(No Ratings Yet)
America’s proud soldiers are shown in commercial after commercial promoting their values and strength in the “Army Strong”recruiting campaign. Prior to this was the “Army of One” and of course we all recall singing along with “Be All You Can Be”. But perhaps rather than just going to television commercials which are fastforwarded straight through thanks to the advent of Tivoand the like viral internet marketting would be more productive. After all- it seems to be working for our adversaries.
When Osama bin Laden issued his videotaped message to the American people last month, a young jihad enthusiast went online to help spread the word.
“America needs to listen to Shaykh Usaamah very carefully and take his message with great seriousness,” he wrote on his blog. “America is known to be a people of arrogance.”
Unlike Mr. bin Laden, the blogger was not operating from a remote location. It turns out he is a 21-year-old American named Samir Khan who produces his blog from his parents’ home in North Carolina, where he serves as a kind of Western relay station for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups.
Wait a second. North Carolina? Weren’t we fighting them there so… never mind.
His neatly organized site also includes a file called “United States of Losers,” which showcased a recent news broadcast about a firefight in Afghanistan with this added commentary from Mr. Khan: “You can even see an American soldier hiding during the ambush like a baby!! AllahuAkbar! AllahuAkbar!”
Mr. Khan, who was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Queens, is an unlikely foot soldier in what Al Qaeda calls the “Islamic jihadi media.” He has grown up in middle-class America and wrestles with his worried parents about his religious fervor. Yet he is stubborn. “I will do my best to speak the truth, and even if it annoys the disbelievers, the truth must be preached,” Mr. Khan said in an interview.
While there is nothing to suggest that Mr. Khan is operating in concert with militant leaders, or breaking any laws, he is part of a growing constellation of apparently independent media operators who are broadcasting the message of Al Qaeda and other groups, a message that is increasingly devised, translated and aimed for a Western audience.
Anyone remember the name al-Zarqawi? He’s dead now- has been since 2006, but apparently his legacy is still alive and kicking, as the internet based jihad is largely around thanks in part to his original fondness for media being created by every group taking part in operations.
“He made the decision that every group should have a video camera with them, and every operation should be taped,” said a Palestinian militant who went to Iraq in 2005 to teach foreign fighters from Morocco and parts of Europe how to build bombs and stage roadside attacks.
But thanks to the increasing ease with which videos can be produced and uploaded onto various sites like youtube what could once only be seen as grainy video with arabic speaking in the background- can now become a flashy music video.
One of the most influential sites is Tajdeed, which is based in London and run by Dr. Muhammad Massari, a Saudi physicist and dissident. Over lunch at a McDonald’s near his home, Dr. Massari said Mr. Zarqawi’s insurgent videos from Iraq inspired local productions like “Dirty Kuffar,” the Arabic word for nonbeliever. The 2004 rap music video mixed images of Western leaders with others purporting to show American troops cheer as they shot injured Iraqi civilians.
The urban market- that’s a big one.
Last spring, Al Qaeda made what analysts say was a bold attempt to tap potential supporters in the United States. In a videotaped interview, Ayman al-Zawahri, a bin Laden lieutenant, praised Malcolm X and urged American blacks and other minorities to see that “we are waging jihad to lift oppression from all of mankind.”
The tape quickly found an audience. Mr. Zawahri “cares about black people,” wrote a blogger with Vibe, the American hip-hop and urban culture magazine, which claims 1.6 million visits a month. “At least, I think that’s why he’s quoting Malcolm X in his latest mix tape, which dropped last weekend.”
Well, I guess if Bush won’t care about black people… someone has to.
You know, I think if our military had some more advanced marketting tactics- maybe we wouldn’t have to just let just anyone in to meet our recruiting goals. What do you think?
Popularity: 2% [?]
Sphere: Related Content
