E-Jihad or the Way Islamic Fundamentalists Utilize Digital and ICT Progress

Abstract

This paper aims to verify the research thesis stating that the combination of Islam and the digital, information and communications, and technological progress has both a bright (positive) and, unfortunately, a dominant, dark (negative) side. Islam and digital or ICT progress are not contradictory, and the proper use of digital tools, without resorting to violence, expansion or war, serves the development and strengthening of Islam. Nevertheless, in the twenty-first century digital progress has proven to be the phenomenon which most noticeably influenced the expansion of terrorist (jihadist) attitudes and has become a catalyst for the emergence and rapid development of cyber jihad within the cyber ummah. For Islamic fundamentalists, tradition remains crucial, but radical scholars in Islamic law argue that to defend that tradition against Western influences, one must embrace the latest and most advanced digital technologies. E-jihad has thus become one of the most effective forms of both offensive and defensive jihad, and it can be presumed that its development will continue in the coming decades. The popularity, consolidation, and development of e-jihad are directly proportional to digital progress.