| dc.description.abstract | Salafi-Jihadi information operations are
designed to manipulate, radicalize, and recruit
from the global Muslim population. This paper
examines the global outreach operations of
prominent Salafi-Jihadi groups, in an effort to
outline suitable responses to Islamic extremism
in the Sri Lankan context. It draws from in-depth
studies of media strategies utilized by the Islamic
State and Al- Qa`ida, based on their online
presence, media outputs, and captured materials.
It also considers information and analyses of
primary source materials such as magazines,
recruitment guides, and interviews with
terrorists and their family members. These are
discussed in the context of the broader strategy of
al-Qa`ida and the Islamic State. Both
organizations seek to exploit ‘Islamaphobia’ to
recruit and radicalize individuals from a target
audience on multiple ‘impact’ levels. Relevant
methods are presented to consider the scope and
depth of their information operations. Research
findings that show propaganda campaigns are
designed to have strategic as well as individual
impacts to propagate ideology and inspire action
are summarized. Recruitment and radicalization
approaches based on both sociological studies
and data from individual country experiences
were then used to frame observable pathways to
terrorism. An analytical lens based on risk factors
is used to discuss recruitment tactics on
structural, social, and individual levels.
Recommendations for Sri Lanka to counter the
spread of ‘Islamaphobia’, improve social
integration, and counter extremism at a local
level are presented for consideration by
policymakers. | en_US |
