Becoming a terrorist from 'liking' Facebook

People who become radicalized do not do so by seeking information from obscure sources. In fact, the process often begins with something as simple as clicking a “like” or “share” on Facebook.

The convenience of social networks makes many people vulnerable to IS. Photo: Today Online.

Not long after seeing someone “like” or “share” a message sympathetic to the plight of Muslims in Syria, or commenting on an online forum on the subject, extremists will contact that person through public chat tools to talk about very ordinary topics such as family, school, work, aspirations and life challenges.

The prey is disillusioned youth.

Gradually, conversations will move to encrypted messaging apps like Whatsapp or Telegram to talk about topics like the war in Syria or the persecution of Muslims in certain parts of the world.

Those “new friends” will be willing to share articles and videos glorifying suicide bombers and their vision of an Islamic state, among other things. When the opportunity arises, the question will be asked: Do you want to join the Islamic State (IS) and take up arms to fight jihad? Then the “prey” will receive instructions on how to make and use weapons, or how to get to Syria.

The threat of radicalization in Southeast Asia has been further highlighted by the recent arrests of a kindergarten worker and two police officers in Singapore. Two of the three were under 30 years old and one was a woman.

In early June 2017, Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced that Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, 22, a childcare assistant, was arrested in Singapore for wanting to become a “widow of a martyr.” She began to be radicalized in 2013, when she was 18, due to the influence of an online propaganda campaign related to IS and had shared pro-IS materials online.

After Izzah's arrest, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said that most of the radicalized Singaporeans were under 30 years old, and five of those arrested had been radicalized since their teens.

Counterterrorism experts provide in-depth analysis of IS's highly effective recruitment strategy, especially among young people.

“Maintaining consistent and constant contact with targets is an important recruitment method for IS,” said Dr Jolene Jerard, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “The targets see that they have a friend across the border even if they are an ocean apart. That personal connection will keep them engaged,” said Dr Jerard.

The ease of access to social media technology makes it possible for anyone to be radicalized regardless of their personal circumstances or where they live, said Remy Ahmad, a researcher at the Centre for Terrorism and Political Violence at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He said it was not just a misuse of technology but also an attack on the emotionally and mentally vulnerable.

Images of military conflict and war victims make them feel empathy and solidarity, leading them to make life-changing decisions like going to war or providing emotional and financial support, Remy said.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to IS because they are at a stage of their lives when they are most likely to experience a personality crisis or “search for meaning,” said Gullnaz Baig, a terrorism expert at the London School of Economics. The search for “meaning” often involves spiritual needs and a desire to “find enlightenment or religion in its purest form,” Baig said.

Many women fall into the trap

Likewise, terrorist groups have long targeted women. There are many girls around the world, including in Western countries, who fall into this trap.

One example is 27-year-old Indonesian Dian Yulia Novi. Late last year, Novi was arrested by Indonesian authorities for planning to detonate a pressure cooker filled with explosives in front of the presidential palace. Determined to die a martyr, Dian told Time magazine in an interview in March that “jihad” is obligatory for all Muslims, like prayer.

IS has a women's group that recruits girls. But the method of attracting women to IS's ranks is similar to that of attracting young men.

Like young people disillusioned by their circumstances, the girls join IS to feel empowered, Baig said. They also see joining IS as a form of “sacred religious duty.”

Although recruited in similar ways, young people, adults, women and men play different roles in the IS structure, experts say. For women, they play a supportive role, providing for their husbands, and guiding and training children to become the next generation of jihadists.

That role is spelled out in IS literature, such as in the magazine Rumiyah, which in its May issue carried an article titled “Women as Shepherds in the Husband’s Family.” But Dr Jerard notes that the role of women in IS is growing. They are becoming financiers, recruiters, and moral police. More and more women are becoming suicide bombers.

According to TPO