• There is no "internet jihad".
There are jihadis who use the internet. The internet is just another territory, another area of operations, another front in a global war.
The Internet is the home front of the global jihad.
• The most important thing that the internet does for the global jihad is it provides community.
Maybe 20% of what jihadis say online has some interest from an analytical or investigative point of view.
The 80% that doesn't interest *us* is the mindless chit chat that builds bonds. It solidifies the individual jihadi's sense of identity with the global movement and it holds the global movement together and keeps it moving forwards.
• Jihadis act locally and interact globally.
This global interaction has the effect of cutting the jihadis off from their own local Muslim community and turning them towards the objectives of the global jihad, as opposed to any local struggle. This fuels the process of radicalization.
