This is true, but others have also long been masterful at using the Internet. "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, master of the Web war: Al-Qaida leader in Iraq harnessed the Internet to wage his jihad," from MSNBC:
WASHINGTON - As the U.S. military announced Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s death, al-Zarqawi’s lieutenants did the same, with a statement on his own Web site, with a highly positive spin.“We are bringing the good news of the martyrdom of our Sheikh,” reads the site. “What hit us is a blessing to our nation. ... It will encourage us to continue waging Jihad.”
Jihadi bulletin boards and chat rooms were quickly overwhelmed. Al-Zarqawi’s photo was posted, adorned to glorify his death. One posting said: “Zarqawi’s blood will serve as fuel to burn the invaders and the apostates.”
It is fitting for a man who experts say pioneered the use of the Internet as a powerful tool for terrorists.
“Zarqawi really created the idea of a comprehensive information war on the Internet,” said Evan Kohlmann of globalterroralert.com, a terrorism analyst for NBC News. He pioneered “the use of the Internet in order to provide disinformation, in order to provide support, in order to recruit people directly over the Internet.”
Al-Zarqawi was a master of the propaganda war — martyrdom videos, military successes and images that repulsed and shocked the West and inspired his followers.
One month into his campaign, he had the full attention of the world with a video of his personally beheading U.S. contractor Nicholas Berg. When the beheading videos got old, he moved to suicide bombing videos. When those got old, he moved to full-length Hollywood-style productions.
Al-Zarqawi also used the Internet to create his own larger-than-life persona — as a masterly military commander and an equal to Osama bin Laden.
Abu's military prowess ended up killing far more of his own people than his enemy , the evil infidel Americans/Jews. Ultimately, his own taste for blood, regardless of whose blood it was, was the ultimate downfall for him. It is leaders like him who may spell doom for the Islamic movement.
At least our military commanders know who are the bad guys are.
I guess all of the smiley face icons on Zarqawi's website chatroom pages have been replaced by frowns.
Another popular image on jihadi sites, showing one smiley face icon horse-whipping another [tied-up] head, is probably in big demand, too. Self-flagellation being only second to homicidal impulses within militant Islam.
May this festering maniac be in a coffin filled with congealed bacon grease scrapings so that he can swim to hell in style.
profitsbeard,
muslims do not use coffins. They just dump the dead in the grave, and then dunk a big slab of stone on the face to disfigure it before filling the grave in. I have been to the funeral of a father of a muslim friend I had long ago, and this was what they did. It shocked me then, and I discussed it with him. He said that it is customary to spoil the face.
“What hit us is a blessing to our nation. ... " I hope we can "bless them" a whole lot more...
Bohemond,
I, too, hope so. With daisy cutters, we can give them lots of blessings.