subject: YouTube Emerges as the Leading Website for Online Jihad [print this page] YouTube Emerges as the Leading Website for Online Jihad
YouTube has emerged as the leading website for online Jihad. It has in many cases replaced and surpassed websites administered by jihadists themselves, which were previously the leaders in online jihadist efforts. This means that jihadists' use of YouTube is now a grave national security issue, as proven over and over again by U.S-born Al-Qaeda sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki and his followers.
Young Islamist converts have been radicalized by the countless jihadist videos widely available on YouTube, particularly those of Al-Awlaki. Of note is the arrest of Baltimore convert and Al-Awlaki follower Muhammad Hussain, aka Antonio Martinez just one of the growing number of young Westerners who have been incited to acts of terrorism by viewing jihadi clips on YouTube, particularly those related to Al-Awlaki. Martinez was arrested on charges of attempted murder and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against property used by the United States. His intended target was a military recruiting center. According to a court affidavit and media accounts, he was a frequent viewer of YouTube videos of Al-Awlaki, whom he called on his Facebook page "my beloved sheikh." Martinez's Facebook page also included multiple links to jihadi videos on YouTube; thousands of these videos can be found on YouTube, many of them graphically show the killing of American soldiers by IEDs, snipers, and other means, in Afghanistan and Iraq, while others contain inspirational messages and images of Al-Qaeda fighters. Recent pressure on YouTube by Western countries has led to some preliminary measures to clean up the website.
