| Abstrakt: |
The information technologies of the 21st century have exposed new vulnerabilities that can be exploited by jihadi groups. 1 This increases the necessity to fully understand the phenomenon of jihadism and to holistically know and comprehend a new antagonist.2 However, the academic discourse around jihadism in cyberspace does not pay enough attention to radical jihadi ideology and its core element: operational art. This very phenomenon can be seen as the basis of the jihadi subculture as it allows for an abstract distillation of strategic or tactical guidelines from the Quran, the Ahadith or the Sunnah.3 Cyber-attacks, cyber-espionage and cyber-propaganda can consequently be linked to the military management of the Prophet Muhammad, to cultural heritage and to the foundation of the Islamic faith. In this regard operational art provides a common strategic or tactical framework, which allows jihadi groups to remain operative and organised on the decentralised battleground that is cyberspace and despite the loss of leadership figures, controlled territory or manpower. Hence, distorted interpretations of Islam have a significant impact on the operational realities. Understanding the interplay between cyberspace and jihadi operational art ultimately allows for an effective engagement with the subculture and to undermine its claim to legitimacy through challenging the fundamentals of radical ideologies. This academic study hence focuses on exploring what lies below the radical activities of jihadi groups. It attempts to contribute to the existing scholarship on radical Islamic ideologies by linking the offline world of twisted jihadi thought, misguided radical interpretations of Islam and jihadi military tactics to the virtual realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
