posed by various governments. Marketing terrorism through the Internet makes it possible to achieve several goals, including: to provide an explanation and justification for terrorist acts; to collect and transmit information; to empower the organization’s capabilities and shape its image; to recruit and train operatives and more.

Global jihad organizations, Hezbollah, and Hamas are salient examples of terrorist organizations that have had the wisdom to take advantage of the media revolution for terrorism marketing purposes. These organizations make extensive use of the media for terrorism marketing purposes in addition to terrorist activity on the ground.