The Meaning of War and Peace in Jihadist Online Radicalization

The Islamic law of war and peace is the crucial issue that underlies all jihad discussions. In the Quran, jihad is a term with multiple meanings. The most important known are the great jihad (the internal, spiritual struggle against the lower self) connected with peace and the small jihad (the physical combat with the sword) associated with war. In the twenty-first century, the small jihad (jihad by the sword), propagated by radical Islamic terrorist organizations, constitutes the biggest challenge to the stability and security of states and societies. Online radicalization is one of the most critical channels for those who spread the small jihad. Therefore, the issue of the relationship between defining war and peace and activities aimed at attracting supporters of jihad of the sword with the use of modern technologies remains fundamental. The use of the internet by Jihadist organizations such as the Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations such as the Islamic Front, the al-Nusra Front or Hamas and Hezbollah constitute one of the most significant challenges and threats to national and international security. Extremists and terrorists use the new technological tools to communicate with each other, to organize themselves and to publish their ideas. Online radicalization is an easy tool for terrorist organizations to create an image of war and peace. The online message is easily digestible and colorful. Websites, movies, blogs, music, computer games, social media activity, and pretending to be in love are just some of the tools of radicalization on the internet. Jihadism on the internet is presented attractively and intended to cure all the imperfections and disappointment with the modern, liberal world and reality.