Digital Extremism

Contents

● What is Extremism?
● Religious Extremism
● Impact of Internet on Extremism
● Social Extremism
What is Extremism?
Extremism is a term used to
describe the actions or
ideologies of individuals or
groups outside the perceived
political center of a society;
or otherwise claimed to
violate common moral
standards.
What is Radicalisation?
Radicalisation is a process by which
an individual, or group comes to
adopt increasingly extreme political,
social, or religious ideals and
aspirations that reject or undermine
the status quo or contemporary ideas
and expressions of the nation
Religious Extremism
 Major Religions

Hinduism

Buddhism Christianity

Islam
Extremism in
Hinduism
● Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)
Babri Masjid (mosque of Babur) was built in the town of
Ayodhya in the 16th century.
Gau Raksha Dal
Extremism in
Islam
● Hundreds of "honour killings" have seen women murdered by their own
families for failing to adhere to Muslim ideas on relationships and
behaviour.
Antisemitism is strongly associated with Islam across the world,
especially in Muslim countries and places in Europe with Muslim
communities.
ISIS- Female trafficking, rapes and inhuman acts to dead corpse
In recent years, both al-Qaeda and ISIS have reportedly focused their
international recruitment efforts on young adults. Psychologists call this
group “in-betweeners,” referring to young adults who have not solidified
their identities.
Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that emerged in the
Gaza Strip in the late 1980s, during the first Palestinian intifada
(uprising) against Israel.
The group’s engagement in politics and welfare has not tempered its
commitment to terrorism. Hamas’s preferred methods include suicide
bombings, rocket and mortar attacks, shootings, and kidnappings.
Hamas as a whole or its armed faction have been labeled terrorist
organizations by the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, the
European Union, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan.
Extremism in
Buddhism
State Peace and Development Council

In recent years the State Peace and Development Council

(SPDC), the military regime of Burma from 1988 to 2011, had
strongly encouraged the conversion of ethnic minorities

Myanmar had become a stronghold of Buddhist aggression and

such acts are spurred by hardline nationalistic monks.

Almost all Japanese Buddhists temples strongly supported

Japan's militarization during World War II.
Extremism in
Christianity
● New Testament doctrine
Christian institutions remains the West's strongest campaigners
against LGBT equality, family planning, science education and
gender equality; all of these battles have seen emboldened
Christians commit acts of violence
The Ku Klux Klan or the infamous KKK, is an christian cult uprising
seen in USA, with all the white followers, this group believes in the
superiority of white people over other races and has been very
active in the past years. This group is known to have lead mas mob
lynching, open shooting and many other acts of vandalism.
Role of Internet
Google Search for Critical Keywords

SEARCH TERM NUMBER OF RESULTS

“how to make a bomb” 34,40,00,000
"beheading video" 2,92,00,000
“how to join ISIS” 7,47,00,000
The internet creates more opportunities to become
an extremist

The Internet helps facilitate extremism

● In 1998, fewer than half of the groups designated as
foreign terrorist organisations by the US State Department
maintained websites; by the end of 1999, nearly all these
terrorist groups had established their presence online
(2006).
The internet creates more opportunities to become
an extremist
The internet reaches otherwise unreachable individuals

● The success of Anwar al-Awlaki, a spokesperson and recruiter for Al

Qaida, in creating high-quality, high production value content such as
Inspire (Al Qaida’s web magazine).
● ‘The Conqueror,’ is a Disney-like online magazine designed for
children, has been attributed to Hamas.
● Islamic State reportedly launched a jihadi-themed Android application
to learn the Arabic alphabet.
● Video games such as Hezbollah’s Special Forces series, Islamic
State’s modifications, or Global Islamic Media Front Night of Bush
Capturing, the Internet helps extremist groups disseminating their
messages to specific audiences
The internet creates more opportunities to become
an extremist

The internet opens opportunities to radicalise a broader range

of people
● This has been particularly highlighted in the case of
women in relation to jihadism.
● It may be unacceptable for women to meet in person with
extremists who are men or to join their groups. It may also
be unacceptable for them to express certain thoughts in
public in the physical world.
● However, the internet affords them greater anonymity.
The internet acts as an ‘echo chamber’

● The internet normalises behaviours and attitudes that otherwise

may carry a risk of being considered unacceptable or
inappropriate in the physical world.
● The internet provides supposed anonymity and a degree of
protection and security from detection.
● It also provides acceptance: information is non-censured and
non-hierarchical.
● To give an illustrative example, an individual disengaged from
the extreme right-wing movement communicated that ‘some of
them really run riot, placing swastikas wherever they can
because they think they are acting in a completely extrajudicial
space’.
The internet accelerates the process of extremism

● A feature which supports the notion of the internet as an

accelerant in extremism is the fact that it offers a ‘one-stop
shop’ for all the information that an extremist may seek out, or
by which they may be influenced.
● The internet can be used by extremists to illustrate and
reinforce ideological messages and/or narratives.
● Through the internet, potential recruits can gain access to
visually powerful video and imagery which appear to
substantiate the extremists’ political claims.
The internet allows radicalisation to occur without
physical contact
● Individuals have the comfort of accessing radical content from
their own personal space instead of having to go through the
inconvenience of physically attending extremist religious
gatherings.
● The internet therefore implies a much more limited set of
logistical challenges to connecting with others: while the
individual needs internet access, it is not necessary to make
appointments and travel to other locations.
● We live in a digital era where our ‘online’ activities are an
extension of our ‘offline’ lives.
The internet increases opportunities for self-
radicalisation

● It refers to a process that is devoid of physical contact: the full

process takes place online, and can include contact with others
as long as it is remote.
● Internet activity has been central in the development of a “self-
starter” phenomenon and offers would-be violent jihadists a
“de-formalised” radicalization experience.
● Self-radicalisation essentially consists of ‘individuals becoming
familiar with and influenced by radical ideologies without even
socialising with extremist groups.
Social Extremism
Bitcoins and Dark Web
● Bitcoin has become the prominent currency of the 'dark web,' which is
often used to purchase illegal goods online, such as weapons and
drugs.
● Anecdotal evidence suggests that terrorists are using both already,
but more work is needed to ascertain whether groups are using a
combination of Bitcoin and the dark web to finance, plan, and
perpetrate terrorist attacks.
● This has raised questions about the cryptocurrency enabling illegal
behavior.
Child pornography, a major market and a big dark
web business

● Child Pornography even though banned all over the world, still
appears to grow its clutches on the world of dark web.
● Even though it appears to be a taboo in the world but the pedophiliac
extremism is there in the world.
● Laws on handling of child pornography have been in into picture but
the things like dark web where the buyer and service providers are
unknown keeps this business alive.
● This relates to extremism of mentality where people are compelled to
do something even though the world says it to be illegal.
Animal Trafficking on Dark Web

● Poachers in India are using the dark web to smuggle

endangered animal species.
● The industry goes deep into the dark web, smuggling species
through Tor-based markets.
● The business remains to be swift, and its platforms are many
whereas traders are anonymous.
● One notable example was a collection of rhino horns being sold
via a dark web market called Alphabay.
Mail Order Brides System
● Global Mail-order brides traditionally hail
from developing countries most famous
country is Russia.
● When the collapse of the Soviet Union
{1991} a large number of eastern European
women advertised themselves on the net to
get a better life, primarily being from Russia,
Ukraine and Moldova.
● Economic and social conditions for women in
Russia and other Post Soviet countries are a
motivational factor in finding foreign
arrangements.
● Now a days, this system still works by using
the dark web sites.
Legal brothels in USA in Nevada

● Prostitution is illegal in the vast majority of the United States as a

result of state laws rather than federal laws. It is, however, legal in
some rural counties within the state of Nevada. Prostitution
nevertheless occurs throughout the country.
● The regulation of prostitution in the country is not among the
enumerated powers of the federal government.
● It is therefore exclusively the domain of the states to permit, prohibit,
or otherwise regulate commercial sex under the Tenth Amendment to
the United States Constitution.
● In most states, prostitution is considered a misdemeanor in the
category of public order crime–crime that disrupts the order of a
community. Prostitution was at one time considered a vagrancy crime.
Conclusion
● The religious extremism is there in every religion across the globe irrespective
of the religion.
● It has a different meaning from the word “religious terrorism”
● Extremism might range from saving your culture to promoting your ideas.
● Extremism is not limited to Islam. We know of no religion that does not have
extremists. Nor is extremism limited to religions. Political and social
extremism is rampant world wide. Atheism has extremists. Those who chant
"We're number one" are extremists. Will extremism ever end? We doubt it.
● It is provoking the other individual to do things which you think are right
according to you.
● A political extremist is someone whose beliefs fall outside mainstream societal
values and on the fringes of the ideological spectrum.
 Has social media been taken over by liberal and conservative extremists and
radicals?

● In a way, yes. You see, extremists are probably the most vocal members of
any community. For example, Trump and the Republicans, or Sanders and
the Democrats.
● Extremists are the guys who get up on podiums and open-air preach.
● Extremists are the people who attend anti-Trump rallies.
● If you give these types people high unlimited means to distribute their
propaganda, they will do their best to flood the world with as much of it as
possible.
Thank You.