International Law

Facebook: Terrrorist Tool?

By Garry J. Wise, Wise Law Office, Toronto

According to a Scotland publication, Scotsman.com:

RADICAL British Jihadist groups are using Facebook and other social networking sites to recruit members and distribute extremist literature.

A private Facebook group called Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah, the name of a successor organisation to the banned extremist group Al Muhajiroun, has been operating since early 2007.

The Facebook group has links posted to extremist literature by the jailed radical preachers Abu Hamza al-Misri and Abu Qutada calling for the waging of armed jihad against the British and American governments. There is also literature demanding the expulsion of any Muslim who votes in elections or "provides assistance" to the 'kuffar', or non-believer.

Five young British Muslims were freed last week after their conviction for downloading and sharing literature from extremist websites was quashed by the Appeal Court. The Lord Chief Justice said there was no proof of terrorist intent. The Home Office is still considering the landmark case, which lawyers for the men say has huge implications for counter-terrorism prosecutions.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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Full post as published by Wise Law Blog on February 16, 2008 (boomark / email).