Social media - a powerful tool against terrorism

“We need better understanding and improved collective action to counter youth radicalisation both in Australia and overseas...”

Alfred Deakin Professor Fethi Mansouri, Director of the Alfred Deakin Research Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, recently reflected on the growth of Islamic State (IS) and suggested ways of countering its recruitment practices, in an article published in “The Age.”

The UNESCO Chair of Cultural Diversity and Social Justice at Deakin, Professor Mansouri outlined the highly complex evolution of Islamic State (IS) from its beginnings with Iraq’s Sunni Muslims to its role today as a “global caliphate with a capital city, an anointed leader, significant finances and a slick PR machine,” whose branding is proving attractive to disenfranchised Muslim youth around the world.

Prof Mansouri observed that IS recruiting in the west has drawn teenagers to its cause through social media and information technologies and suggests that IS exploits the vulnerabilities of potential recruits through a narrative of “pure ideals, global justice and a well-connected brotherly community,” which can be captivating for young people who are isolated and seeking “meaning, purpose and connection.”

“There is a critical role for education, community partnerships and, in particular, social media, to build more resilient communities and shield would-be recruits,” he said.

“To counter the sophisticated, visually appealing strategies employed by IS in recruiting and radicalising youth, we need to debunk the myths perpetrated by IS, and, more importantly, create societies in which the rhetoric of IS loses its appeal through constructing a counter-narrative that offers hope and attaches a premium to the sanctity of human life everywhere.”

• Read the full story in “The Age.”
  

Professor Mansouri has also written about the recent terrorist attacks at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, as "another episode of the senseless barbaric violence in the name of Islam."

• The lessons of Carthage for Tunisia (The Age).