This article is written by Sidra Khan, a student of Amity University, Noida. The article discusses the concept of online radicalisation & extremism and what are the threats and risks that are related to it.

Introduction

We know that violence against social media extremism and radicalization of young people today is one of the major problems for many communities and it is threatening the Fundamental Rights of citizens worldwide. Violent extremism, in its mandate to promote unity and collaboration, through means of contact, discussions and information, is an insult to the United Nations’ doctrines expressed in Universal Human Rights. It supports its member States and civil society players in the response to extreme extremism and radicalization on the internet through a variety of means. Violent extremism and terrorism are among the current national and global security threats. Violent extremism is described as promoting, condoning, justifying, or endorsing the commission of a violent act to achieve political, ideological, religious, social, or economic goals. The dynamics of violent extremism need to be systematically studied to improve our understanding of causal processes connecting radicalisation, extremism and terrorism, and to enable successful counter-extremism policies, strategies and activities to be established. If we are to prevent terrorism from taking root, efforts to avoid the progression of radicalization to violence must be multi-sectoral, society-wide and international.

Defining radicalisation and extremism

Radicalisation is a mechanism in which individuals, mostly young people, shift to embrace radical political views from a moderate viewpoint. This can be achieved either by revealing and communicating with violent political propaganda or by means of extrusive networks offline. Online radicalisation is the process of introducing a person to an ideological message and beliefs framework that promotes the transition from popular beliefs towards extreme views, particularly through online media, in the form of social networks like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Such extreme views seek to justify, facilitate, enable or facilitate violence to achieve any number of social, religious, or political changes as a result of radical interpretations of traditional political or religious doctrines. Radicalisation increases the likelihood to support and even perpetrate terrorism and violent acts of extremism by those at risk. 

While extremists seek to manipulate the weak, the internet still plays a role. It is commonly used both as an initial interest and a strengthening of other communication methods. Like for all its applications, the internet makes it possible to hit far greater numbers in a more large geographic region, and the perpetrators make less effort. The power of social media is known, and this is the main channel for such care whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or the numerous other websites and apps. Chatrooms, blogs, instant messages and texts are part of many online platforms. It is often able to communicate with extremists every day, including the dark web.

How extremists use the internet to recruit and radicalize 

The internet has been used by people and organisations around the world because of its ease and convenience. The Internet is used for exchanging images and videos, uploading information and press reports, raising money and connecting with others. As internet access continues to expand, more people own internet-enabled devices, and as social media use is growing, more time is spent online, content from a variety of sources is consumed and virtual communities created. This access to a growing diversity of people is also being used by violent radicals and criminal groups to hire, train and make it easier to radicalise violence. The Internet gives revolutionary recruiters a more accessible recruitment ground and more chances to connect with people that would otherwise not be met by traditional means. 

Using a mix of conventional web pages; modern social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and other online services, extremists spread their opinions, trigger adverse feelings against rivals, incite people to violence, glorify martyrs and create a virtual community of like-minded individuals. Extremists publish incendiary materials such as educational videos on how explosive materials and weapons are made available, videos of successful attacks and radical lectures, blog posts and messages to support and promote attacks and acts of violence. 

For example, Facebook terrorists used the sharing of private information and messages to organize attacks, as well as Facebook pages to give individuals support, disseminated Twitter propaganda and press releases, and posted extremist sermons and training videos on YouTube. In order to communicate and connect with others, they used online messaging boards, chat rooms and dating sites to distribute their messaging.

Risks associated with online extremism

The internet plays a significant and constructive role, throughout our lives. In the majority of homes, there are internet-enabled computers and game consoles and Internet access in many public places. Globally, a big effort is being made to fight terrorism and extremism online while safeguarding the rights of legal users to use apps. We also play a part, however, in ensuring that it is not only because we use the internet that we remain secure, but that we protect those who are at risk of online radicalisation.

The internet can enhance political messages in the sense of radicalisation and recruitment, make it easier to enter formal organisations and create an atmosphere in which undesirable views and behaviours. Across the UK there are many reports where vulnerable people are being recruited to either move to Syria or Iraq by militant extremists like ISIS or to engage in warfare in their own villages and towns. Likewise, right-wing extremists use the Internet to manipulate people who are vulnerable to their views, to recruit and connect.

Role of community policing in countering online radicalization to violence

The number of online radicalization cases can not be quantified and it is more difficult for police forces to become aware of possible incidents in which violence has been radicalized online. Moreover, law enforcement officers should note that it does not inherently require illegal activity to become radicalized online and publish, hold, or promote extremist views. Thanks to the first amendment, freedom of expression, religion and media are guaranteed to individuals. As long as these people do not take part in, conspiring to commit acts of violence or partake in other crimes, people and organizations that hold the most extreme views must be covered. They cannot be prosecuted in favour of violent actions.

Consequently, law enforcement authorities will use the ideals of community police to combat and fight to radicalize online. The ways law enforcement and the government should work together to recognize, deter and combat violent extremist online threats and actions include:

Community involvement

The implementation of the law should be a part of the solution by community participation, one of the main components of local police services. Common effort to tackle the issue of crime and disorder has included finding solutions for the group. During the past, it was the creation of police athletic teams, where members of the community play sports during tandem with officers and inspire people to go to the public academy or to take part in rides.

Increase the social media profile of an agency

Law enforcement agencies may also engage their citizens online through the creation of their own social media accounts. For example, agencies may run virtual rides where the agency can choose to post all the calls it receives, all the calls of any kind or the activities of a specific officer or unit for a particular department. Officers dedicated to fighting violence should also post on the activities and gatherings of the group that they attend and the people with whom they connect, and invite followers to visit them in these public events.

Education of members of the community

The use of collaborations between the law agencies and the community to resolve the issues surrounding public safety is also supported by Community police. For example, law enforcement agencies have partnered with communities to resolve specific concerns regarding public safety, such as online sexual harassment, by informing young people and parents about how suspicious persons and actions can be identified and documented. In the same way, law enforcement will raise awareness of online terrorist recruitment risks through its current relationships or new collaborations with potentially impacted communities. Such alerts can be integrated into an agency’s overall attempt to inform populations on all Internet security risks.

Relevant cases of online radicalisation to violence

• The Indian National Investigation Agency discussed a big problem in late 2016. The Agency told their son Ashfaq Majeed the family of a young Muslim boy from Kerala that they had been just as dead. Ashfaq ‘s dad, Abdul Majeed, told the NIA on 2 December in the Indian Express that he had been in Afghanistan, where he would stay, after having sent a WhatsApp message, he had called his mother and had spoken briefly with her to encourage his family to join him. Abdul Majeed then told his wife not to acknowledge the Ashfaq number or call again, reporting the message to the NIA. 

Today the case of Majeed is considered to be an example of successful involvement by the Indian intelligence officials to identify terrorist suspects. But the case highlighted the difficulties that India’s intelligence community routinely faces when confronting the terror threat, namely “Hinterland Jihadi Terrorism,” which exists beyond Jammu and Kashmir, in early investigations. Why had no one found that he was being radicalised in Ashfaq’s house, friendship and family or the culture in which he lived? Majeed was mainly radicalized through the Internet, according to media reports from his interrogation.

• A young person from Central Scotland who used the internet extensively to study the political situation in North Iraq was involved in a recent case. He firmly believed that the Iraqi and Syrian citizens had little assistance in the fight against ISIS advances. He once wanted to fly to a war region but, due to its apparent flaws, had been stopped at the airport. His own motives were unclear, but he knew that he had to fight. He did not find his mother to be risky with internet searches and desires and since then he has talked to other people who in Iraq and Syria are battling ISIS. Although he was not illegal, his Internet contacts have led him to be increasingly exposed to radicalisation and threat from those with strong views on the Middle East. 

On several occasions, the Prevention Distribution Unit visited this young person to raise awareness of the dangers he could face while travelling. He provided information on the effects and repercussions of acts of abuse and was at risk of injury or death. A counter account has been given and information has been exchanged with other partner organisations to provide assistance and initiatives, for example, to aid the citizens of Northern Iraq and Syrian with similar organizations in Scotland.

India’s approach to counter violent extremism

Many scholars get confused between CVE (Countering Violent Extremism) and CT (Counter-Terrorism). To contain extremism, two approaches are viable—

1. “hard approach” which includes the use of military, intelligence, and police, and 
2. “soft approach” which includes emphasising on cultural and social empowerment through community involvement also termed as winning the hearts and minds of the target population. 

The best approach could be a mix of both “hard and soft” termed as “smart CVE”, which involves the decision to use part of half and part of soft approaches, depending upon the circumstances. Through the promotion of counter-narrative and involvement of the community, supporting the economic development, and promoting conflict resolution, the Smart CVE approach is more likely to succeed. The Smart CVE strategy is more likely to succeed by facilitating counter-narrative and community engagement, promoting economic growth and facilitating dispute resolution.

Each Indian security agency provided its first harbour protection system from its own budget in Post-Mumbai terrorist attacks and India was fitted with various coastal radars, high-power underwater sensors and other technological equipment able to detect and locate surface or sub-water threats and to monitor them. The successful CVE without intelligence sharing is incomplete. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) reorganized its Multi-Agency Center to provide feed-back via secures online communication, and further Subsidiary Multi-Agency Centers were set up at 30 locations in India.

The state government of Maharashtra initiated a program of de-radicalization which aims at involving youth from the Muslim community through activities like the National Cadet Corps and the compulsory programs for “Bharat Scouts and Guides” in the minority school. The Indian Government has decided to pursue a de-radicalisation policy in order to modernize Islamic education within Malaysia’s modern system of Islamic education. The draft anti-terrorism Mumbai Police in 2016 sought to include Muslim young people in the mainstream across various fields, including education, sports, law and order and development of skills. It included a counter-strategy to the IS threat in India. India has trouble pursuing de-radicalization or the CVE system in western terms because of the different kinds of militant ideology and elements in India. In comparison, the CVE system in Western-style centred on Muslim immigrants and their societies.

Therefore, Indian adoption, with the development of counter-narratives and addressing fundamental causes, of “Smart CVE” that meets its problems and empowers the communities and civil societies.

Conclusion

There are a variety of ways to perpetrate radicalization by terrorist organizations or individuals: face-to-face by peers, in coordinated community groups, and increasingly online. Their goals are individuals or groups of people who, due to their backgrounds, state of mind or even their upbringing, can be easily led into terrorist ideologies. Extremists are trying to influence vulnerable people, and the internet plays a role invariably. Through Twitter, Facebook etc. It is widely used both as an expression of initial interest and as a reinforcement of other means of communication. As is the case with everything it uses, the Internet makes it possible to reach a much larger number of people, in a wider geographical area and with less effort on the part of the perpetrators. Risks are associated with Vulnerability to extreme grooming and brainwashing via social media sites, chat rooms, text and instant messages.

References

• http://www.borderscollege.ac.uk/resources/counter-terrorism/threat-and-risk-of-extremism-online/
• http://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-250-menace-of-youth-radicalization.html
• https://www.vifindia.org/article/2020/january/01/india-s-approach-to-countering-violent-extremism-issues-and-prospects
• https://www.orfonline.org/research/countering-violent-extremism-lessons-india/

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