To what extent does online Islamist extremism lead to terrorism: a case study of Indonesia.

Abstract

The sporadic emergence of Islamist terrorism across the globe is a reality that has seen an Al Qaeda ideology resonating beyond geographical boundaries. The dissemination of this ideology is really not a result of the generation of grand strategic communications or an advertising strategy like that of a product in the market, or a political campaign. It simply involves a good product naturally endowed with advertising traits that call for action - that is, an ideology that strives on the distortion of one of the world's greatest religions, Islam; justified through the emotive effect gathered from atrocities in Muslim countries, promoted through the most convenient means of information communication in this century - news from Cable TV and the mechanism of word of mouth on the internet. While it is ludicrous to suggest that mainstream news reporting aims at being an intentional conduit for the terrorists' cause, Islamist extremist online sites, their participants and administrators on the other hand, are incredibly clear with their intentions, screaming for support for terrorists through videos and loud-colored visuals in cyber space. This has led to the mobilisation of online support for Islamist terrorists throughout the globe including in Indonesia.