U.S. Strategy for Countering Jihadist Web Sites

I want to thank our witnesses for being here. I know that the title of this hearing uses the term "jihadist," which is widely used in the intelligence and antiterrorism community. I realize that the term "jihad" is sometimes used in Islam to describe a personal struggle; and, accordingly, I will use the word "terrorist" or "extremist," not that the term "jihadist" does not also carry with it the meaning, but it has secondary and tertiary meanings as well, and obviously those engaged in a personal reflection and struggles to improve themselves are not the focus of these hearings.

We have seen extremists use the Internet for a growing number of activities, including recruitment, propaganda, psychological warfare, and soliciting financial support. Today's hearing is to focus on how to best counter those activities and basically to ask the question: Why aren't we doing so?

We see groups like Fajr, which not only maintain their own Web site but have a dedicated nexus to communicate with other extremist groups. One can find the many books and essays pushing the extremist position on the line, and you can find instructions on how to download extremist content onto your cell phone.