A White House strategy against violent extremism inside the United States warns about the role of the Internet and social networking as a vehicle for distributing propaganda.

The strategy, published August 3, emphasizes the role of local jurisdictions in preventing the perpetuation of extremism such as that preached by al Qaeda. Violent extremist propaganda "is increasingly in English and targeted at an American audience," the strategy states.

"We will continue to closely monitor the important role the internet and social networking sites play in advancing violent extremist narratives," the strategy states, adding that education about Internet safety can steer away community members from extremist sources. It also emphasizes a "community-based approach" against violent extremism, since "communities are best placed to recognize and confront the threat because violent extremists are targeting their children, families, and neighbors."

The role of the Internet as an al Qaeda recruiting tool gained notable attention following the 2009 shooting death of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, by Army Maj. Nidal Hasan. Hasan, it was later revealed, has been in email contact with Anwar al-Awlaki, once the imam at the Falls Church, Va., mosque Hasan frequented. Al-Awlaki, believed to be in hiding in Yemen, serves as a public face of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and has maintained an active online presence.

A February report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies says that al Qaeda, once a hierarchical terrorist organization, has in recent years become a three-tiered configuration consisting of a small core in western Pakistan, affiliated or like-minded groups across the world, and a fringe of unaffiliated al Qaeda-inspired cells or individuals who still receive occasional guidance from the core and affiliates.

Binding the three tiers together is a common ideology that the advent of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools has made it easier to disseminate, the report says.

Not everyone is convinced of the efficacy of the Internet as a recruitment tool, however. Muslim extremists "place a great deal of emphasis on this Internet campaign to recruit--a lot more retail outlets in the form of websites and American born-salesmen like [Adam] Gadahn, Awlaki and [Omar] Hammami--but they're not selling a lot of cars," said Brian Jenkins, a Rand Corp. adviser, while testifying before a June 22 panel of the House Armed Services subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities.

The White House strategy, meanwhile, also warns against actions or statements that would validate al Qaeda's claim that the United States is at war with Islam.  

"Islam is part of America, a country that cherishes the active participation of all its citizens, regardless of background and belief," the strategy says.

For more:
- download the strategy, "Empowering Local  Partners To  Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States" (.pdf)

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