An analysis of Daesh’s exploitation of social media to spread its malign message DR. MARLEEN HORMIZ, Isra’ University College Daesh has transformed Twitter into its electronic province. It orders its followers and supporters to post on the site to bolster the organization, recruit new members and collect donations. The organization set up a “bank of accounts” on Twitter to hand out new accounts to supporters whose accounts are shut down to ensure that they can quickly get back to posting on Twitter. It ordered its supporters to use hashtags in their tweets, which they did intensively, and the organization’s psychological…
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Middle Eastern Marines gather at the Regional Marine Symposium in Abu Dhabi UNIPATH STAFF The Middle East offers no shortage of arenas in which regional marine forces are necessary. These specialized troops — traditionally adept at operations on both land and sea — have played a critical role in protecting strategic waterways stretching from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping near Yemen, instability in Syria, drug and weapons smuggling, Somali-based piracy: All require regional marine forces committed to a high state of readiness. With those common security challenges in…
Oman’s Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre is a leader in protecting computer networks UNIPATH STAFF In the borderless realm of the internet, a cyber breach in one country can cause a cascading wave of damage across the world. Countries are working together to share tools, resources and best practices to protect networks and critical infrastructure and to ensure resilience if such a breach occurs. To address the serious cyber threat, the Sultanate of Oman operates a regional center focused on enhancing regional cooperation, coordination and collaboration. The first of its kind, the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre is hosted by…
Combating terrorists online requires a focus on technology, education and economic development SALTANAT BERDIKEEVA Thousands of foreign fighters from around the globe were drawn to conflict zones in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Stories from places like France, Great Britain and Germany describe men and women flocking to support Daesh and other terrorist groups and posing a security threat to Europe once they returned home. The nations of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — are not immune to the problem. Involvement in extremist and terrorist activity is a crime in Central Asian countries and punishable with imprisonment.…
The Jordan Armed Forces Directorate of Moral Guidance combats terrorist messaging UNIPATH STAFF It was no secret that terrorist groups were active on certain isolated webpages, but Daesh’s invasion of social media sites in 2014 and the emergence of terrorist media and an electronic army on Twitter surprised the world’s security apparatuses. Daesh propagandists invaded social media sites in an unprecedented campaign, posting thousands of messages and images that were copied by other Daesh-affiliated accounts to ensure they would reach the largest possible number of followers. Daesh waged a media campaign and a vast psychological war on Facebook and Twitter,…
Nonviolent measures to combat violent extremist ideology should supplement military efforts AHMAD FARID FOROZI, The Asia Foundation Violence driven by extreme interpretation of religious texts and unjustified aggressive ideologies has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in Afghanistan since the beginning of conflict in the country in 1978. Millions more have been forced to leave their homes and migrate to other countries. This human catastrophe represents a lost opportunity for development and economic growth, leaving Afghanistan one of the poorest countries of the world. Today the armed opposition groups (AOGs) — most prominently the…
Jordan assembles a Marine battalion to protect the vital port of Aqaba and conduct overseas missions UNIPATH STAFF At the Regional Marine Symposium in Abu Dhabi in August 2018, Unipath spoke with Staff Lt. Col. Mutasim Al-Rabie, commanding officer of the 77th Royal Jordanian Marine Battalion: Unipath: What are the duties of the 77th Royal Jordanian Marine Battalion? Lt. Col. Mutasim: The battalion will protect military bases in Aqaba and provide protection for Jordanian naval headquarters, the Marine Training Center in Titin and other government and economic facilities within the Aqaba region. We are ready to fulfil any duty required…
Heroic tribal fighters played a large role in helping liberate towns and cities in northern Iraq UNIPATH STAFF When Daesh swept into Mosul in 2014, it targeted the city’s leaders who had rejected extremist ideology since the emergence of terrorism in Iraq. The terrorists came with a list containing the names of elders, dignitaries and clerics. Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi commanded that “these apostates be cut off even if they seek haven in the curtain of the Kaaba.” Topping the list of names was Sheikh Khalid al-Sabah al-Jubouri, head of the al-Jabour clan in the Nimrud and Hamdania areas…
Qatar’s Computer Emergency Response Team builds resilience against online threats KHALID AL-HASHMI, ASSISTANT UNDERSECRETARY FOR CYBER SECURITY, QATAR As Qatar’s dependence on cyberspace and information technology grows, the resilience and security of this infrastructure become ever more important. The government of Qatar has realized the need for driving the adoption of cyber security and safety within the nation and has been working tactically to address prevalent threats. Qatar’s 2030 vision lists a number of strategic areas of importance to the nation, some of which prioritize cyber safety and security. The main areas addressed strategically are the following: Human development: Within this…
Defeating terrorist messaging requires deleting offensive content and devising counternarratives UNIPATH STAFF Daesh suffered crushing defeats on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria in 2017, but there’s one battlefield on which the terrorists still operate without fear. In the summer of 2018 — a full year after Daesh was driven from some of its last strongholds in Mosul — the terrorist group continued to spread its message of hate across some of the internet’s most popular platforms. YouTube is a format most associated with fun and informative videos produced by teens and young adults, but Daesh messaging crept onto the…