The Taliban Are Technophobes No Longer

December 7th, 2011

 

Far from our image of the Taliban living a more or less medieval existence, shunning all modernity, especially technology which was considered an evil creation of the West, it seems that the Taliban of 2011 has changed its perspective somewhat. Instead of breaking down television sets or declaring the internet as ‘immoral’, the group has come to use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter with a remarkable degree of sophistication.
Their Facebook sites promote jihad in several different languages accessible to people both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in a manner that is educative as well as emotive. The sites are well maintained and have obviously involved specialists. Experts who have been watching developments believe help may have been obtained from al Qaeda, which is well known for its technological abilities and the use of these to spread its message around the world. 
The use of internet sites obviously helps get the Taliban message of Jihad and militancy to a wider range of people, including the educated young elite, in the country. This is in many ways a dangerous development. The real risk we face is not just from the militant outfits with their bombs and suicide jackets but also from their increasing ability to affect the mindsets of a growing number of people everywhere in the country. This ability needs to be countered. How can this be achieved? In the first place, in this age of the computer, the authorities battling the Taliban and other groups like it may need to replicate their use of technology and to borrow a page from the book they are using. This can be done by using the state or even privately-owned media more effectively, as well as by using websites and other means to challenge the use of violence. Efforts must begin immediately to deliver a different message to the masses.

Far from our image of the Taliban living a more or less medieval existence, shunning all modernity, especially technology which was considered an evil creation of the West, it seems that the Taliban of 2011 has changed its perspective somewhat. Instead of breaking down television sets or declaring the internet as ‘immoral’, the group has come to use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter with a remarkable degree of sophistication.

Their Facebook sites promote jihad in several different languages accessible to people both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in a manner that is educative as well as emotive. The sites are well maintained and have obviously involved specialists. Experts who have been watching developments believe help may have been obtained from al Qaeda, which is well known for its technological abilities and the use of these to spread its message around the world. 

The use of internet sites obviously helps get the Taliban message of Jihad and militancy to a wider range of people, including the educated young elite, in the country. This is in many ways a dangerous development. The real risk we face is not just from the militant outfits with their bombs and suicide jackets but also from their increasing ability to affect the mindsets of a growing number of people everywhere in the country.

This ability needs to be countered. How can this be achieved? In the first place, in this age of the computer, the authorities battling the Taliban and other groups like it may need to replicate their use of technology and to borrow a page from the book they are using. This can be done by using the state or even privately-owned media more effectively, as well as by using websites and other means to challenge the use of violence. Efforts must begin immediately to deliver a different message to the masses.

 

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Author: Emily